RE: [Paddlewise] Bow Lift Rescue

John:
That last post of mine was sent in error, before I had fully considered it.
That's one of the perils of cyber paddling, recklessness with the send
button.
We don't seem to have much disagreement, from your reply.
Just this...
"I think a beginner should have a rescue-worthy boat, and learn to re-enter
a.s.a.p.
So do I.  I see trying to empty as much water from the boat as possible
as part of the process of a re-entry."
>From my own experience and perspective to date, emptying as much water as
possible is best accomplished by an efficient hands-free pump, rather than
boat over boat or bow lifting.
This opinion has not changed after a river session this morning trying the
bow lift with an unloaded boat, on flat water. It is (as you'd expect) a
slower process than a re-enter and roll, but by much more than I'd thought.
Practice would no doubt speed things up.
I tried a bow lift supported by the paddlefloat under one arm, but not on
the paddle. This adds the complication of the paddlefloat slipping out from
under your arm, and it tries to do this at the time the submerging force is
greatest, when the bow is out of the water. It's quite a bit better, and
feels much more secure, to place the inflated paddlefloat on the paddle and
hook it under an armpit, then lift. You can then use both hands to lift and
steady the boat. From that point, the quickest re-entry is a roll with the
paddlefloat still attached.
It would be interesting to see how heavy a boat can be emptied using this
method. Minimizing the cockpit volume will be a help with this, given less
drain time, and given 1 kg per litre to lift.

Good paddling
Peter Treby
37°42'S 145°08'E


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