Peter Treby wrote: > snip >during a gale off Trial Island when I broke my paddle in half doing a > self-rescue< end snip > Could this have been a paddlefloat fixed outrigger rescue? > PT, Melbourne, OZ. "Twas a messy affair involving a previously weakened wooden paddle, an attempted re-entry and roll, and a paddle-float style non-fixed self-rescue substituting a large 3 foot by 3 foot Sea Seat in place of the normal paddlefloat. The paddle broke during the re-enrty and roll. My point was that relying on a boat-to-paddle tether (leash) isn't ultimately foolproof. Seas were so rough I lost contact with the kayak instantly if I remember correctly, and the personal tether saved my butt -- or at least my boat. But I have broken paddles performing fixed and non-fixed paddlefloat outrigger rescues in other instances. (That I've survived this long without a drysuit is a testament to a good practice regime I normally keep up). I've seen various comments on this list with respect to the usefulness of the paddlefloat rescue (in its various configurations). While I can attest to success in fairly rough seas with good balance and proper setup, another option folks might like to practice is the "face-up" paddlefloat rescue. My friend, Doug Aldeson teaches the basic manouver. Rather than swim up onto the rear deck with your face toward the deck, try lying on the back deck with your face looking to the sky. Slip your feet and legs into the cockpit, keeping low with some weight on the paddle shaft for support, then simply slide in. It is very easy to do depending on your weight and flexibility, and avoids the difficult juncture with the normal maneuver where you need to rotate around precariously trying not to loose your balance, break your paddle, and maybe die. When it comes to self-rescues, most of us are such losers. I say that with love :-) We really need to get out and practice, experiment, think outside the box a bit, keep it as simple as possible, develop a no-fail attitude, and not skip a beat with a few backups in place. Ultimately, good seamanship keeps us out of trouble in the first place, or at least trying to keep within our skill level. And that means having the ability to self rescue in the seas you might be contemplating "challenging". That is the credo I've tried to live by -- literally. Doug Lloyd *************************************************************************** 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 Fri Mar 01 2002 - 00:34:32 PST
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