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The GOSSIP

Number 213 / September 2009

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Published by the Open Canoe Sailing Group

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The first thing I noticed was that while the plastic hoop at the back is fine for holding the shoes on in normal use, it did not seem sturdy enough for climbing in and out of the boat during capsize drills. Crocs sell a proprietary "Turbo Strap" to replace the plastic hoop while swimming, but I have found that a circle of cord tightened with a spring loaded cord grip does a fine job of holding the original plastic hoop in place when in the water.

Crocs dry incredibly quickly, and consequently I took them as my only pair of shoes on my recent trip to Mull (the prospect of the portage led to a certain amount of excess weight paranoia while I was packing). During the day I wore my Crocs over the latex socks of my dry trousers, and in the evening I wore the Crocs with either bare feet or woolly socks. I found that sand could be removed easily from the shoes at the end of the sailing day, and this made a big difference when operating on the white sandy beaches that are in abundance on the south coast of Mull. Somewhat miraculously we only encountered one boulder strewn beach on the trip, and again the Crocs took this in their stride, although other Crocs users have told me that they have found

SteveR about to start a 4-mile portage in his Crocs.

that Crocs do not offer sufficient support when carrying boats over rough ground. It is impossible to write about Crocs without mentioning their somewhat unique styling. A range of colours is available, but the clog-like aesthetic results in even the more mundanely coloured varieties creating a lot of attention for the wearer's feet.

Crocs come in incomprehensible American sizes, and need to be fitted loose to allow air to circulate. Consequently, if you want a pair, you would be well advised to try them on in a shop rather than relying on mail order. One final word of warning, although cheaper copies abound, the copies seem to be made from an inferior plastic which does not offer the same support, or grip as well in the wet.

Price - Approximately £30.

 

Canoeing Accident On Loch Maree (SteveR)

Some readers may have heard that on the 24th August renowned ornithologist Dr Michael Madders and his son Daniel were killed in a canoeing accident on Loch Maree. Although the accident did not involve a sailing canoe, and the two canoeists were not members of the OCSG, further details of this unfortunate accident have been described below as they may be of interest to members.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency released the following statement on the day of the accident.

At 4.45pm today Stornoway Coastguard received a request from Inverness Police Control for a helicopter search for two missing canoeists on Loch Maree, Wester Ross. The pair, a man and his seven-year-old son, had gone canoeing around midday with the expectation of a 20-minute trip in the area of Tollie Bay near Poolewe. When they failed to return the boy's mother searched the shore and upon finding their overturned canoe raised the alarm.

Coastguard helicopter 'Rescue 100' was scrambled from Stornoway and Loch Ewe Coastguard Rescue Team tasked to provide communications and liaison with the Police unit at the scene. Both people were found within minutes of the helicopter arriving and were immediately airlifted to Western Isles Hospital, Stornoway, where an emergency medical team was waiting.

Stornoway Coastguard Watch Manager David Smith said: "Both the boy and his father were wearing buoyancy aids and were located quickly by the helicopter. In spite of this and the efforts of the helicopter crew, tragically both the father and son have been pronounced deceased at Western Isles Hospital. Our thoughts go out to their family at this most difficult of times."

Little is known about the circumstances of the accident, although it is known that there have been at least two previous non-fatal canoeing accidents on Loch Maree. These previous incidents have both involved canoeists who were unable to right capsized boats, attempted to swim to the shore, and were overtaken by hypothermia before reaching the shore.

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