Alaska & warm kayaking?

Question

We plan to kayak in Alaska, July 07 however being from OZ & NZ and travelling light we're not used to "cold water" or prepared with 'cold gear'. Advice researched so far has been non-descriptive to the extent that "long john's; drysuits, knee boots, full spray jacket & pants plus layers" seems overkill.

What is the minimum warm gear for 'folding kayaks' so we can enjoy the coast, glaciers and effort around Homer & Seward; without blowing the budget on excess baggage and gear?

Answer 1

Hi.  I live in Kenai, have kayaked (for a week) in Prince William Sound out of Whittier and done overnight trips out of Seward into Resurrection Bay and many times out of Homer to Jackilof, Halibut Cove, and Seldovia.

It isn't clear to me if you are doing trips OUT OF each place or going BETWEEN them.  Homer to Seward is truly expediationary in the distance you are from help, boat traffic, radio contact, etc.  You can be in pretty protected water most of the way, but you need to have the equipment and the attitude to sit in one place for a day or two if needed before doing the open water crossings (5-9 miles) in a calm window.  I'd love to do it and somehow keep bumping into the people who do it each year.  

The "problem" the guys who did it 5 years ago had was too many "rock cod".  They could never get their hooks on the bottom for halibut without something getting hooked in the upper water column!  I kayak fish a bit (caught a tuna in Mexico) and there's stuff out there I don't want to catch (personal criteria - no more than 15-pound test).   A rock fish at 1.5 pounds seems perfect for dinner each night.  Even a 15-20 pound halibut is tough to handle in a kayak and seems kind of wasteful since you can't eat it all that night.

The next year, a group of 8 or so went.  My wooden Pygmy Triple went on that trip.  A double (better yet a triple with an empty seat) is a HUGE safety item and provides a lot flexibility.  Someone who is weak one day or has an upset stomach, whatever, can go in the double with the strongest paddler and everyone can continue.  With two people in a triple, in a pitch (like a trashed or lost single), you can still self-rescue as a group.  They took about 12 days but they explored around a lot and were conservative in their daily mileage.

In 2004, I was hitching back from a 43-mile day hike and got a ride from two guys as they were returning from a Homer-to-Seward trip.  8-9 days and it went well for them too.  I could probably dig up addresses for some of those folks if you want to contact me: dthomas is my user name.  Then the at sign.  Then alaska.  Then net.

Anyway, clothing:  PFD!  personal floatation device, "life jacket".  I hope this is amazingly obvious and I'm just being pedantic here, but the stats are pretty stark (for plane ditchings).  If you go into the water with a PFD, you'll probably be rescued.  If you go in without, you won't.  And that about the only hard and fast rule for everyone whose safety and preparedness I respect up here.

I'm usually in expediation-weight polypro bottoms with nylon gym shorts.  A t-shirt or sweater under a paddling jacket on top.  Hat.  PFD.  Neoprene hood at the ready.  Neoprene gloves on deck or wearing them.  And travel in a group near shore.  Know your assisted rescue techniques and have practiced them as a group. The people who do bring dry suits, only wear them on exposed crossings and/or in bad weather.  Staying in camp being the other option.

Are you proposing to bring your folding kayaks?  I know that is the point of a Klepper (et al), but a polyethylene boat has the beauty of being able to run it up on a barnacle-encrusted beach and keep your feet dry.  I do that in my wooden (stitch-and-glue) kayaks too - the top is pretty and the bottom is a working boat.  You can rent closed-top poly boats in Seward or in Homer and that would 1) save a lot on luggage expense/bother, 2) let you bang across the rocks without sweating it, and 3) give you a smaller, safer cockpit.  Many folding boats have big cockpits and those, even with a sprayskirt, can blow out (blow in, actually) in big water.  At times I've looked forward and seen none of my boat.  The entire foredeck was covered in a wave.  

Also, folding boats tend to have more freeboard.  If yours does, you limit your paddling days to those with less wind so you don't get blown around or weather-vaned so much.

Tame version:  day or overnight trips: Paddle straight out of Seward but take a water taxi ("Mako's" is good) out of Homer to avoid the 3-mile crossing.  Then explore the south side of Kachemak Bay, maybe having reserved a cabin (private or state) or a yurt (private on state park land).  Then safety starts and ends with a PFD, basic paddling skills and keeping your wits about you (look over your shoulder ever 30 minutes in case the weather or wind or waves are changing).

Hope that helps.  Have a great time. We really enjoyed kayaking in Abel Tasman.  Different critters, fish, weather, and terrain up here, but the locals are friendly in both places.

-David

Answer 2

Go buy drysuits or dont go kayaking in alaska. You maybe able to get away with drytops with a skirt. You might be able to rent those or buy them from alaskan outfitters so you dont have to pack them.

Answer 3

I am a kayak fishing guide and live in VERMONT and fish into late October when it is pretty cold. I have a sit-on-top kayak so i get a little wet while paddling or landing fish, i wear a pair of insulated Nike pants then i put on over it a pair of water proof pants. Up top i do the same t-shirt, sweatshirt, waterproof jacket, i also wear seal-skins waterproof socks over a pair of wool socks. Hope this helps a little. Tom,  www.vtkayakfisherman.com