Re: [Paddlewise] Question on Paddlefloat self rescues

At 11:58 AM 7/25/00 +0000, Peter Osman wrote:
>G'day Paddlewise safety enthusiasts
>
>Had the great pleasure of paddling my new Pittarak for the first time this 
>weekend. What a sweet boat! Slightly tippy but as fast as the wind the model 
>is named after and very responsive to edging. But a small cockpit - so 
>before anything else I practiced paddlefloat self rescues (next week I go 
>back to learning to roll reliably).
>
>Anyway here is the question. With large cockpit boats I've been used to the 
>cowboy method so one of the rescues tried was to attach the paddlefloat in 
>front of the cockpit which allowed both a paddlefloat assisted cowboy 
>reentry (but feet first) as well as a self rescue from the position lying 
>along the stern with one leg supported on the paddle. It wasn't clear which 
>was more useful, both methods seemed straightforward. 

I've got a boat with an equally small cockpit and resigned to the fact that
a "cowboy reentry" is just not going to exist in my repertoire of self
rescue techniques.  I really question the usefulness of the technique in
rough water conditions anyway.   However, since I spend so much more time
actually sitting in the cockpit as opposed to getting in and out of it,  I
like having the small cockpit because there is more area for my knees and
thighs to contact when I'm edging, bracing, and rolling.  
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