04/08/99: Sea Kayaking Dry Suit Field Test # 1:
Friday evening I was watching the news when they had a segment on how this was the optimal night for conceiving a child for the new millennium and how thousands of couples had romantic evenings planned.
So I'm sitting there when I hear a tiny, soft voice say "I am sooo lonely. Try me, please try me." I turn around expecting (hoping/wishing) to see a voluptuous 20 year old blonde millennimom wannabe leaning against the doorway, wearing (or not) a slinky, sexy Victoria Secret outfit, smiling seductively at me.
What?……. It could happen!…… Well it could too!….. But it didn't <big sigh of disappointment>. I tracked the voice to the bathroom, (no wisecracks, some of us bachelor types are extremely sensitive) where I had my new Kokatat Goretex dry suit hanging to pick up whatever moisture was in the house and keep it from drying out. And there it was, crying piteously for attention. Weeping wet suits I can handle but waddya gonna do about a dreary dry suit with droopy water drops forming on its Gortex?
I said, "what the hell", took it down and went and got some long johns, new Polartec 100 top & bottoms, fleece socks, etc. and tried them all on together. Then I marched down to the basement and introduced the dry suit to the new booties and Lotus Rio Grande PFD. I was gonna feel like a little girl all dressed up in here new finery on Easter Sunday. But……
Ohmagawd! Didja know it's not just clothes that can shrink, like what happened to that Kruger feller out Oregon way, but neoprene spray skirts can shrink too if left alone too long? Yup, it's true! After struggling and wiggling like an old, fat lady getting into a girdle, I finally got it up, I mean on, the spray skirt that is. But when I looked down, there was this disgusting basketball thing sticking out in front, making my navel area look all swollen up and a couple of fat handle type things hanging out from the sides. Unlike that Kruger guy out there on the northwest US coast, I do not overindulge. I hardly ever eat cheesecake or chocolate ice cream or Lays Potato Chips and such or drink beer (much) and you can't make me say I do. Even though I admit to having a friend who's a great pastry chef, I hardly ever visit and she hardly ever gives sweets away and I would never buy sweet stuff from her, honest!
And that's not the first time either. Years ago, before some of you were born and while others still thought the opposite sex was yucky (not including all the old farts and fartesses on the list) I did a little class II & III ww kayaking. Well I didn't do any paddling in the 80's (they were my 'inactive years') and in the early 90's, when I decided to go out again, why the darn blamed sprayskirt had shrunk so much I could only get it midway up my thighs. I was so disappointed I never did do any more ww kayaking. Figgered a bigger man needed a bigger kayak and took up this here sea kayaking stuff.
Anyway, after talking it over with the dry suit, spray skirt & PFD, we all went outside to the boat rack, lifted up the tarp and talked some more with the Looksha IV and decided to head out in the morning for a warm up and test run.
I wanted to accomplish four things with this, my (our) first outing of 1999. 1) test the dry suit in cold water, 2) test out how my broken shoulder had healed, 3) begin playing with the Garmin 12XL again and 4) have a good time.
I had taken the sling off after 4 weeks (they really can't do much with a broken shoulder). I just walked around without the sling for a week not doing anything special (except maybe shovel snow a couple of times). The next week I just did 45 minutes a day of exercises at the gym without weights to start getting my range of motion back. The following week I did pretty much the same thing with 2 1/2 pound weights. This past week I started back in on my normal training schedule with somewhat lighter weights than usual. Ok, ok, I slept in one day. I had a bigger than normal sleeping pill hangover and said to hell with it and rolled over and went back to sleep. All in all, the shoulder feels good (if a little tight from starting up the weight routine again) and I have almost a full range of motion. I had been running outside, power walking on the treadmill, step machine, bike, etc. all along. Didja ever try jogging or power walking a couple miles with one arm in a sling? Well jogging may be a little strong, more like an old man kind of shuffle. Gets the heart pumping though. The shoulder felt real good during the contortions I went through getting into and out of the dry suit.
I never bothered to put batteries into the GPS so I guess I wasn't very serious about playing with it.
There was too much wind, too many clouds and my windward ear and side of my face, even with a beard, were too cold to have a really good time but I was happy to be out on the water anyway.
The weather was forecast at about 40-50F with high tide around 6am. I got to my favorite local putin in Portsmouth, NH around 9am, mid-way into the ebb tide. I was wearing fleece socks with some kind of polyester sock linings. Polyester long johns and the Polartec 100 top and bottoms. I had on a Polartec 200 vest but took it off as I was starting to sweat at the ramp.
