Re: [Paddlewise] the "bombproof" roll

Rob Cookson wrote:

> Hi Doug and All,
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: owner-paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
> > [mailto:owner-paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net]On Behalf Of Doug Lloyd
>
> Doug said a bunch of good stuff but I snipped all but one meager sentence.
>
> > Whatever you do, _don't_ be
> > bound by fanatical favorites of just one person or geographical
> > location. Learn and practice the best from "all" worlds.
>
> Man do I love to hear this.  Don't get me wrong I'm stubborn and opinionated
> (gee, who would have guessed?) but I try to impress this upon students. I
> teach what I have found to be the methods that work the best for me and that
> I have seen work for others in a variety of conditions.  I strongly
> encourage students to learn all of the rescue methods they can and then pick
> and choose from the great rescue technique buffet.

I hope you don't think I was being derogatory toward experts (and amateurs
alike) who hold dearly to a particular rescue strategy belief or some other form
of fundamentalism with respect to kayak technique or gear. I was simply saying
these people are information saturated, and are a great resource to us all. I do
know in my heart  that adherence to any kind of fundamentalism, whether
religious, scientific, or in the sports end of things, just doesn't make sense
anymore. The world, and life, is so complex, complicated and eclectic, that it
just doesn't seem mature and wise to hold stubbornly to a  particular belief.
Guess that _does_ sound derogatory to the fundamentalists :-)  But the flip side
is people who do, can challenge us as well as supply us with information to help
us develop our own world views about things.

>
>
> The most important survival skill is attitude.  Will to survive.  Will to
> survive and flexibility will take you a long ways in bad situations.  Keep
> trying to solve the problem until you do.  Never  give up or doubt that a
> rescue will be successful.  Complacency kills.  Be creative, experiment,
> have fun with rescue practice.

Right on! Of course, the survival skills most suited to the sport of sea
kayaking (and other paddlesports, mountain climbing, etc.) is the ability to
think ahead and stay out of trouble in the first place -- standard caveat, but
always worth repeating). Now, if you do get into trouble, a survival attitude is
what is going to see you through if the situation turns sour.

You have touched on a very salient point here Rob, and one that a lot of novices
need to remember as they progress to intermediate levels and perhaps take on
more risk. If you do get into trouble, especially while solo, not only don't
give up, you must more precisely, keep trying and think outside of the box. Yes,
this is an over used expression, but it is true. Some examples:

1. Cell phone packed away in hatch? Well, take it out. So it gets wrecked after
a minute, who cares, call for help while you can.

2. Last flare gone? Another vessel still in the area? Well, can you get to your
stove, maybe light it and burn some rubber for a smoke signal?

3. Can't keep the bow into the waves for skirt reattachment during a paddlefloat
fixed outrigger rescue? Use that spare paddle still on your back deck.

4. Water too cold for a reentry and roll?  Do a side scoop solo rescue. No
paddlefloat? Do a side scoop and maybe take your PFD off, and extend it outward
in your arms then thrust down to get you back up and in.

5. Just can't get back in? Get on the back deck, near the stern, feet out in the
water for stability, with you lying on the back deck. Start paddling. You need
to arch your back a bit, but progress is possible. I do this on club paddles in
choppy water, and try to race fellow paddlers to shore (They usually win, as
they are in their boats sitting normal). It does work though, in a pinch.

6. Paddlefloat blew away in the wind? Get a gear bag out of your easiest to open
hatch and tie it on or whatever.

7. Shoulder dislocated, your in the kayak, and you can't use your paddle? Use
half the spare if you can get it, or use half your take apart. Use it like a
canoe paddle, the one end locked into  the bad arms fist, the other arm doing a
"J" stroke to keep you tracking.

Those are just a few examples, as poor as they are (though I have practiced some
of them). The point is, as Rob says, keep trying, don't doubt. And don't panic.
Mostly, don't become complacent. You can get to the point where you are just too
tired, to cold, and too frustrated. Some people just plain give up too early.
You may have been only just moments away from a solution.

I know from my Trial Island incident, everything that could go wrong did go
wrong (though I did have flares, etc., I declined their use for personal reasons
that fall in line with the nature of extreme paddling premeditation). I just
moved from one rescue strategy to the next back-up method. The sea poked holes
in every one. The frustration I felt when I finally managed to get back in, only
to have my seat dislodge against the foot pump, was intense. I was near
functional loss from hypothermia, yet channeled that anger into determination to
paddle fully swamped, knowing it was the only way to generate heat enough to
keep me from summoning help. Perhaps not the best example either (given I had
flares, etc), but this certainly would have been the situation had I been in a
remote are with no option of help being available.

Anyway, I'll snip the rest of Rob's excellent post, and just close and concur
with Rob once again, and add: next time you are out paddling, perhaps alone,
concentrating on your every sudden intention with the paddle, bracing like hell
to stay upright, while waves that have too much water in them come hurtling
toward you, and finally get the best of you only to leave you sitting beside
your boat in the sinister shadow of a huge surging swell while the sun sinks in
the distance, remember what your mother always said: Attitude!

BC'in Ya
Doug Lloyd

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