Re: [Paddlewise] PFD?

We will never know for sure but the evidence we have points to the fact that
Len had at least initiated a paddle float rescue. The PFD could nave tipped
the balance in favor of death in two ways that I can see as possibilities.
One, if Len let go of his boat and or paddle tethered to the boat the boat
and paddle would blow away from him in the wind. if it blew away faster than
he could swim with a PFD on but not faster than he could swim without (and
there is a substantial drag from most PFDs) then the PFD may have
contributed to his demise. Two, the bulk of a PFD makes it a little harder
to slide oneself up on the deck of ones kayak while doing a paddle float
rescue this conceivably make the difference between succeeding with the
rescue or not so it is again possible the PFD could have contributed to his
demise.

I'd be interested to know if Len practiced the paddle float rescue by fixing
the kayak to his kayak or by just holding the paddle in place (ala the ACA
teaching of it). It is possible Len made it back in the cockpit several
times but capsized again and again in trying to pump out his kayak. I
forgot, was there a pump still with the kayak when it was found? If not
maybe he lost it during one of the capsizes. The fact that his paddle was
tethered to the boat but not under deck bungies is a slight bit of evidence
that he may have been attempting the paddle float rescue using what I
consider the inferior (for most situations) non-fixed outrigger, or maybe an
paddle float aided re-enter and roll, both of which leave one more
vulnerable to capsize during the pumping out part of the rescues. Pumping
out is the part of rescues that rarely gets enough practice because of the
work involved in pumping.

I realize that this is pure speculation and that we are unlikely to ever
know what actually happened since there were no witnesses. My point is that
there are advantages and disadvantages to just about anything. One
disadvantage of having a paddling partner not wearing a PFD is that if you
get a great picture of them you would likely have a hard time selling it to
a paddling publication or paddling advertiser. I've even used this as an
argument (unsuccessfully) to try to get a paddler to wear his PFD. Even
though I didn't feel I had the right to do so since he had paddled on far
more exposed trips than I ever had (completely around Vancouver Island and
the outside passage up to Glacier Bay, AK from Vancouver Island among them)
and had better self rescue skills than I (he could jump back in a kayak in
rough water with no floats necessary). I was willing to let him make his own
choice in the matter and still paddle with him. That certainly wouldn't have
been the case if he had been a novice.

Matt Broze
www.marinerkayaks.com
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