Re: [Paddlewise] Safety--my bad rescue practice experience.

ralph diaz wrote:
>There I was.  No PFD, no sprayskirt, no pump, no bailer, no paddlefloat,
>no cold water clothing (I had on borrowed raingear and some polypro plus
>plastic beach slippers), no signaling device not even a whistle.  Name
>any safety device you can and I did _not_ have it!  What did I do? 
>Didn't I say earlier that I can be pretty stupid?  I paddled across like
>an idiot!

I had a somewhat similar experience on Sunday at the demo days.  The day
after my big fun surfing the big waves, I took out several boat models
that I had not been in before.  I only had the PFD, skirt, clothing, and
whistle, but that wasn't enough.

My mother-in-law loaned us her video camera so I could get a tape of
myself paddling and rolling for some video critique; I had my buddy Ryan
set up on a dock, film rolling.

I took out the little CD Squall (condensed version of the Storm, which
is the plastic version of the Solstice GT), got some film taken of me
(trying) do do some good torso rotation, and then figured I'd do a few
rolls.

Something went wrong.  Part of it was the unfamiliar boat.  Part of it
was having paddled with many layers under my drytop the night before and
not re-tightening my PFD.  I capsized, the PFD rode up, and I got
completely disoriented.  I was going for my offside roll, and couldn't
feel at all where "up" was.  I tried to relax, but my lungs were
screaming "OXYGEN!" so I grabbed for the sprayskirt loop.  Somewhere in
this process, I ended up on my side, head out of water, inadvertently
doing a balance brace.  I caught a few quick breaths, and got ready to
roll again, but in my panic (big mistake!) I dropped my paddle.  Tried a
handroll, but the boat didn't fit me closely enough to come up.

If I'd have had my own boat, I probably wouldn't have had the no-rolling
problem in the first place, since I know it so well.  If I'd had my own
boat, I would have had my spare on the aft deck to grab and roll up with
one paddle half.

I pulled the grab loop and swam up next to the boat.  I re-tightened my
PFD while floating (and realized how hard it would be to actually don it
while swimming) and emptied and righted the boat.

I tried a cowboy scramble re-entry.  The cockpit was way too small to
accommodate my 38" inseam legs, and I tipped over.  Empty boat and try
again.

Now, the camera is still rolling (I still haven't viewed it yet, but I
will tonight), and I again tip over.  Empty the boat and try the paddle
outrigger rescue.  This boat is so damn tippy, I just bury the paddle
blade in the water.  If I'd had my own boat, I would have grabbed the
paddlefloat that I never leave shore without (in my own boat!) and I
would have been done with it.  I tried 2 more times and was getting
tired.

I need to insert a comment here that at no time was I in actual danger. 
I was a mere 30 yards from shore, and I could have swam with the boat to
shore.  There were also 8 people on shore watching my struggles, and if
I had shouted or whistled for help, I could have had assistance in less
than a minute.  I was in no risk of drowning--the PFD was keeping my
head well out of water.  I wasn't too cold either, as the lake has
warmed to over 65*F and I was wearing neoprene.  It was just so damned
frustrating that I couldn't get back in the boat.  It was the first
rescue "practice" session I've ever had when I couldn't do anything
right.

I briefly considered doing a re-enter and roll, but I didn't have a pump
either.  It would have been a short paddle back to shore, but this was a
new and borrowed boat, and I didn't want to scratch the flooded boat on
the shallow bottom when I went in.

A lady was paddling around in another demo boat, so I asked her if she
wanted to learn how to do an assisted rescue.  She said sure.  I told
her, from the water, how to pull my boat across hers and drain my
cockpit, and then help me right it.  I wiggled up across the decks of
our boats and got in, with a big thanks to her.  She said,"Thank you, I
always wondered myself how you'd get back in the boat if you were out in
the middle of the lake."

Sobering to think that people cross lakes (and play in the ocean)
without these skills.  Still, a lot of good having those skills did me
before she paddled up!

I refastened my sprayskirt and paddled back to shore.

While I was never in serious danger, my experience was sobering.  I
carry sufficient safety gear in my own boat, but what if I had decided
to strike out a bit further?  I would have been in pretty sorry shape.

I'm glad that I have a bit better feeling for the "edge of my envelope"
now, and I won't take a demo out without a paddlefloat!!  I'd like to
say I'd take a spare paddle, too, but you don't really want to scratch
the deck of a new boat (that you don't intend to buy) with a spare
paddle.

Oh, and I think small cockpits suck when you have long legs!  The Squall
might be a great boat for a small paddler, but it struck me as having a
very high deck for as little beam as it has.  I had a hard time even
lying prone on the deck without tipping over.

Maybe I was feeling a bit cocky about the previous day's WW kayaker
rescue, and karma put me back in my place--it was definitely good to see
both sides of the rescue scenario.  All my previous rescue experiences
(except helping with a brief/easy assisted rescue of a classmate in my
Deception Pass class 2 weeks ago) have been practice--actually doing the
rescues when I wasn't as calm or prepared were a fantastic experience.

Flame me if you like (I'm not afraid!) but I was in close enough
proximity to shore that I wasn't sticking my neck out there.  All
comments are appreciated, though.  Squall owners?

Shawn
-- 
Shawn W. Baker          0                                    46°53'N
© 2000            ____©/______                              114°06'W
~~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^\  ,/      /~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^
baker_at_montana.com    0        http://www.geocities.com/shawnkayak/

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