I took my time putting the dry suit on. Over the winter, I had tried to stretch the neck so I could breathe but ended up cutting 3 rings from it. I knew it was there but it wasn't uncomfortable when I tried it on for half an hour last night. The ankle gaskets were ok but the wrist gaskets had been tight, probably because they were rolled up a little, so I took extra care not to do that again.
I had neoprene booties that zipped on the side and I rolled the gaskets down over top of them. I had some cheap neoprene gloves with polyester glove liners. I rolled the wrist gasket down over one, but couldn't get my gloved finger under the other gasket and had to ask some lady for help. I also had on a fleece dickey (per Jack Martin's comments about the neck being a source of heat loss and a fleece hat).
My Looksha IV has low primary stability and when I first got in I rocked quite a bit. Then I paddled around the little jetty, right into a quartering wind. I shortened up on the leeward paddle and lengthened the windward side so I didn't have the constant one sideed stroke to maintain course. I did a little leaning/rocking but my cheek muscles were working overtime to maintain balance.
I paddled over to a beach where I knew there was a sand rather than a mud bottom and started wading out into the water. Right away I knew zippered booties were not a good thing in cold water. The water leaked right in and the farther I waded out, the higher the water raised inside the wet suit. The water level inside the suit seemed to be a couple of inches lower than the depth of the water.
My feet weren't particularly cold but the water on my ankles and shins, where there wasn't any meat, was very cold but not enough to stop me. I got out to over waist high and then sank down into the water over my chest. I had my hands in the water but didn't duck my neck or head under. I rolled on my stomach but when I started getting splashed by the -1 foot chop, I rolled over on my back.
The water inside the suit rose up and settled around my butt. My hands were really cold so I got them up out of the water. Once I was floating on my back with my feet up poking out of the water I don't think I took on any more water. My torso was very comfortable. I just bobbed around out there like that for a few minutes. When I looked around, I saw the 10-15 knot wind had blown me about 75 yards or so. I stood up then and waded into shore.
My hands were still cold but after walking around for a couple of minutes, everything else, including my feet were ok. I could have tried to warm my hands up but wanted to see how well they functioned as they were. I paddled around for a little while and then took my time paddling back into the offshore wind (wouldn't have it any other way ;-) ) and -1 foot chop. My hands were fairly warm by the time I got to shore.
Afterwards, I wandered around the Kittery Trading Post, a favorite sports store, for an hour or so and headed home.
Observations:
I couldn't find my water thermometer so don't know how cold the water was. mid-40's this time of year on the southern Maine coast? Air temperature was probably mid-40's with a fairly stiff wind/breeze.
I would have liked to have done a couple of self rescues in the dry suit but didn't feel up to it. Maybe next time. I also want to flood the dry suit and see if I can do a rescue but that will have to wait till the water's a wee bit warmer. Maybe on a lake or pond somewhere.
Since I didn't duck all the way underwater I didn't get to test the fleece dickey and hat. I kinda think the way the PFD held me up, even with floating on my back, my neck and head would be out of the water. They would, of course, probably get periodic dunkings in rough water.
Zippered booties and cold water are not a good thing. While my soaking wet feet covered with sock liners, fleece socks and neoprene booties did not get too cold and did warm up quickly once on shore, the zippers did let in a lot (a quart or so per leg) of water.
Without that water on my legs and butt, I think I would have been quite comfortable for a fairly long time (hours?). As it was, I was ok but probably would have started getting chilled in less than half an hour or so. Not hypothermic at that point, but becoming quite susceptible to it.
I can now see the general consensus about adding the latex booties to the dry suit to keep the water out. If I had gotten my feet up out of the water, much less water probably would have gotten in.
What about putting the gaskets over my booties and gloves? In retrospect, probably not a good idea because it certainly didn't buy me anything as far as the booties were concerned.
It's not likely I'll get the built in booties this year since I'm not going to give up the suit for months. I guess the alternative is for non-zippered booties of some sort that I can walk on. I saw Neoprene socks at the Trading Post but I don't think they'd help in this case. Any suggestions? Various thicknesses?
I considered duct taping the zippers shut but that seems to much of a hassle and I'd probably rip the booties to shreds undoing it. Baggies would be too dorky and would fall apart when you tried to walk on them.
