JCMARTIN43_at_aol.com wrote: > I'm going to help, Chuck, but, like Ralph, I'm not going to throw my PFD. It's more important to me than it is to "us" --- the rescuee and me. I'm his ticket out of there, and I'm keeping my PFD, rescue equipment and all. < I realize what I said might be misconstrued (not by Jack). I would never give up my PFD. My thought was an extra PFD, the way we are carrying in swim supports. > > How many of us, I wonder, routinely carry a solid foam paddle float rigged on deck for quick use in a case like this? I don't always, but usually will have it under the aft deck bungies. If it's tethered by a line --- or if the thrown PFD had been tethered --- is the line long enough for safe distance from the victim and the danger area, < It is amazing how any such flotation (paddle float, spare PFD, etc.) can be whisked away by the wind, even a light breeze. One solution I saw someone do or play with on one of our swim supports. He blow up a paddle float and attached to it a pint size bottle of water. That bottle served as ballast or a sea anchor for the float. Winds were blowing at around 20 knots and the paddle float hardly moved on the water. This weight would also give some heft for throwing the flotation; he could give it quite a toss. With wind, it is almost impossible to toss something light and airy like a paddlefloat (even a rigid block one) without the wind drawing it astray or limiting the range of the throw. Of course, we don't go around with our paddle float inflated and with a pint bottle tied to it. But in a swim support, if you didn't have a spare PFD or a rescue torpedo (like in Bay Watch Hawaii...yeah, I know it is hard to concentrate on the gear while watching the babes and hunks and their superb form (swimming that is)) you could set up your paddle float in this way. > > Just some thoughts, following up on Chuck's report and Ralph's response. > > Jack Martin --- just finishing his homework for his first class at UM, wishing he were at the DelMarVa Paddlers' Retreat instead ... < poor baby. :-) 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 Sat Oct 07 2000 - 04:42:54 PDT
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