Re: [Paddlewise] Bow Toggles

Hi Gordon,

I don't have personal experience of bow toggle-injury, but I am sending an
incident report that I wrote a few years ago which includes details of an
injury. I saw the results a few days later, but in the scheme of things the
paddler was lucky to be alive so the pain from missing skin was a reminder
that he was still breathing!

Notes on locations:

Pines Beach and the Waimakariri River are located north of Christchurch, a
city on the east coast of the South Island, New Zealand. Taylor's Mistake is
a popular surfing beach near Christchurch.

Good luck with the research.

JKA
-- 
John Kirk-Anderson
Banks Peninsula
NEW ZEALAND


--------------------------------

Sea kayaker lucky to survive.

A sea kayaker with limited experience is planning to join a kayaking
organisation, following his rescue after he capsized and was blown offshore.

The paddler, a 44-year-old male, had owned his QK Penguin for about four
months, and had no previous experience in kayaking. In that time he had
paddled on lagoons, and on the lower stretches of the Waimakariri River, in
Canterbury. He paddled alone and had picked up tips from kayakers he met
while out in his boat. The weekend before this incident he had paddled in
the surf at Taylor's Mistake.

Shortly before 3pm on Sunday, September 8 2003, he drove to Pines Beach,
about 12 kilometres north of Christchurch, and walked down to the water's
edge to check conditions. A surf of about 1/2 metre was breaking, and a
light Northwest wind was blowing offshore and down the beach.

Wearing a buoyancy vest, a cotton top, and Lycra shorts, he launched into
the surf which was similar in size to that which he had experienced at
Taylor's Mistake the weekend before. He had no difficulties in breaking out
through the waves, and once beyond the breaker line he turned to catch a
ride in. He noticed at this point that the wind was stronger, as a result of
having moved beyond the sheltering trees that give the beach its name.

A larger swell appeared astern, and, not wanting to surf it in, the paddler
turned into it. During this turn a gust of wind hit him and he capsized. He
was not concerned, as he had practised re-entering his kayak by climbing
onto the rear deck and sliding his legs in. He was confident in his ability
to get back in, but had only tried it in calmer conditions.

He climbed up and lay face down as he slipped his legs into the cockpit, but
as he turned over he was capsized again. He attempted this manoeuvre eight
or nine times, all with the same result.

As he floated in the water with his kayak he was aware of a car following
his progress down the beach. He was close enough to the beach to identify
the colour of car, but not recognise the make, or see the driver. He waved
his paddle but got no response. As he drifted south he was concerned that as
he approached the mouth of the Waimakariri River, about 1.4 kilometres south
of his start point, he would be subjected to stronger winds from the open
country.

The paddler considered leaving his kayak and swimming to shore, but reasoned
that the orange kayak would be more visible than a lone swimmer. He
attempted to tow the kayak using the bow line. He was confident of outside
help, aware from the actions of the car that his predicament was being
watched. He did not feel cold, but was aware that his bare feet were
cooling.

Soon he saw a rescue vessel from the Waimak-Ashley Surf Rescue group
approaching, and felt relief. It came straight towards him, and he remembers
seeing the stern of the boat as it swung around him. Being asked his name
was the last memory he has, and he knew nothing of his helicopter flight
until he awoke in the Emergency Department of Christchurch Hospital.

He remained in the hospital overnight for observation, and apart from
hypothermia he lost some skin from between the fingers of one hand, caused
by holding onto the bow toggle. This wound, which he didn't notice at the
time, involved the web between the index and middle finger's and one week
later was still very raw. He has had no other after effects, and is
philosophical about the incident. He "didn't feel he was going to die", and
has felt more at risk while cycling.

Observations by author.

This paddler is lucky to be alive. Had bystanders not raised the alarm and
emergency services responded quickly, he would likely have been carried well
off-shore by the wind and the outflow from the Waimakariri River. He had
spent over half an hour in the water by time of rescue, while not dressed
for immersion. He felt he could have stayed another half hour in the water.
His rescuers described him as incoherent and unable to assist himself.

A NIWA scientist confirmed that surface water temperature in the area is
currently 10-11 degrees Centigrade. Immersion time graphs show a lightly
clad swimmer in such cold water has a survival expectancy of one to two
hours. 

Despite his limited experience and skill this kayaker chose to paddle alone
in surf. He is physically fit, and trains regularly. He was confident that
he could re-enter his boat, but his skills were not sufficient, once the
conditions become rougher. The off-shore wind removed his chance of
returning to the beach.

With his options of re-entering his kayak and returning to the shore now
gone, he was reliant on outside assistance for his survival. He was lucky
that bystanders saw his plight and took action. He had no means of
attracting attention had these people not been there.

Recommendations by author.

The weather forecast for this period was for north-westerly winds, 45 kph in
exposed areas. The kayaker checked the conditions at the beach, but did not
have the experience to appreciate the sheltering effect of the tall pines.

Paddling alone is a rewarding experience, but without developing strong
skills and judgement, any problem can rapidly become overwhelming. Having
another paddler alongside is no guarantee of safety, but with proper
training mutual assistance can be life saving. Over-estimation of skill is a
very common situation.

Cold water kills! Dressing for immersion is a vital part of sea kayaking. A
wet suit or dry suit will improve comfort and extend survival times
significantly. Cotton clothing should never be worn while kayaking, due to
its cooling effect when wet.

Swimming is a sure way to speed heat loss as the physical activity brings
warm blood to the body shell, where it is cooled. If alone the HELP
position, or in a group the HUDDLE, goes some way to reducing heat loss.
Remove as much of the body from the water as possible as, despite the
wind-chill effect, the heat loss will be lessened. Water conducts heat 25
times faster than air of the same temperature. This paddler realised
afterwards that hauling himself onto the hull of his boat would have helped.
Abandoning the kayak to swim to shore is not recommended, as swimming
ability is much reduced in cold water.

The last chance this kayaker had was outside rescue, but he had no means of
raising the alarm. He was very fortunate that others did this for him.
Carrying signalling equipment is no substitute for skill and judgement, but
it can be a last hope. A whole battery of signals is available, from
pyrotechnics to electronics, and it is important that paddlers consider
their options, as luck is not to be relied upon.

This kayaker has had a learning experience, and plans to upskill. He will
paddle with others and has not been put off sea kayaking by this experience.


John Kirk-Anderson

NZOIA Sea Kayak Instructor, Level 2
BCU Coach, Level 4 (Sea)

Instruction Officer
KASK
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