Re: [Paddlewise] baidarka Back Support and Sp*ns*ns

At 03:51 PM 1/24/00 -0600, Bill wrote:

<snip> For the most part I agree with Dougs summary about
>sponsons being a possible way to stabilze an injured or ill paddler.  As for
>self rescue whether the ease of deployment has improved or not I think
they are
>too slow and cumbersome to be practical.  I would much rather use a paddle
float
>for a reentry roll or hopefully use another paddler for a quick team rescue.

I agree, and that is what I usually promote in various articles, etc. I
didn't recommend the sponsons in my post for _self rescue_ (of course, I
didn't say no to that either). Like Bill, I carry two rescue floats, and
that's enough (I have a Sea Seat as ultimate back-up).  

<snip>
>I find that using two
>paddle floats to give a sick or injured paddler " training wheels " is a fast
>easy way to stabilize your paddling partner.  

This works very well, actually. Some of the Vancouver BC clubs that offer
support and training to handicapped paddlers use this same technique. I
wish more people would practice a few of these ideas, at least once every
few years, to add to their repertoire of emergency options.

Thanks for your post Bill. We always forget about you when we talk about
big crossings, as Don usually gets the attention (not that either of you
care about that, I'm sure). Paddle on.

BC'in Ya
Doug Lloyd


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