RE:[Paddlewise] Cowboy Rescues

	Roger Schumann described the Cowboy Rescue in good detail in a Sea Kayaker
article a couple of years ago.  I don't have the exact reference handy. 
	I have seen this technique demonstrated very well by Roger and by another
very athletic paddler here on the Pacific coast.  It can be a very quick
reentry, and in some ways is similar to simply popping yourself up out of
the water and
plopping your butt down on a sit-on-top kayak.  John Fereira correctly
cautions that on a closed-cockpit boat, this is best done with a cockpit
long enough for the paddler's legs to be inserted afterwards.  But I believe it
could be done with a smaller cockpit if a skilled and practiced paddler
inserts legs into the
cockpit first while sitting on or just behind the aft rim of the coaming
(see description of bracing below).
	In any case, this rescue technique requires agility, good balance, and
quick reflexes.   And with practice it can be done in very rough water.  I
have seen this done, with the paddler intermittently lifting the paddle off
the deck in front of him, quickly and briefly bracing, then holding the
paddle back down on the deck and proceeding forward to the cockpit.  The
water was rough, deep and cold (tidal rapids) and his kayak was not a wide,
stable one.  No question about it, this is not for everyone, or even for
very many of us.  But it can be a very quick way back into an upright
position in the boat.
	Why do it?  Some of us (definitely not good role models ;~)  play in rough
ocean
whitewater, in tidal rapids, around rock gardens and sea caves.  In such
conditions a T-assisted or a paddlefloat-outrigger reentry may not be an
option at all.
It's either rescue yourself very quickly or you'll have to try to swim away
from danger.  And there are reasons other than a failed roll for being out of
the boat.  Some of us have literally had our boats knocked off of us by the
rough water.  At that point, your only viable reentry options may be the
Cowboy Rescue or the Re-entry and Roll up.  
	Kevin Stevens' suggestion of doing a scramble from the bow is interesting
and imaginative.  On "fish-form" kayaks, which have the cockpit nearer the
bow, this might be the quickest scramble path into the cockpit.  Kevin,
please let us know if you practice and perfect this approach (calm water
first, with someone backing you up).  I guess that wouldn't be called
"Cowboy" though, since there would be no similarity to saddling up. ;~)
Maybe you have invented something, so you should get to name it.
	Of course the safest option, which I would recommend to 99+ % of most
everyone, is
not to get into such a situation in the first place.  Don't go near the
rocks or tidal rapids or into the sea caves, and don't put yourself in a
position of
needing such a challenging rescue technique.
	
	Cheers and safe paddling to all,
	John Somers

Date:  2000 10:59:40 -0400
From: John Fereira <jaf30_at_cornell.edu>
Subject: RE: [Paddlewise] Cowboy Rescues


At 09:57 PM 9/6/00 -0500, Robert Cline wrote:
>"Cowboy Rescue" is a self rescue without a paddlefloat or roll.
>
>After a wet exit, "belly hop" onto the stern, or pull yourself up on the
>stern of your boat with a frog-kick as you would in a standard rescue; turn
>your head and body towards the bow and grab the rear coaming of your
>cockpit, then the more forward part of the cockpit coaming and pull youself
>into a position with legs straddled on either side of your boat, with butt
>into the cockpit ASAP.  Then, while straddled, work one leg, then the other
>into your cockpit.
>
>Oila'  You've done the Cowboy [self] Rescue.

At 10:59 on Thu, 07 Sep, John Fereira wrote:

>I don't know why anyone teaches the Cowboy rescue.  First of all, if
you've got
>a boat with a small cockpit, it's physically impossible to get your legs under
>the deck if you're already seated in the cockpit.   Next time you try a cowboy
>rescue try putting your feet in while sitting on the back deck.   You might be
>able to do it with a wide stable boat, but why teach a rescue technique that
>can only be performed if you've got a stable boat with a large cockpit?  
>
>Secondly, a cowboy rescue in rough conditions is *extremely* difficult, which
>means the chance that you're nearly going to get back in, then fall back
in the
>water and have to start over, is high.  After two or three failed attempts,
>it's going to become more and more difficult.  In very cold water,  you may
>only get one or two chances to get back in your boat before hypothermia begins
>to effect you and you start to lose strength and balance control.  
>
>I think a cowboy rescue is a good balance trick but I wouldn't rely on it to
>save my life after a capsize in deep, rough water.
>	John Fereira 

On Wed, 6 Sep 2000 at 22:12:34 Kevin Stevens wrote:

>OK, here's my stupid question for the week:
>
>This was demonstrated to us in our beginner class in Monterey Bay, mostly
as an
>example of "you don't want to have to rely on this".  The other rescues we
>practiced were the assisted-T and paddle-float.  In both of those rescues the
>approach to the cockpit was the same - face down on the rear deck, facing the
>stern, work one leg into the cockpit and then rotate all the way in, staying
>low.
>
>The trickiest part about the cowboy rescue (they called it "scramble") was
>raising the CG while sitting up to slide your butt into the cockpit and/or
work
>your legs in.
>
>My question was/is:  Why not perform that rescue from the BOW, sliding all the
>way beyond the cockpit to a position just to the rear of it, then do a normal
>insert/rotate cockpit entry?  The instructor didn't have an answer other than
>he'd never heard of that and would have to try it out.
>
>Did I just invent something?
>
>KeS

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