I was very unhappy with the cheapy gloves in the water. They offered no protection from the cold at all and it felt as if the water just flooded right in. Left alone, they took a long time to allow my hands to warm up. I don't know how well I would have been able to use my fingers after a while, if they kept getting wet.
I wonder if 'thinner' fleece gloves would be better. I wore them last year and when I eased the death grip I had on the paddle, kept my hands warm and painless.
I have Gortex mittens that could fit over them to keep them drier. Why aren't mittens used more often? A macho thing? Mommy used to make me wear mittens when I was little? It's not like you can pick up much more with gloves. Mittens allow your fingers to be in contact with each other and to generate a little warmth.
I was very pleased with the Polartec 100 and polyester long john combination. My guess was they might give me about a Polartec 200 protection value. Except for my extremities and wet butt, I think I would have been quite toasty in the water for quite a while.
I was happy with the Lotus Rio Grande PFD. It is the ww PFD from which the Strait Jacket evolved. Just doesn't have all the Sea Kayak attachment stuff. Very short and didn't ride up on me at all. It also only has one knife attachment thingee on the upper right shoulder area but two big mesh pockets.
I had to attach my blunt edged, serrated River Shorty upside down so I could get at it easily with either hand. I had a hell of a time getting it off my other PFD. Anybody got any suggestions for rust removal?
Oops, I also wanted to see if my cheap Timex Triathlon watch was still waterproof after putting in a new battery, but I forgot. It's still working fine but was protected under the latex wrist gasket. I wanted to give it a good dunking in the cold salt water to see it would still work. It's worked fine for 2 years of kayaking but I don't know what will happen after taking the backing off and putting it back on.
The first time I put the dry suit on I had a moment of panic when I couldn't get my arms out. I think I've developed the proper method now. I get both hands out of the gaskets first. Then I hold one sleeve behind me and with the other hand work it up the sleeve a ways and then pull it down, work up a little more and pull it down, etc. until that arm is free. Then the other is easy.
As far as the legs are concerned I just turn them inside out and pull.
It is much harder working with wet gaskets than dry ones.
Well that's about it. Anybody have any comments on anything? Booties, gloves, technique, sanity, whatever?
05/01/99 Sea Kayaking Dry Suit Field Test:
I loaded up the truck with kayaking stuff Friday night and amazingly, didn't forget anything. Saturday morning I made the hour drive to my put in, getting out on the water about 8:30am.
I had several objectives to this little outing:
how my various body parts were functioning:
Right shoulder was broken in February. I have pretty much a full range of motion back and have been working with weights again for the past couple of weeks.
Left shoulder/upper chest area had an incision a couple of weeks ago but has healed nicely. Haven't done any strength work on it since February because the incision was made about the time my right shoulder healed.
Dry Suit Field Test:
A few weeks ago I made a brief test and discovered (to my amazement) putting the ankle gaskets over bootie tops isn't a particularly good idea as it leaves a nice channel for water to flow up the legs. I also wanted to try a self rescue with the dry suit on.
GPS work:
Have probably forgotten most of what I learned about the Garmin 12XL last year.
Water temperature:
Curiosity
Before shoving off I got out the water thermometer and loaded the batteries into the GPS. I guess you're supposed to check batteries and stuff before you leave home. I had about 8 alkaline batteries from last year but the 4 I put in didn't work so I said the hell with it. I wasn't going to spend half an hour playing the battery combination game.
I didn't have much perishable stuff and just had a small chart case along. I put my wallet (which has a set of car keys) and some Quaker Oats granola bars (great stuff) in the bag and put my car keys in a (shudder) PFD pocket and immediately thought of that Jack Martin guy and how he'd probably chuckle at that sight.
I shoved off and laid the thermometer on the spray skirt. One thing I've noticed, is when I was first getting used to the Looksha IV stability I used a lot of butt cheek muscles to keep myself balanced. That made for a tight butt and I was thinking of hip pads to fill in the cockpit space. At the beginning of this season I'm a little wobbly but am using more thigh muscles. I guess the ole butt is gonna spread out to fill up the cockpit now so I won't need the hip pads after all.
Anyway, when I finally thought to take the water temperature the thermometer was gone. Anyone care to guess water temperature in southern Maine the first of May? My guess is the mid/late 40's.
