Re: [Paddlewise] leashes

At 05:58 AM 2/21/02 -0800, Peter Staehling wrote:
>I too wonder about the necessity of a paddle leash.  I
>come from a whitewater background and in that arena
>the leash would be considered a major hazard by many.

The risks are different in whitewater paddling.  When paddling on a river 
you're also relatively close to shore.  Even if you lost both your paddle 
and   boat downriver after a capsize the side of the river is likely only 
10-100' away.  Losing a paddle on the open ocean can have much more serious 
consequences.  Even if you're only a 1/2 mile off shore, the currents and 
winds might make it virtually impossible to get back to shore.  Whitewater 
paddlers generally don't practice self/assisted rescues either because if 
you come out of your boat, getting out of the water is relatively 
easy.  Coming out of your boat a 1/2 mile from shore on the ocean in water 
temps below 50 degrees, and being unable to get back into it, can be fatal.

One of the most staunch advocates of both paddle and boat leashes is a 
woman named Audrey Sutherland.  She's been paddling up and down the coast 
of Alaska for the past 20 years.  In her slide show presentations she talks 
about the consequences of exiting your kayak in those frigid waters and 
failing to stay in contact with your boat and paddle.  If the wind is 
blowing (which probably had something to do with the capsize in the first 
place), it can easily blow your boat across the water faster than any human 
can swim.  All a PFD is going to do at that point is keep you afloat as you 
slowly die of hypothermia and make it easier for the coast guard to recover 
your body.



>Is a paddle leash a widely used thing for seakayakers?
>  One of the previous posters on another thread implied
>that it was some kind of safety breach that someone
>wasn't using one.  Any thoughts on when and where to
>use/not use a leash?

There are two risks that I can think of using a paddle leash in a sea 
kayak. The first in the surf zone where a windmilling paddle could inflict 
some serious injuries as you're tumbling in the surf.  Removing the paddle 
leash when doing surf landings pretty much solves that problem and letting 
go of your paddle or boat isn't likely going to cause a big problem because 
both will likely end up on the beach before you do (although fiberglass 
boats and cobble stone beaches don't get along well).  The other risk is 
entanglement, which could happen just about anywhere after a capsize.  It's 
not enough to just attach a paddle leash and paddle way and assume that 
you're mitigating all risks.  One should practice (a lot) self rescue 
skills using the paddle leash, working out the best method of attachment, 
under controlled conditions.  It's not going to completely mitigate the 
risk of entanglement but at least you'll have some experience in what might 
happen during a real capsize under real conditions.

I can certainly understand why a paddle leash would not be a good idea 
under almost any circumstances on whitewater.  Strainers, sieves, pinning 
locations, and recirculating holes would all become far more dangerous with 
a paddle attached to your body.

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