Re: [Paddlewise] Paddle Leash Rescue - Not!

-----Original Message-----
From: Clyde Sisler <clyde_sisler_at_email.msn.com>
To: Paddlewise <PaddleWise_at_lists.intelenet.net>
Date: Sunday, May 09, 1999 7:09 AM
Subject: [Paddlewise] Paddle Leash Rescue - Not!


Big snip
>
>After last week's fiasco, I've thought a little about what I'm going to do.
>Again, the water's calm and there's little wind.  But I have a hard time
>holding onto the kayak and the paddle while trying to inflate the paddle
>float.  I finally lose the paddle so put the leash on after retrieving it.

Try putting one leg or your elbow in the cockpit to hold the kayak or fasten
your paddle leash to the rear deck now. (I use a nylon clip and about 3 feet
of 3/16" shock cord that I tie to and roll up on my paddle--that way if I
have my paddle I have my leash and I can fasten it where it will work best
at the moment.)
>
Snip
>I've heard people on the list talk about putting the pump down through the
>spray skirt to pump out the cockpit so I decide to give it a try.  I stick
>my Aquaterra(?) gray and red pump down there but have to squirm and wiggle
>and scrunch down in the seat to get it to touch bottom.  If anyone had seen
>me, they probably would have thought I was after the pee bottle.

Are you in a kayak with an especially high cockpit or have a very tight all
neoprene spraydeck? I've never found it very hard to reach the bottom of the
kayak with the pump you describe.
>
>Well, I could pump water.  However, my right (pump) hand was hitting the
>bottom of the PFD and would have been pretty raw in short order.  Secondly,
>in that awkward position I couldn't keep control or put any weight on the
>paddle float so I would have been swimming again in any kind of lumpy
water.


That's why you should usually fasten your paddle firmly to the back deck to
do this rescue (see the manuals section of www.marinerkayaks.com for
detailed directions)
>
>So, in summary, last week I definitely would have died.  This week I think
I
>managed to drag out my demise a little longer but unless I could paddle a
>boat full of water to shore….  And how would I get the paddle float off in
>really rough water?

If you didn't have far to go you could leave it on the paddle blade and use
it to paddle with as well as brace with if needed.  Or you could let a
little air out of it so it slips off the paddle easily. Before removing it
make sure it is tethered (preferably by shock cord to something) and if
possible stuff it under the bungees on your front deck. That way if you do
capsize again you can just grab it free and do a float roll without coming
out of your cockpit again.
>
Big snip

>I'm still convinced the paddle leash is a good thing although it can cause
>some major problems in a self rescue.  Last week it wrapped around my leg,
>this week it prevented me from getting into the cockpit.  The cockpit
>problem can be solved by moving the leash to the aft deck after the
capsize.
>I use one of those keyring carbineers and the leash is more or less
>permanently mounted.  This however has corroded shut.  So I guess for this
>to work you'd have to perform regular oilings(?) to keep it operational.  I
>don't know the effect of mounting the leash on the aft deck.  I suspect it
>would be easier to get tangled if you roll off but I also think it would
>wrap around your waist or chest and would also be easier to untangle.  I
>have another keyring carbineer so I'll try this out next time out.

Use a fastener that doesn't corrode and a shorter than three foot length of
shock cord for the tether and it will tangle on things a whole lot less than
cord (or a phone cord like cable) will. If the cord is not long enough to do
a brace or roll with shock cord it stretches and you never even notice it.
>
>How are you going to do a self rescue with a bunch of crap piled up on the
>aft deck?  Pumps, spare paddles, camera bags and what not?  I had been
>thinking about moving the float and pump all the way aft.  It's not like I
>need to reach them from the cockpit or anything.  Guess I'll try the spare
>paddle on the fore deck like someone mentioned a while ago.

Spare paddles with the blades facing forward don't cause much problem.
Anything may cause a problem if your kayak has a high back deck. If so use a
sling to step in.
>
>If you're going to wear gloves, practice putting the spray skirt on with
>them on.
>
>I dunno about this pumping through the spray skirt trick.  I suspect those
>who have done it started with a full cockpit of water so they didn't go
>through the contortions I did to find water.  They probably pumped down to
>the level I actually started at.  I had been thinking of getting a manual
>bilge pump with a hose on the end of it to extend its range.  They're
>available from the marine stores/catalogs.

My experience with hoses on pumps is that they just get in the way and make
the pump hard to stow.
>
>Clyde Sisler
>http://csisler.com
>
>
>
>
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