It was about 2 hours into a flood tide so I paddled to a small beach about half an hour away. This beach has a pretty sharp drop off and as I waded out I was chest deep within 20-30 yards or so.
I immediately deduced putting ankle gaskets over fleece socks isn't a very good idea either. Water started crawling up my leg at a slower, but steady pace and my shins started aching again.
As before, when I started floating, the water moved up my hamstrings and settled around my butt. I had skipped the long johns and sock and glove liners this time and just had on Polartec 100 tops and bottoms, fleece socks and fleece driver type gloves with a leather palm.
I floated around for about 10 minutes or so and was just on the wrong side of comfortable. After checking my watch (under the wrist gasket), I put my hands in the water and started paddling myself around. That lasted 5-10 seconds before the pain made me get my hands out of the water. How cold does that make the water?
I'm laying on my back and take the gloves off to wring them out and the water goes right up my arm. Wearing a watch under the wrist gaskets is probably not a good thing either. BTW, this was a cheap, waterproof Timex Triathlon I wanted to test anyway since I broke the seal to change batteries. I dunked it later and it's still working.
I didn't intentionally get my head or neck wet; I'll save that little thrill for some other time. The most difficult part of floating around was holding my head up. My neck was getting tired and when I got a little water on the back of my neck it really got my attention.
I waded into shore to get the kayak for a self rescue attempt and decided not to inflate the paddle float on shore so I'd get a more realistic feel for things out there.
In a vertical position again, more water came in through the ankle gaskets and the thought passed through my mind that I'm cold, not so much the numbing cold of the water, just cold..
There is very little wind and no waves or chop but I'm having a hard time holding onto the boat with my elbow hugging the cockpit. I slip my arm through the running line but can't keep it there as I move my hands to try to inflate the float. I finally decide the boat being empty is the problem and it's riding much higher than a swamped boat would.
I get one side inflated and slip it over the paddle blade and spend a few seconds trying to snap the strap into a grommet and then find the snap. It takes 60-90 seconds to get the float on the paddle and inflated. The whole rescue is supposed to take 60 seconds.
I'm cold but not shivering and don't think I'm hypothermic. I think I'm thinking rationally but realize I've made a couple of dumb moves already.
I'm in a hurry now and haphazardly throw the paddle up on the aft deck behind the cockpit coaming and try to hook my foot over the float. For some reason the float is sinking and then I realize I haven't attempted to pull myself up over the cockpit and my full weight is on it. I finally hoist myself up on the aft deck on my stomach and get my feet in the cockpit.
I know I'm supposed to have one hand on the paddle and maintain constant pressure on it to maintain balance as I turn over. But something's wrong with the paddle set up and as I squirm around to find and fix it I go over the other side.
When I come up, the paddle leash is wrapped around my leg and it takes 30-60 seconds to get free of it. I had a River Shorty on the PFD but it never occurred to me to use it.
I thought briefly about making a second attempt but decided the overall strain was too much for me and headed for shore. Looking back on it, I figure I could have made another serious attempt, probably followed by at least one more half-ass attempt. Things being what the are, I don't like to put forth much more than 75% effort unless I have to so I passed. I guess I was in the water close to 20 minutes altogether.
I waded to shore, stripped down, wrung everything out and got dressed again. I was pleased with the effect of wet Polartec stuff and didn't put the dry suit on until the wind started picking up. I gobbled up the granola bars and drank a half a bottle of water to give the old bod some fuel to work with. I was on shore for 30-45 minutes but never really did warm up until I started paddling again.
I paddled a few miles, warmed up and felt ok until I hit some wind and adverse current while making a half mile crossing. Then my left shoulder started bothering me a little so I just took my time getting back.
At the take out, I waded out and floated around with the gaskets covering skin rather than objects. I don't think I took on water but it was really too warm to tell. Seemed like it was almost body temperature in that little protected area.
As I was taking out, a couple pulled up with 2 kayaks on the top of a SUV, one a kevlar Looksha IV the same color as mine. The woman and I started talking and she tells me where they're going and volunteers they don't roll and they're wearing wet suits with short sleeves and legs. When I ask if they've practiced assisted rescues she says no, she doesn't plan on going in the water. I related my little story but her S.O. made a couple of grunting noises and she took off.
Observations:
Check equipment (batteries) before leaving home.
Secure equipment (thermometer).
