Re: [Paddlewise] wet exit? why?

At 10:39 AM 7/9/98 -0700, you wrote:


>I recently read an article by John Heath that explains how lethal
>it is for the Inuit people to get out of their kayaks (wet exit), and
>how ironic it is that the first thing that it is tought to sea kayaking
>beginners is the wet exit. The same article has some statistics that
>show that in almost all fatalities the kayaker is found (if found) out
>of the kayak.
>
>There are two ways to remain in the kayak after a capsize without
>rolling. 
>
>The first on is to grab an inflated or solid paddlefloat that
>one carries in the aft deck and put it behind your neck; that keeps
>your head comfortably out of the water while inside the kayak.
>
>The second method is to use a dog swimming stroke to take a breath
>every two strokes. This second method is the same one used to 
>retrieve a paddle that has fallen away from the kayak. It takes
>about four sessions of practice to learn how to swim that way without
>getting exhausted and conserving energy.
>

	There's a substantially different demographic and cultural paradigm in
effect in Inuit paddling populations as compared to the typical middle-aged
suburban recreational kayaker. Added to the simple fact that Inuit paddlers
spend their lives hunting from the kayak, and that they begin kayaking as
strong, young hunters who bring an entire socio-cultural cache of kayaking
lore to the prospect of hunting from the kayak. 

	Recreational yaksters, on the other hand, may have never been around a
kayak until they're well into middle age. They are very probably kayaking
on the week-end and spend the rest of their life not hunting and surviving
in the Arctic, but rather sitting behind a desk in some sedentary position. 

	As regards a wet exit by an Inuit and one by a recreational yakster. . .
Most Inuits I've read about don't own wetsuits or drysuits. A wet exit in
the Arctic without a wetsuit IS potentially lethal. A wet exit with a
wetsuit is inconsequential. Perhaps the fact that most kayak fatalities
occur to paddlers who are out of the boat is merely coincidental and not
causal. . . Just like most dead people have ceased breathing. . . 

	Capsizes typically take place unexpectedly. It's unreasonable to expect
that the paddler is going to be in a postion to hold one's breath while
getting at a paddle float stored behind the cockpit. Being upside down
hardly puts you in a position to inflate a float in order to bring your
boat onto it's side. The advantages of staying inside the boat when
capsized seem negligible unless there's a very real expectation that the
paddler will be able to right the boat while still in the cockpit.
Otherwise there's every possibility of expending precious energy in
maintaining a position that seems precarious. 

	Nonetheless, If all this impedimentia works for you, go for it. 

	Geo./Svenn

______________________________
George Bergeron, Secretary '99
Oswego Heritage Council
www.europa.com/~heritage/
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