The water is never really cold. By your standards, it would always be pretty warm, though I've been in the tropics long enough that sometimes up in the mountains it seems chilly, especially on a windy day.
I'm sure they would seem warm to me, probably just about anywhere there. During my travels, I often swim in rivers while others around me are shivering in their parkas. A lot of it is acclimatization, but with a little bravado tossed in. When I was a kid, we had a local tradition of swimming in the Ottawa River on Victoria Day weekend (usually around May 24) regardless of how cold the weather was. It's a swift-moving river that comes down from the near north and in our part of the river, the thick sheet ice was rarely off of it before mid-April or later. Just a few minutes in its waters and you were turning blue. Jumping in was actually rather horrible, but my brother and I would always try to outdo each other by trying to be first in and last out. (Nuts, eh?) BTW, I know of a gang of kayakers around here who take their boats out all winter long to play on the rivers where sections of fast-moving water stay open. Of course, they dress for it, but still, it's got to be cold. Also quite dangerous around the ice.
White water boats don't break. Paddlers sometimes do: the picture of the yellow boat upside down led to the guy getting 2 chipped teeth, a split lip, and 3 stitches on one eyelid. First time I've ever seen a face injury while paddling. Something to consider.
Yes, quite amazing what some of these boats can take. Last summer, my own canoe took a couple of very hard smacks on the rocks. I was sure there would have been some major damage, but we got away with nothing more than a couple of scrapes in the gel-coat. However, yes.. damage to faces are a different matter. I always get a bit worried while watching people roll in some of our rivers where I know just how abrasive the rock is below surface.
I'll pick up a canoe for you. Shipping is on your account. Tell them the package is about 18 feet long and maybe 150 pounds, see what they quote you....
Having shipped a compact 15-pound box to the Philippines one time, I think I'm going to have to pass on the fine dug-out as I'm sure it would break my canoe-tripping budget for the year. I'll probably have to settle for the 12-inch Tourist Souvenir model. However, the ones in your photo certainly look graceful. I've seen similar ones in the Canadian Canoe Museum...even one with a crocodile's head carved into the bow... very elegant! (but then, I suppose I'm rather biased). |
