Re: [Paddlewise] kayaker presumed dead at MALIBU, Calif.

Hi Doug,

I deeply regret the loss of this person.

I think your comment on Tandems is of the greatest importance.

When two guys are more or less well matched or one is a strong paddler, 
doubles are very safe, but I have found it difficult to have a pair of 
paddlers that can accommodate together, when they are beginners, or one 
good paddler with a beginner.

I think there are some suggestions that could become part of a doubles user 
manual.

1.- The stronger paddler can sit in the back for better control and to 
paddle synchronized with the weaker paddler.
2.- In rescues, the stronger paddler should climb in the back seat first 
and brace while the other guy climbs in the front seat. If the weaker 
paddler climbs first and doesn´t know how to brace they'll both end up in 
the water again when the second one is climbing.
3.- If there is only one paddler holding the kayak and the other is adrift, 
the lonely paddler must climb on the back seat to have better control of 
the kayak and be able to go and recover his friend. It is hard to control a 
tandem from the front seat, specially in bad weather.
4.- The rule of thumb: never let the kayak go, no matter what.
5.- It is imperative to have safety lines on Tandems. Sometimes the rounded 
shape of a plastic kayak  edge makes it difficult to grab it in turbulent 
waters.

I hope this helps a little.

Rafael
el cayuco chief
www.mayanseas.com




At 12:50 p.m. 11/12/01 -0800, Doug Lloyd wrote:
>you said:
>Not making excuses for the kayakers but it's possible they may have been
>
>"surprised" by the winds...
>--------------
>I still have a hard time understanding, or perhaps comprehending, why
>recreational paddlers venture out without adequate forecast information
>(unless they are purposely looking for challenging conditions, with due
>experience). The incident also, in my mind, demonstrates once again the
>notion that a double kayak is a liability in the hands of untrained
>paddlers when conditions marginalize or deteriorate beyond skill levels.
>In this case, it was double jeopardy, with the remaining paddler unable
>to negotiate the bigger double in order to coordinate rescue. I may be
>missing something here, however.
>
>With the unusual wind activity this fall, things are really churning up
>around Vancouver Island (lots of fishboats sinking). We have had a few
>paddle incidents again. The latest one was both fortunate and
>unfortunate. A sea kayak was found bouncing around off the Victoria (Oak
>Bay) waterfront in some very nasty conditions (I didn't even go out). A
>very expensive two day search ensued, until finally the paddler whose
>kayak had been BLOwN OFF HIS DOCK noticed it missing (alerted by the
>news report of a drifting kayak the next day). The CG was not impressed,
>and pleaded with paddlers to put some identification in or on their
>kayaks or canoes. At least no one was actually missing in this case,
>though the tone of the news story suggested the Coast Guard wanted to
>"kill somebody".  :-)
>
>Doug Lloyd
>
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