I’d like to point out (he said, reflexively), that while many of the things we need to look out for while enjoying our idyllic sport are large and flat, such as rocks and water, increasingly, many of the dangers are man-made, and pointy.
In a recent Buffalo Bayou Regatta, the TEXSAR sweep boat attempted to beach their boat to make a repair to their motor, but instead impaled their boat on a submerged fence post sticking out from the beach.
This caused the front inflation chamber to collapse, and their boat to be crippled for the rest of the day.
With many landowners in Texas contending that they own the waterway and placing their fences up to and even over the water; fence posts sticking out from the beach, under the water, are a hazard to look out for.
The launch site for the Regatta itself, is under a bridge that is filled with broken concrete with rebar sticking out of it willy-nilly, and venturing out into the water to help boaters get in their boats at the start opens you up to getting impaled from the rebar sticking out at all angles.
Since many of the bridges in Texas have also used waste concrete riprap to shore up their pilings, many times as you pass by or under a bridge or near shore erosion mitigation efforts, the rebar sticking out from the riprap is practically invisible and can rip you a new one.
Talking about erosion mitigation, many landowners have attempted to use old oil drilling pipes to try to protect riverbanks or shores from being eroded, and while it might help temporarily, they often fail, and collapse into the waterway. These are then left to impale the unwary paddler.
Also, there are pointy rocks in some rivers. At one point on the Navasota, I saw a rock ledge that was severely undercut, sticking 8 feet out from the side of a cliff. Shaped much like the wing of an airplane, the leading edge of the rock was as sharpened as a knife and would be practically invisible if it were at water level. Luckily, the water was low and slow that day, and the rock ledge was about 4 feet above the water level. If the water was at all high, and running fast, that rock ledge could slice through your boat and cut you off at the knees, no problem.
Finally, Texas is home to several trees and bushes that have developed thorns as protection and grow along our waterways.
Honey Locust trees have thorns that can grow to be a foot long. Mesquite trees have thorns several inches long and reportedly as strong as nails.
While they may not be strong enough to puncture boats, I do know they are adequate to puncture people. Years ago, while I was clearing some brush, a branch of a locust tree fell on my head. I thought nothing of it until later that day I pulled a two inch thorn out of the top of my skull. I’m glad it didn’t hit anything vital.
This is just a warning, that besides the big visible objects like waterfalls, rocks, alligators and such that are dangerous while we are paddling, there are a bunch of sharp pointy things out there that are almost invisible that can do you harm. Be careful out there!
See you On The Water!