Phil wrote: >>I have always practiced my paddlefloat rescue without using the designated bungee paddle park apparatus. I simply hold the paddle in place with the same hand that grips the cockpit coaming.<< Unfortunately, this is also how the ACA teaches it. To all the people who don't fasten the paddle to the deck I ask: how did you get the water out of the kayak? Nobody ever seems to talk about what is often the most difficult part of this rescue, which is pumping the kayak out after getting back in with all the free water destabilizing you and increasing the odds of a recapsize. Do you have an electric pump? Can you empty the kayak before getting in? With a gear load? Or didn't you bother practicing that part in rough water? Many people never do finish the rescue because pumping out a lot of water is hard work even on calm water. It is after you have gotten back into the kayak that the fixing of the outrigger to the boat really makes a big difference. It also means one less thing to worry about when boarding in rough seas (when just holding the paddle perpendicular to the kayak can be difficult due to the wave action). One of the first persons I told about this rescue back in 1981 wrote me that he had done it in the surf after a capsize there using his PFD wrapped around the paddle as the float. I have not had occasion to use it in earnest but have practiced in some rough seas and found it quite doable using a fixed outrigger (with a little timing as to when to try and board the back deck). Many people have told me of it working for them in a rough seas capsize over the years. Sure some folks can climb back into their kayaks with out a paddlefloat in a pool and a few can even do this in rough seas. The reason you want to learn the most reliable method is for that time when the margin for error is small and little things can make a big difference. Except in surf, fixing the paddle to the deck is the most reliable method of solo reentry (and getting the kayak back into paddling condition--no longer swamped) for the widest number of people. An English video I saw years ago demonstrated a paddle float rescue (which I give them credit for considering the negative reception it was getting by the BCU crowd). Unfortunately, they had the paddler standing up in the kayak before turning around to sit down. It did demonstrate how solid the stability was in calm water but it was still very bad technique considering it may well have had to be used in steep waves and extreme winds where keeping your center of low is very important. For those who don't know this already there are very detailed instructions for the Outrigger Paddlefloat Rescue and several others in the "Manuals" section of our web page. Matt Broze http://www.marinerkayaks.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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