I was recently talking with a fellow kayaker about an unfortunate incident that happened in our local waters last year involving some motorboaters. As it is not an unusual development and therefore one that a paddler could easily run across, I want to share with you the specific problem and a solution suggested by one kayak guru/instructor as well as to get any inputs. The incident here happened in the mooring field just south of the 79th St Boat Marina on the Manhattan shoreline of the Hudson River. Two fellows in a small motorized dinghy were going out to a moored vessel (either they owned it or were thinking of buying it). Their dinghy flipped for some reason (the water is relatively shallow there and boat wakes stack up viciously) and they were both in the water suddenly. The reports vary, some saying that their PFDs slipped off or they weren't wearing them, but whatever the case they were in the water without PFDs on and were non-swimmers. They panicked. I don't know whether the small motorized dinghy sank or drifted away but they did not seem to be able to hang on to it for support. All of this was watched by horrified onlookers on the park promenade that paralleled the mooring field who were frantically calling on their cell phones and running to the marina office for help. They were within 100 feet or so of that promenade. The two fellows drowned within a few minutes before help could arrive. Here is where my kayaker friend comes in. He normally paddles those same waters and entered the area about an hour after the incident happened. However, he could have just as easily been right on the scene when it was occuring...an extra coffee or reading of another section of the NY Times probably made the difference of his being or not being there as the accident was unfolding. He wondered what would have been his best course of action in trying to deal with 2 non-PFDed panicking people in the water and who did not know how to swim. A few weeks later, he asked an instructor for suggestions. The advice was the following which I am repeating secondhand and therefore do not wish to name the instructor in case I got it wrong (and remember this deals with non PFDed non swimmers in panic and you are alone): Do not get close to the panicky fellows in the water. They will only pull you over. While making certain that you are not near them, tip over your kayak and fall out. Keeping the kayak between you and them, push it close to them for them to grab on to. Whistle away or use your VHF radio to summon more help. Keep the overturned kayak between you and them, while talking calmly to assure them that help is on the way and that hanging on will keep them afloat. It sounds like one workable scenario to me. And I would like to know what others think about it? Has any one been in such a predicament? Obviously lots of things can affect the scene. If the seas are rough. If you have extra flotation to toss them. Lots of ifs. This differs from scenaarios in which other people might be in the water. If fellow paddlers are in the water and wearing PFDs as they should, you can try rescues to get them back into their boats or they can hang on to your bow, whatever. Same with any swimmers you might be escorting in a swim race who get cramps or stung by jellyfish, whatever. They are less likely to be panicky and you can have them hang on to your bow while you call for help. (an unconscious swimmer is a different scenario). Sorry for this being so long but I wanted to lay it all out fully. ralph diaz -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024 Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com "Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Thu Aug 17 2000 - 10:39:39 PDT
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