The Risk of Sea Kayaking
I consider myself a cautious paddler, yet I have been "boarded" by the Coast Guard 3 times in the past year. "Boarding" is what the Coast Guard calls it when they stop you on the water for a safety check.
Navigation
Small Boat Navigation
These pages discuss various aspects of navigating small boats on big water.
Kayak Steering Strokes
"If you want to turn left, paddle more on the right." This is usually the advice provided to a first time paddler. And often it is all the instructions they will ever receive on the subject of maneuvering a kayak.
Determining Wave Height
He said, "I was out there and the waves must have been 6 feet." Funny, I was out there at the same time and didn't see anything bigger than 18 inches. What is going on? Estimating wave height is very difficult. Sitting down in a kayak, low to the water, waves look pretty big.
Small Boat and Kayak Navigation
Most of time in small boat like a kayak navigation is done by sight. In other words, you see where you want to go, point the boat that direction and go. This is not to down play the need for a good chart and a compass.