Drysuit usage: While there is a lot of information about care and feeding and benefits, I don't recall seeing anything about proper use of one, ie: Gaskets go next to the skin. Don't put them over booties, socks, watches, gloves, etc. Get wrinkles out. Zip the damn things up!!! Common sense? Maybe.
I was well satisfied with the Polartec stuff. My feet were comfortable though soaking wet. My finger tips were cold but not unbearably so. I was comfortable in the wet top and bottom (55-60F?) until the wind picked up.
Paddle float rescue: I dunno. I have a couple years of doing them in up to 3-5 foot surf zones. Do you forget that much over the winter? Lack of recent practice? Empty boat? Cold water, hypothermic? Weakened condition? Cold body? My original condition (I think ok to fair)? A combination of these things? Something else? I do know it was a miserable failure. While I probably could have succeeded during a second attempt, it probably would have meant failure (death?) in any kind of lumpy water unless I had a major surge of adrenaline Everything seemed so difficult.
Paddle leash: I know there are strong feelings against these but I haven't made up my mind yet. I feel they provide a lot of advantages although I now think it's possible for one to kill me. Risk assessment?
Previous discussions on safety suggest gear and skills may provide a false sense of security causing serious problems. This experience might be such an example.
I let that woman walk away knowing she wasn't dressed properly, couldn't roll or perform assisted or self rescues. They were headed up a shallow, protected passage but I presume they were doing a circumnavigation and would be coming back an exposed coast and into an ebb tide. Conditions were mild, still..
I've posted this experience for two reasons: 1) for a little constructive group analysis and 2) for those who have just bought or are thinking about buying a dry suit. They're not necessarily a ticket to everlasting safety.
05/08/99 Sea Kayaking Dry Suit Field Test # 3:
Saturday was a dreary, drizzly, foggy (Oregon type?) morning. I obviously couldn't paint the house so I packed the gear and headed for Portsmouth (NH) Harbor. As I passed over the bridge past the Navy Yard I could see the harbor was socked in pretty good. By the time I put in I could see the vague outline of the shoreline where I was headed.
I had remembered to put batteries in the GPS and re-read a little of the manual the night before so I cleared the track log and marked the put in.
The tide was half way through the ebb around 9am when I got to my little hideyhole and there was still a reasonable amount of water. I beached the kayak and waded out into the water to see if the dry suit would stay dry now that socks and booties were over, rather than under the ankle gaskets. Amazingly enough it stayed dry. I was kinda surprised by the amount of pressure exerted on my legs though. I never noticed that in a wet suit or barelegged.
I just waded and floated around for a few minutes and went to get the kayak to try some self rescues again. I decided to commune with nature behind a rock first. When I came back to shore I was gazing out into the harbor as I struggled back into the dry suit (a relief zipper would have been a relief).
A dark object popped to the surface a couple of hundred yards from shore, then another, and another. At first I thought it was loons or ducks but they were too big. Then I thought they were seals but they didn't seem to act right. Then another surfaced and they all seemed connected and undulating and my mind registered 'It's a freakin' sea monster!'. I stood there in utter disbelief but there it was right before my eyes. Then I heard a voice and quickly turned around to find someone to share this spectacular sight with but I didn't see anyone so I turned back to watch the monster. Again I heard the voice and again no one was there. This is getting spooky and I'm wondering if maybe I should head for higher ground.
Gradually my feeble brain begins to process this strange data and in searching through the data bank of past memories and experiences pulls up what might possibly be an alternative to the sea monster theory. Divers. ;-(. As this suggestion was passed to the optic nerves, my eyes changed focus and sure enough, there were 5 of them out there and that's where the voices were coming from. Well.. It could have been a sea monster.
I finished getting back into the dry suit leaving the zipper open a little so the air would escape as I waded back out with the kayak. A couple of minutes have passed and I'm out to waist deep water when the divers start surfacing a few yards from me. We chatted for a few minutes and I explained I had no idea what they were when I first saw them. They thought the sea monster theory was rather humorous and I felt just little silly.
They left and I continued out to deeper water and got a rude awakening. I had forgotten to close the zipper. That sucked!
I flipped the kayak over to get some water in the cockpit. Would you believe I couldn't get much in and I tried a couple of times. I guess those long, drawn out capsizes when you're trying to save yourself tilted up on edge is what fills it up. (I've only capsized once, so far, and then I rescued myself in a slightly different manner).
