IIRC, here's what we did when I took my introductory course with George Gronseth. This was with a tight fitting full neoprene skirt which is what he teaches in from the beginning. 1) On land, sit in the boat and fasten the skirt. Test the fit by striking the top of the skirt with your fist, hard. If it pops, it's too loose. 2) On land, demonstrate the ability to release the skirt with the right hand. The way he teaches to open the skirt is to lean far forward, drop the elbow forcibly into the top of the skirt then pull back. Even a tight neoprene skirt pops right off. Do it again eyes closed. 3) Do the same thing with the left hand. 4) Release the skirt by pinching the side of the coaming and pulling the skirt up, inserting the fingers then running them around the edge to pop the skirt. Do it again eyes closed. 5) Do both of the above in shallow water with the instructor standing next to you. 6) Finally, do all of the above as part of deep water rescues. My wife is all of 5' 3" and 98lbs but she has no problem releasing a tight neoprene skirt, even with an implosion bar. Her problem is getting it on... Best, Thomas *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Tue Sep 18 2001 - 20:18:15 PDT
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