RE: [Paddlewise] wet exits/entrapment

Chuck wrote: >>>It is my policy, wether teaching novices or taking "guests"
out for a 
first paddle, to NEVER allow them to use a spray skirt without first 
demonstrating command and comfort in executing wet exits first 
without and then with spray skirts.<<<

I agree completely. Since I take novices only on trips on flat water and
mostly in nice weather, they don't need a sprayskirt anyway: No waves will
be coming over, and if they lean far enough to let water into the cockpit,
they will capsize anyway.

However, I am not the main trainer at my club. I just give personal advice
and assistance in the background. Our main trainers insist that novices
should paddle whitewaterboats with sprayskirts, so that they have all of
problems to handle at once, while I prefer to take them one step at the
time: First paddle a stable, well tracking boat without a sprayskirt to
concentrate on a good forward stroke, then work on sweepstrokes, then use
sweepstrokes to keep control of a whitewaterboat, then move on to bracing
and leaning where you need a sprayskirt.

But what the hell, our students learn to paddle anyway and none have drowned
so far (we DO start with a wet-exit practice in every course). You can't
have it your way all the time.

Niels.

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