RE: [Paddlewise] Bow Lift Rescue

From: John Fereira <jaf30_at_cornell.edu>
Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2001 09:32:46 -0500
At 10:29 AM 3/22/01 +1100, Peter Treby wrote:
>Dan wrote:
><< BUT if you use your paddlefloat, it and the PFD will allow the boat to be
>lifted and drained.  I just tuck the paddlefloat under an arm.  Works real
>well
>for me.>>
><This is the method we teach.  I haven't tried it in storm conditions but
>it works in the ocean under normal (not flat) conditions, for us anyway.
>Jed>
>Well, blow me down. If you have your paddlefloat inflated, why bother going
>to the bow and emptying the boat from the water? Why not re-enter and roll,
>using the paddlefloat if need be. Then pump out with your foot and/or
>electric pump, when you're out of the water in your boat.


You're making the assumption that someone that has capsized knows how to
do a re-enter and roll.  I would be willing to bet that a pretty high
percentage of sea kayakers have never even tried a re-enter and roll.

>I suppose if you don't have a hands-free pump, you have to think of emptying
>the bulk of the flooded boat some other way. Hand pumps, emptying the boat
>from the water, and boat over boat stuff just seem low priority choices to
>me.

They might to you, but you've got the skills to do a re-enter and roll.  The
vast majority of beginners do not.

I learned a easy method for emptying water from a kayak from Nigel Dennis
last summer.  While I've never capsized while doing a T-X rescue I've felt 
a bit vulnerable when trying to life the boat onto my deck.  This technique 
keeps things more stable for the rescuer. Rather than turn the boat cockpit 
side up, the swimmer leaves it upside down and pushes it toward the rescuer 
and the rescuer just grabs onto the bow.  The swimmer then works their way
down the side of their boat to the rescuers boat and around to the other
side using the deck lines. The importance of maintaining contact with a
boat at all times was stressed at this point.  The swimmer then reaches
across and grabs the bow toggle on their boat and places both feet on
the side of the rescuers boat just in front of the cockpit.  Then the
swimmer just leans backward, pulling the bow across the rescuers boat.
Once the cockpit is out of the water, it drains, and the rescuer rotates
the boat back upright and places it bow to stern.  The swimmer then
climbs over the rescuers boat to reenter.




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Received on Thu Mar 22 2001 - 06:33:21 PST

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