On Sun, 29 Aug 2004 13:48:30 GMT, Brian Nystrom
wrote:
Tom McCloud wrote:
Second answer is a question to our Canadian members: you know the
definition of kayak disease at it applies to the Inuit?
Are you referring to "kayak angst"? It's a form of vertigo that can
occur when paddling in fog, darkness or other conditions that make it
impossible to visually distinguish the water's surface. Your brain loses
all spatial orientation. Fortunately, simply creating ripples on the
water surface with your paddle is enough to "break the spell", so to speak.

Brian and riverman (Is that you, Myron---where you at?) are both
kind of on the right track. The Inuit kayak is, after all, a
hunting craft, often used to spear seals. On a sunny, windless day
the hunter may paddle out onto the ocean, and to have any chance of
spearing anything he must sit there, absolutely motionless for an
extended period of time, to prevent spooking the seals. So he's hot,
and the surface of the sea is glassy, rocking very gently, he gets
drowsy and he falls asleep, then turns over in the boat and drowns.
A death of this sort was referred to as 'kayak disease'. Not sure
where I read this, years ago. Maybe a Peter Freuchen book?
Tom McCloud