Lake is a good place for kayaking

Your recent story about the death of a kayaker in Lake Michigan (June 5) contained the unfortunate quote by Lake County Coroner Richard Keller that Lake Michigan is "certainly not a good place for kayaking."

In fact, Lake Michigan is a world-class sea kayaking destination. This weekend, in fact, Geneva Kayak Center is hosting the Windy City Kayak Symposium on Lake Michigan, an event that will be attended by several hundred kayakers from around the world.

Kayaking on any body of water, including Lake Michigan, has inherent risks. Kayakers should keep their PFD (life jacket) on at all times, wear a wetsuit or a drysuit depending on water temperatures, carry a communications device like a VHF radio or cellphone so they can summon help, leave a trip plan with friends or a family members, and check the waves and wind forecast before they go on the water.

Ideally, paddlers should go out on Lake Michigan with other paddlers who can assist them if something goes wrong, but a well-prepared and experienced paddler is relatively safe on Lake Michigan in typical conditions.

The Chicago Area Sea Kayaking Association is one local resource for information about kayaking and kayaking companions. CASKA has established an online Safety Center that can be accessed at www.caska.org/safety.htm.

Tom Bamonte

President

Chicago Area Sea Kayaking Association