[Paddlewise] Rough Water Rescue and Foot Pumps

Greg;

I went to a foot pump some years ago after ewperimenting with rough
water rescues and discovering just how difficult it was doing a self
rescue in 'real' rough water.  Having a paddlefloat on the end of my
paddle helped to some degree, but not much.  [As an aside;  I know of
very few paddlers who have actually done self rescue practice in real
conditions. It certainly makes the decision process alot clearer not
having to theorize about how a rescue might go.]  Emptying a boat with a
hand pump by yourself is a hassle in the best of circumstances and well
nigh impossible when the conditions are rough (not even considering
being cold).  Using your elbows (or belly) to hold the paddle at a right
angle to the kayak just does not work very well while you are wrestling
with your pump and the sea is shoving you all over the place.  The
paddlefloat is a handy tool but is lousy (and maybe even misleading) in
true emergency conditions.  Also, I find it bad policy (for myself) to
be dependent on my paddling partners to rescue me.  This isn't to say
that I don't appreciate help, it's just that any conditions that may
result in my having difficulty are most likely going to be difficult to
rescue or be rescued in.  
The huge advantage of a foot pump is that it allows you to both brace
and paddle while you empty your boat.  It is also, contrary to what I
have read over the last few days, not a problem to brace with your knees
while emptying the boat.  You simply time it as needed.
Concerning the difficulty in putting on your sprayskirt in rough water.
I re-enter and roll, pause for a bit to catch my breath, and simply roll
back over again and put my sprayskirt on while upside down.  It's really
not that hard to do provided you can force yourself to relax.  It's much
like stripping a paddle off of your back deck to do a 1/2 paddle roll in
the event of losing your paddle.  You don't have to keep your balance
while upside down and it greatly simplifies the process as a result.
BTW, although the Henderson foot pump is a lower volume pump than the
standard hand pump it is still much faster in rough water both because
you can begin pumping immediately and because it uses the large muscles
of the leg and butt and not simply the arm muscles.
John Winskill
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