After last week's fiasco, I've thought a little about what I'm going to do. Again, the water's calm and there's little wind. But I have a hard time holding onto the kayak and the paddle while trying to inflate the paddle float. I finally lose the paddle so put the leash on after retrieving it.
I get things situated and hoist myself up on the aft deck with no problem (except the pump is digging into me so I rip it from under the aft bungies and throw it in the cockpit). I wiggle around a little and get one foot in the cockpit. Then I try to get the second foot in. I move it around but keep running into an obstacle. Sh*t! It's the paddle leash, stretched over the cockpit. Nothing to do but slide off the deck and undo the paddle leash and try again. This time I manage to get back into the cockpit ok.
I have the neoprene gloves on and want to see if I can get the spray skirt attached with them on. After a minute or so of futile effort I take them off to get the skirt on.
I've heard people on the list talk about putting the pump down through the spray skirt to pump out the cockpit so I decide to give it a try. I stick my Aquaterra(?) gray and red pump down there but have to squirm and wiggle and scrunch down in the seat to get it to touch bottom. If anyone had seen me, they probably would have thought I was after the pee bottle.
Well, I could pump water. However, my right (pump) hand was hitting the bottom of the PFD and would have been pretty raw in short order. Secondly, in that awkward position I couldn't keep control or put any weight on the paddle float so I would have been swimming again in any kind of lumpy water.
So, in summary, last week I definitely would have died. This week I think I managed to drag out my demise a little longer but unless I could paddle a boat full of water to shore. And how would I get the paddle float off in really rough water?
I forgot to test out the neck gasket. I meant to, but I forgot, honest.
After emptying the boat, I marked my position on the GPS and sat there trying to figure out what I wanted to do now. The fog was pretty heavy but I gradually started to make out the outline of a lighthouse in the distance. Sure, why not, so I paddle off in that direction.
After a minute or so I think maybe I should have brought my deck mounted compass along. At least I'd know my heading and how to get back to shore if I get completely fogged in (again). I, however, always being fully prepared for every contingency, carry a hand held Suunto compass in a PFD pocket along with a whistle, so I figured out where I was heading and where I had been.
I got out to the island next to the lighthouse, had lunch and decided to see if I could get back using the GPS. It was still pretty foggy and since I didn't have a deck mounted compass, this would be a pretty decent test.
When you say GoTo waypoint with the Garmin 12XL you get a little compass with an arrow pointing to the direction in which you should be heading. If you're on course it should be pointing straight up. It also has the bearing, where you're headed, speed, estimated time of arrival and some other stuff.
The problem with trying to maintain a heading with the GPS alone is it takes seconds for it to react from the satellites to course changes. You end up going too far left or right and overcompensate in making corrections and end up wobbling back and forth like a one legged drunken sailor trying to walk down a beach.
I could see the vague outline of shore but couldn't see where I had come from. When I got myself and the arrow in alignment, I didn't agree with the GPS but decided to trust it and eventually got in the general area.
Observations:
Always bring your deck mounted compass if there is a chance of fog, even in your 'home harbor'.
Develop a routine for checking your safety gear and that you're all zipped up.
I'm still convinced the paddle leash is a good thing although it can cause some major problems in a self rescue. Last week it wrapped around my leg, this week it prevented me from getting into the cockpit. The cockpit problem can be solved by moving the leash to the aft deck after the capsize. I use one of those keyring carbineers and the leash is more or less permanently mounted. This however has corroded shut. So I guess for this to work you'd have to perform regular oilings(?) to keep it operational. I don't know the effect of mounting the leash on the aft deck. I suspect it would be easier to get tangled if you roll off but I also think it would wrap around your waist or chest and would also be easier to untangle. I have another keyring carbineer so I'll try this out next time out.
How are you going to do a self rescue with a bunch of crap piled up on the aft deck? Pumps, spare paddles, camera bags and what not? I had been thinking about moving the float and pump all the way aft. It's not like I need to reach them from the cockpit or anything. Guess I'll try the spare paddle on the fore deck like someone mentioned a while ago.
If you're going to wear gloves, practice putting the spray skirt on with them on.
I dunno about this pumping through the spray skirt trick. I suspect those who have done it started with a full cockpit of water so they didn't go through the contortions I did to find water. They probably pumped down to the level I actually started at. I had been thinking of getting a manual bilge pump with a hose on the end of it to extend its range. They're available from the marine stores/catalogs.