[Paddlewise] Face Up Paddlefloat Rescue and more

"The paddle broke during the re-entry and roll."
In any rescue, I suppose, paddle preservation has to be part of the plan, if
possible,
although in extremis you're probably just concentrating on getting back into
the boat
quickly, dealing with the rough water, etc. The strength of the paddleshaft
ought to
be bombproof, ideally, but this conflicts with the need for a light paddle
for what we
do most, paddle forwards lifting the paddle thousands of times a day. I was
guessing
at a fixed paddlefloat outrigger rescue, as of the various rescues I've
tried, this seems
to put the most strain on the paddleshaft. The other thing that cracks a
paddle shaft is
putting it across the back deck while getting in and out of the boat. A
paddle shaft can
have hidden weaknesses after using it this way.

"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."
Now I think I'd better start experimenting with body to boat tethers among
other skills
to refine. If the paddleshaft breaks, there goes the paddle to boat
connection, and maybe,
there goes the boat. I know I've got your article in SeaKayaker somewhere,
if the kids
haven't chopped up that issue for school project illustrations, but Doug,
can I ask what is
your preferred person-to-boat tether?

"another option folks might like to practice is the "face-up" paddlefloat
rescue."

Fill this in a little; how do you get your body onto the back deck with this
rescue? Face
up and do a dolphin-like backwards swallow dive? Which side of the paddle
shaft are you
when you launch backwards onto the back deck?

"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."

Well put.

PT, Melbourne, OZ.

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