PaddleWise by thread

From: Robert Starling <Robert_at_Starling.Com>
subject: [Paddlewise] Frequency of Capsize
Date: Wed, 18 Feb 1998 07:54:19 -0500
>If you have had an accidental capsize I would be interested in hearing the
>details.
>
>Rob Cookson

Other than playing in surf, I've had one incident where I was paddling a
spring fed river with moderate to gentle current and a lot of overhang and
twisting winding curves.  I two inch end of a branch caught the shoulder
strap of my pfd, the current pulled the boat sideways and as the current
pulled, the branch bent down dragging me under.  There was no way I could
pull my pfd strap off the end of the branch against the force of the current
holding me down.  As soon as I wet exited and let go of my boat the spring
of the branch pulled me back up.  I normally would never come out of my boat
but in this case it was me or the boat!

This really opened my eyes to how even a lazy Sunday paddle could develop
into a problem.

Robert -- Orlando

________________________________________________________
Robert Starling                                              Member ASMP / APSG
Robert Starling Photography, Inc.
Orlando, Florida

Phone 407 521-0041      Fax  407 521-0031

http://www.starling.com     NetGuide Magazine  Internet Site Of The Day

***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
***************************************************************************
From: Andrew Eddy <Andrew.Eddy_at_dfst.csiro.au>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Frequency of Capsize
Date: Thu, 19 Feb 1998 11:10:55 +1000
At 23:38 17/02/98 EST, you wrote:
>Hi folks,
>
>I have read with interest most of the safety discussions that have taken
place
>here and on Wavelength.  I am curious, how many sea kayakers have had an
>accidental capsize while tripping?  That is a touring capsize rather than one
>caused by playing (surfing, playing in eddies etc.) or skillbuilding.
>
>If you have had an accidental capsize I would be interested in hearing the
>details.
>
>Thanks and Happy Paddling!
>
>Rob Cookson
>***************************************************************************

Capsizes? It's a water sport, so get wet!

Accidental capsizes while touring: 

	- one on a two day trip - coming in at the edge of the surf zone, Coledale
Beach, NSW
	- another weekend trip - leaving Era Beach, NSW
both before I had adequate surfing skills
	
	- three consecutive capsizes in ugly surf at Loaders Beach, during the BCE
Sea Proficiency assessment - two screw rolls then one Pawlata
	- one coming in at some beach on the NSW South Coast after paddling 35 km
into a strong Southerly, during the BCE Advanced Sea Proficiency assessment
weekend - recovery with a screw roll
	
	- one capsize off Point Perpendiclar, Jervis Bay, in an offshore gale,
when broached with the paddle tangled in a towline (!) - recovery with a
wet exit and assisted rescue
	- one capsize over the reef at the northern end of Montague Island, while
turning to watch the seals play in the reef break - off-side screw roll

	- two capsizes while paddling in a once-in-twenty-year storm, 55 knot
winds and 6.5 metre significant wave height just offshore and 45 knots
where we were playing - both capsizes when turning around and broached at a
wave crest, no water underneath the paddle and blown over by a gust -
recovery by a carefully timed screw roll in the next trough and _with_ the
wind, but against the wave

	- hundreds of accidental capsizes while surfing for fun
	- hundreds of deliberate capsizes for practice
	- dozens of capsizes under pressure of competition in the first season of
canoe polo, until I learned to brace properly on my left side with the
(curse it!) _feathered_ paddle 

One reason that I can think of, to explain why so few accidental capsizes
is that one's bracing skills improve in line with one's ability to roll. If
you learn to roll well, you won't need to!

Andrew Eddy
***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
***************************************************************************
From: wildwater <wildoats_at_ionet.net>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Frequency of Capsize
Date: Thu, 19 Feb 1998 08:47:18 -0600
> snip
> >here and on Wavelength.  I am curious, how many sea kayakers have had an
> >accidental capsize while tripping?  That is a touring capsize rather than one
> >caused by playing (surfing, playing in eddies etc.) or skillbuilding.
> >
> >If you have had an accidental capsize I would be interested in hearing the
> >details.
> >
> >Thanks and Happy Paddling!
> >
> >Rob Cookson

On a river trip I was pushing back into the current along with a few other boats when
someone on the bank had a map question and grabbed my bow handle to stop my launch,
already in progress.  The boat immediately tipped and I tried to brace upstream.  It
almost worked but I had laid over so far the current popped my skirt and filled the
boat.  My dog and I both swam much to the astonishment of the person still holding my
boat.  They didn't realize a sea kayak doesn't quite spin around like a whitewater
boat.  I was amazed also, one minute I was relaxing back letting the current gently
pull me from the bank and the next second I was bracing as hard as I could, then with
a whoosh, the boat and I were separated.

Alice


***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
***************************************************************************
From: Jim Croft <jrc_at_kite.anbg.gov.au>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Frequency of Capsize
Date: Thu, 19 Feb 1998 15:19:29 +1100 (EST)
Andrew Eddy wrote:

> Capsizes? It's a water sport, so get wet!
> 
> Accidental capsizes while touring: 

[ heaps of ungraceful kayak manoevres deleted ]

Sounds to me like you're accident prone...  a handy attribute for an
instructor and NSWSKC trip coordinator...  ;-)

Or is it like the guy in 'Catch 22' who spent all his time in the
airforce practicing getting shot up and crashing because one day the
skill would come in handy?

> If you learn to roll well, you won't need to!

You always need to - if only to show off to those who can't... and it
is the only way to check out seals and fish on their home turf...

-- jim (who fell out of his boat 4 times on flat water on the Murray
Marathon, and although he admits it is a watersport, doesn't like
getting wet)
***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
***************************************************************************
From: Wayne Langmaid <langer_at_terrigal.net.au>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Frequency of Capsize
Date: Fri, 20 Feb 1998 09:12:34 +1500
Andrew Eddy wrote:

> Capsizes? It's a water sport, so get wet!
>
> Accidental capsizes while touring:
>
>         -Snip o
>
Thank you Andrew for what I suspect has to be one of the most well
logged and honest responses to "How many times have you capsized?" yet.

Regards

Wayne Langmaid

PS - I may be interested in that King Island Circumnavigation in April
with you.

I am off with Doug "Headwind" Fraser and a few others for the Bass
Strait Crossing from Wilson Prom to Tassie in about an hour (a nice
little 300 km jaunt), so I'll get ahold of you when we get back



***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
***************************************************************************

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:32:46 PDT