Re: [Paddlewise] First Rescue Clinic Posting

I'm partial to emptying boats by bobbing and rotating them.

1.  While the boat is right-side-up go to an end of the boat
2.  Push down on the end so that water inside the boat collects toward you
3.  Once you have pushed down as far as you can, let the boat bob up
4.  As the end of the boat bobs up, lift and rotate it slightly, so that some of
the water which collected at your end can empty out through the cockpit
5.  Repeat a few times, rotating more as necessary (as you get proficient, you
will find that only one or two rotations does the trick for k-1s, three or four
for k-2s, and about half a dozen for k-4s)

I like this technique because it requires little lifting -- the bobbing helps get
the boat moving up for you, so all you have to do is help it along and then rotate
it a little at the right time.

It works well for large kayaks (e.g. K-4) and for heavily laden kayaks.  It can be
performed with assistance from another boat or while swimming on your own (though
it is more difficult to perform while swimming, for you usually get your face wet
at the critical oint in the rotation).

The primary disadvantage is that it takes coordination, for if your timing is off
you are back to square one.  Since in-water time is critical in cold waters, I
would not recommend attempting this technique without fist having become competent
at it in warm water.  The loss of coordination due to cold water means that if you
don't get the rotation right on your first couple of attempts, you probably will
never get it.  Like most rescue techniques, practice makes perfect.

Richard Culpeper

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