At 12:05 PM 8/5/99 -0700, Julio MacWilliams wrote: >Yes, absolutely, leaving one foot inside the kayak to prevent separation >works, even in rough water. > >For the ACA certification exam, it was a requirement. I had >to show the paddlefloat rescue in rough water leaving one foot in >the cockpit while I inflated the float, talking the students >(actually instructor trainers) through it at the same time. > >So, unless there are inconsistencies in the ACA curriculum throughout >the country, leaving one foot inside the cockpit after a capsize is >a basic skill. There seems to a general tendency from what I've read so far to never use a "lifeline" but instead to use a "keep a foot in the cockpit" method to retain contact with your boat after a capsize. At the LL Bean sea kayaking symposium this year I had the fortune to see a presentation by Audrey Sutherland. Ms. Sutherland is a woman that I am guessing is in her 60's that has paddled extensively around Hawaii and the Alaskan coast. What makes here accomplishments remarkable is her age, that she does all of this solo, and that she paddles a 12' long inflatable kayak. One of the things that she said is that she *never* paddles without a lifeline. She attaches a 5-6' of rope to a deck line just behind the cockpit and then throws a loop under her arm and around her shoulder. Then she practices over and over in warm water (but in big seas) capsizing and reentering her kayak so that she knows that when conditions are less than optimal she's not going to get entangled in the rope. She also mentioned the importance of being able to stay with your boat in rough seas after a capsize. In a strong wind, a kayak can easily be blown across the water at greater than 10MPH. No human can swim that fast. All a PFD is going to do is keep you afloat while you die of hypothermia. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Fri Aug 06 1999 - 06:05:30 PDT
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