[Paddlewise] Spray skirts-safety training and complacency

G'Day,

They say most people have accidents after they've acquired a little 
experience and become complacent - here are two accounts of minor near 
misses last weekend. The lesson for me was not to do with the techniques 
which were involved, which were trivial. But the danger of complacency! Both 
events were based on the false presumption that its easy to fall out of a 
boat if you roll it upside down - even with a spray skirt attached - 
something I've been told more than once!

First event was during rolling exercises when I noticed halfway through one 
exercise that I'ld forgotten to ensure the spray skirt tag was free - of 
course I freed it up and out of curiosity tested the back up method I'ld 
been taught, of bunching the skirt with a knee, grabbing the bunched fabric 
and pulling the spray skirt off. I've seen this work but this time it 
didn't. What would I have done under water - fallen out?

Second event was trying out a small cockpit boat with low initial stability, 
pushing the limit and finding myself upside down. I expected to fall out, 
which is what had always happened to me up til then. This didn't happen and 
boy was I grateful for the training sessions which said make sure the spray 
skirt tag is free before paddling and if and when upside down in the water 
pull the skirt off with the tag and slip the boat off as though it were a 
set of trousers.

I wrote this because of Debbie's discouragement over her attempts to 
promulgate safety in kayaking - I'm enormously grateful to the many 
responsible kayakers like Debbie, Paddlewisers in general and various highly 
dedicated kayak club members and professionals, who provide safety advice 
and training!

All the best, PeterO

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