Re: [Paddlewise] Successful Paddle-Float Re-entry

> 
> Yesterday my partner David, our friend Eli, and I, all relative beginners,
> took our boats out in a quiet lake and practiced paddle-float re-entries
> for the first time. We knew the theory, but it took a lot of trial and
> error before Eli and I were able to successfully perform re-entries. David
> was too pooped from towing us back to shore and helping us empty swamped
> boats after failures to try re-entries for himself.
> 
> Anyway, I am just so excited to have begun to add this trick to my
> reportoire that I wanted to share it with the list. The three of us feel
> that in our 2 1/2 hours playing in the water yesterday, we significantly
> advanced our skills and our knowledge about what our boats can do and what
> we can do.
  
  There are two things that I keep telling myself when I'm doing a
  paddlefloat reentry that makes it a lot easier.

  1.  Keep your head low.  Once you climb onto the deck making
  sure head is low to the deck will keep the boat much more stable
  (the same is true during and assisted T rescue but not as important).

  2.  Keep your weight on the paddlefloat until you're completely
  in the cockpit.  Everytime I have capsized while trying to do
  a paddlefloat reentry was on the opposite side of the paddle float.


> We also developed a small shopping list of gear it would be nice--no, make
> that essential--to have (who ever said paddle leashes were optional? 

  Also non-optional in my book is deck rigging to secure your paddle and
  to hold onto while inflating the float.  The Seaward boats have built
  in straps behind on cockpit near each gunwale that look like they 
  would work real well although I haven't tried them yet.

> paddle with the other hand, and would surely have lost paddles if we'd been
> in current or waves--I'm sure this is not news to most of you), and I found
> that my PFD is worse than useless and won't be any better unless I install
> a crotch strap to keep it from riding up. 

  PFD wedgies?  That'll get you out of the water in a hurry.

> Here's a question: Any tips for righting an upside-down boat without taking
> on water--or tips for minimizing the water taken on? We found that we
> always took on what seemed like a significant amount of water when righting
> our boats, and that was on a glassy surface.
  
  I'll be curious what kinds of suggestions are posted here as well.

--
John Fereira
jaf30_at_cornell.edu
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