Hi all, from DownUnder.. may I draw to your attention to a thoughtful article by Roger Schumann in a recent Seakayaker on developing the ability to hold one's breath underwater . This is a skill developed by divers and is a practical counter to the all too natural 'panic' reaction when your world has turned watery and upside down [ those of us born south of the Equator have uniquely developed genetic systems to cope with this ] ! Becoming accustomed to floating attached and upside down in your kayak gives you a safety edge.. to set yourself up for a roll up, wet exit, or wait for a rescue. One of my boats is a Klepper and I find it hard to conceive of an occasion when I would be 'trapped' in my kayak, but even in this kayak, I have come close when the boat has been jammed with heaps of camping gear, and I am using my heavy weather skirt. Of course, anything can happen at sea, and does. But I took the point of Roger's article: develop skills around sudden immersion [ especially in cold water] and SELF SURVIVAL ... whether it be with a bombproof roll, re-entry and roll up, or other self rescue method. I have always considered the best rescue method is the one I practise and expect will give ME the best chance of SURVIVAL. And this will relate to my skill level in the type of boat I am paddling on that day. For some this will be a bombproof roll, for others it will be a paddlefloat rescue, for others, a cowboy rescue etc. And I paddle on the understanding that I am personally responsible for my actions on the water and cannot rely on anyone to help me. Certainly develop the group dynamics and leadership [ well canvassed over years of PaddleWise discussions] to maximize group safety, but surely it would take extraordinary circumstances, as outlined by Doug's jam into a rocky seabed, to find oneself trapped in a properly set up seakayak. Jim, I would gently disagree with your view that 99 per cent of seakayaking is 'minimal risk', but I accept your premise that a skilled WW paddler would probably have a more reliable roll than many seakayakers. Cheers, Peter Rattenbury *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
During roll practice in combat conditions, I once blew a bow rescue because I was trying to hang on to my paddle so it wouldn't float/blow away. What do you do with a paddle (not leashed)? Let it go? try to hook it inside one arm, but then what do you do when you've got two hands on the rescuers bow. Pass the paddle off before hip snapping up? The reason I asked is that (besides blowing the bow rescue and having to wet exit) I lost the paddle in very confused big seas and having to set up the spare was not fun. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
On 7 Jan 2004 at 10:42, John March wrote: > During roll practice in combat conditions, I once blew a bow rescue > because I was trying to hang on to my paddle so it wouldn't float/blow > away. What do you do with a paddle (not leashed)? Let it go? try to > hook it inside one arm, but then what do you do when you've got two > hands on the rescuers bow. Pass the paddle off before hip snapping > up? It's a bit of a challenge. I used to place the paddle on the side the bow is coming in (if known) and hold it between my arm and the gunnel. Once rolled up, it ends up on my arm, usually tumbling towards the deck. If it falls in the water, it is between my kayak and the rescuer's and can be shepherded. The problem is when you don't know which side you'll be rescued from. My current practice is to stuff the paddle under the foredeck bungies. My Ellesmere has a bungie athwartships near the bow. The bungie is held off the deck by a couple of beads so that the paddle can easily be pushed under. I haven't had any problem with this, but haven't pushed it in heavy conditions. If you're not in surf or other grungy conditions, a paddle leash is useful. Mike *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
I tuck the paddle under in my armpit between my arm and side of my chest. This secures the paddle as I raise my hands above the water and move them back and forth to provide a target for the rescue bow. The paddle pretty much stays in that position until I have hip flicked myself upright. This also provides me a safe "storage location" if I need to wet exit and my hands are free to locate and pull the grab loop. My training and experience has taught me to keep my paddle with me thus I would personally never consider taking the time to secure the paddle under bungies - which you also do not have in white water. I did let go of a brand new werner carbon bent shaft paddle (it was the first time I ever used it) when I wet exited on a river and my body was pushed into a boulder. It was the second boulder that forced the paddle out of my hand. The force of the river water pushed the paddle up against a rock and in a few minutes the paddle went from a one piece to a two piece paddle. A costly lesson (and I hadn't paid for the paddle yet). So learn to hold onto the paddle. best wishes sid *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
The problem is when you tuck the paddle under your arm, and it turns out to be on the opposite side of the bow rescue. I was on this paddle with John when this happened (watched the whole thing, I was not the rescuer). We were in some pretty rough water in an inlet, and it took both of Johns hands to grab the bow of the rescue boat to try and keep it in place. I also remember seeing his hesitation before going for the hip snap as he tried to figure out how to move and hold onto the paddle. By this time, air was the priority. I think storing the paddle under bungies on deck is more easily and quickly done with a Greenland paddle. Regardless your boat needs to be outfitted to hold the paddle on both ends when doing this, especially in rough water. John, why not join Dee and I for some cold water rolling practice and we can work on some different ideas. Dawn _________________________ Dawn Stewart Biostatistics Department UNC School of Public Health Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7400 ________________________ >>> <SNStone_at_aol.com> 01/07/04 02:57PM >>> I tuck the paddle under in my armpit between my arm and side of my chest. This secures the paddle as I raise my hands above the water and move them back and forth to provide a target for the rescue bow. The paddle pretty much stays in that position until I have hip flicked myself upright. This also provides me a safe "storage location" if I need to wet exit and my hands are free to locate and pull the grab loop. My training and experience has taught me to keep my paddle with me thus I would personally never consider taking the time to secure the paddle under *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
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