Re: [Paddlewise] Face Up Paddlefloat Rescue and more

Doug wrote:
<SNIP>>>>>>>>Remember, one hand is still on the shaft, and the other
grabbing the cockpit rim, so it is very easy to perform a sit-up maneuver
which
leaves you sliding into the cockpit while avoiding the tendency with the
normal
paddlefloat reentry which often results in the "yellow rainbow" flash and
splash. YMMV depending on cockpit size and other factors. The more shock
cord
play in your rear deck fixed-rigging , the more spongy this rescue gets
during
the sit-up phase. You also don't need to time it as much with the waves as
you
do with the normal methodology. BTW, the amount you engage your back onto
the
rear deck depends on how tall you are, but most of us can usually go from
the
back-on-shaft to sitting position in a few smooth seconds -- mostly off to
the
side of the kayak. Canadians may want to try out the spring 2002 issue of
Adventure Kayak Magazine for a quick summary by Doug A. In the end, you
might
need to modify some of the basic phases, but do give it a try. It is
definitely
a lot more forgiving of paddle breakage.>>>>>>

I don't remember ever experiencing the "yellow rainbow" so it is hard for me
to conceive of anyone but a novice experiencing this either more than a few
times. Doug, do you often experience this? After one or two times I always
figured the novice would have learned the lesson to keep their weight to the
paddlefloat side. do others often experience tipping to the non paddlefloat
side. If so please let us know if there is a serious problem here I have
been overlooking based on my own experience. Originally, I advocated using a
paddlefloat (a water jug) that could be partially filled with water to
prevent this possibility (and the first envelope style float that we made
had a big dump valve on one of the chambers so it could also be partially
filled with water). I soon realized that it was easy to shift ones weight to
the paddlefloat side (at least with a fixed outrigger--as we recommend doing
this rescue) and the risk of the "yellow rainbow" seemed pretty small then.
I have never tried the face up rescue you are advocating with just a
paddlefloat. I have used that method to get in between mine and a rescuers
kayak I'll give it a try with a paddlefloat the next time I practice
rescues. From what I gather from your description it looks like the face-up
rescue puts a lot more weight on the paddle shaft than the face-down method
we describe on our website and literature.

Having never broken a paddle doing a paddlefloat rescue even with a 20 oz.
paddle I can only conclude that some other methods of using the paddlefloat
may result in broken paddles from what some are saying here. Would anyone
who has broken a paddle doing a paddlefloat rescue please let us know just
what you were doing at the point the paddle broke and where the paddle
broke. I am concerned that some techniques have the paddler putting a lot of
weight on the paddle shaft as they walk over it coming around from behind or
throw a knee up on the middle of the shaft trying to climb up on the deck.

I think everyone should learn to re-enter and roll but there are some
downsides to it especially for new paddlers. Even with a paddlefloat it is
not likely to be successful for a non roller. The paddlers head will most
likely have to be immersed in cold water to perform the reentry before
rolling. Novices are very reticent to put their head back under water even
when directed to do so by a rescuer like during a reenter and Eskimo bow or
side rescue. Also, the rescue isn't over until you have pumped the kayak
out. The reenter and roll scoops up extra water during the roll and without
the paddle fixed to the deck the pumping process (unless you have an
electric pump) is much more difficult due to the need to balance or brace
the tippy kayak (full of free water which destroys a hulls stability) while
also trying to pump out the kayak. Too many things to do at once. I think
its best to just shift your weight to the fixed paddlefloat side of the
kayak and concentrate on pumping rather than bracing or holding your paddle
in a stabilizing position while you pump. In most kayaks it is a lot easier
to fasten the paddle to the deck from the water than later after you have
rolled up. I think the extra few seconds it takes to fasten the paddle to
the kayak are well worth it later on during the pumping out process. So if
you don't have a way to fasten the paddle to the deck of the kayak that you
happened to capsize (and you know how to Eskimo roll) by all means use the
reenter and roll (that you hopefully have practiced). I suggest one learn
all the rescues you can and then think about the vulnerabilities of each.
Then pick the one from your quiver that is most appropriate for the
situation you happen to find yourself in.
I'd also be interested in hearing any stories of breaking a paddle in any
way. Please tell us the brand, model, materials, and feather of any paddle
you've broken, and just what you were doing when it broke. For instance: I
broke a Lightning Ultralight 2 piece paddle (with the old smooth "Skypole"
ultralight shaft) when trying to catch a large whitecapping wave in Baja in
a Khatsalano that had 10 gallons of water and 2 weeks of gear aboard (and
about 2" of freeboard on the back deck). I dug in hard to accelerate as
quickly as possible just as the next wave crest came by and hit the paddle
blade from behind. The shaft literally exploded between my hand and the
blade with a loud bang and a puff of black "smoke" (just where the oval
turns into a round shaft again--and probably creates a stress riser). With
two weeks to go on the trip I was glad I had a good quality spare (which I
was very careful not to overstress--while thinking about how I was going to
connect the incompatible good halves of both paddles if I broke the 4 piece
spare paddle too).

Matt Broze
http://www.marinerkayaks.com
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