Re: [Paddlewise] Soft Paddlers (was Soft Water)

Joan,
You had to dredge that picture up again, eh?

The self-rescue procedure displayed in the picture is a method for
pumping-out that actually works reasonably well in high winds and choppy
seas. It is less predictable in terms of successfulness as seas get really
steep and/or exhaustion conspires against you. In the photo shoot, I was
practicing paddlefloat and re-entry and roll self-rescues, and doing it
(including the pumping) in bigger seas but, was blown back behind a
breakwater -- where the pic came out fairly mellow. It is just as well I
didn't depict the procedure in rougher seas, given the reduced reliability in
those rougher seas.

One needs and should have a number of practiced procedures for self-rescue
and bailing in their "tool box" of protocols and practices. I have a number,
and have used some of them in real life. Nothing ever goes wrong in absolute
text-book fashion. The more you know and have practiced, the better off you
are (or will be). Having said that, one certainly should concentrate on one
or two main preferred methodologies, keeping it simple. Expand your
repertoire as time and experience permit. None are easily executed in the
kind of conditions commesurate with what normally caused the more experienced
paddler to bail-out after capsize.

Another point: On our Storm Island incident, when one of the kayakers who was
out ahead of the other two split a seam and water subsequently filled the
cockpit in the deep-water, gale-driven waves, the "re-configured lines" of
the kayak actually compressed the seat side-support sufficiently enough to
wedge the hapless paddler's hand-held pump so tight, that he could not
extricate it. I believe the individual in question eventually had to utilize
some kind of small container. Like I said, nothing ever goes "textbook" out
there when things go sideways. I try to tell people this -- that it is not as
simple all the time as the paddling manuals write and the instructors teach.
I usually get a cold reception when I mention this to folks - like I'm
complicating matters and adding drama. At this self-sufficient stage in life,
I just tell them to "bugger off then".  Not very charitable, I know.

I once had to use a similar maneuver as in the pic, but with a rear
deck-mounted pump during an approaching hurricane --no lie (I really did some
daring stuff when I was younger). The account is on the PW web page at:

http://www.paddlewise.net/stories/dlloyd.html

Here is the relevant text portion after cracking my hull on a reef in heavy
swell (well, Matt always quotes his previous writtings :-)  ):
--------------
Revelation finally came. I turned to face the waves, and headed out to safer
water, purchasing
some precious pumping time. "Okay Doug, let's see, paddle loom over back of
neck, scull for
support with one arm, pump rear deck Henderson bilge with other arm." On flat
water, Derek
Hutchison had made it look so easy. "Hey Hutchy, nice circus act. Sorry, but
I don't have time for
clowning around right now. Forget this". It was impossible to turn one's
torso backwards, try to
retain stability, and pump from the rear. I vowed to remount the pump to the
front deck if I ever
made it home. After another short prayer (one of Derek Hutchinson's better
pieces of rescue
advice), another revelation: it consisted of three or four strokes forward,
then a wide forward
sweep to correct course, then three quick pumps on the rear deck bilge. Three
pumps were the
limit, at which point capsize was imminent. That kept enough water out and
permitted the necessary
strokes to keep off the lee shore. The hurricane remnants were moving in
fast. Taking my mind off
the weather, I mused and then really wondered how the BCU's Manufacturers
Association
standards could allow such a ridiculous location as putting a bilge pump on
the rear deck.

By the time I rounded Owen Point into Port San Juan, the muscles down the
back of my pumping
arm were severely cramped, as were the muscles of my other arm from sweeping
continually. I had...
------------
As you can see Joan, in truly outlandish conditions, only an electric pump
(if it is working) wins the war for hands-free pumping. The front
deck-mounted pump is not a bad compromise though. As far as hand-held pumps,
they are a good back-up in my book. In the photo, I also have a foot pump
installed, but was purposely trying a hand-held pump, as that is what is
commonly carried by most paddlers. The foot pump can be really hard to
maintain the mechanics of that action, other than a quick once-over
clearing-out of the water in a cockpit of a smaller volume boat. Where
continuous water is entering your cockpit via a leak, it only takes a few
minutes in cold, nervous conditions to form calf muscle cramps. Some people
have played with the foot-pump peddal mounting location, allowing for either
a ball-of-foot motion, or conversely, a heal-pump motion using the whole leg.
Much depends upon the layout of your boat and individual biomechanics. In
either case, knee bracing can be compromized.

As to your question, directly, the picture is of me sculling for support
(facing forward, which is much easier), with the hand-held pump simply
pinched between my knees. I don't find any auxiliary method for fastening the
pump in place temporarily to the inside hull via a snap-in fixture,
necessary. The method works best sculling into the weather. I find my left
arm is sufficiently strong enough to pump for a certain duration, leaving my
stronger right arm for the more difficult sculling action. I can do it the
other way, when required for photography, as the shutter button works best
with my right hand. In rough stuff, I'm sorry, but I don't have a good
off-side scull n' pump. Sorry, I'm a failure, I know.

BC'in Ya
Doug Lloyd (who's gotten himself into more "ship" over the years than he
cares to remember, but is gratefull to the faithful coaches and safety-types
who have shared their advice and technical pointers over the years).

JSpinner_at_aol.com wrote:

> <<It's actually a sculling stroke he is using.  It can also be used when
> taking
>  pictures.>>
>
> yea! that's the word but how is he using the pump? That's what I want to
> know. Fess up Doug.
>
> BTW, I can't open the file you sent. Is it the picture from the web page?
> Even Photshop won't open it so it must be something PC.I'm on a Mac.
>
> Joan


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