(no subject)

G'Day,

Craig wondered if Andrew was suffering the effects of dehydration. It was
a speculation that surfaced soon after the accident was reported but the
evidence simply doesn't support it.

Peter Treby suggests two points 1) that there was plenty of fresh
desalinated water 2) It would have taken a reasonable level of organisation
and discipline to ensure that supply.

Additional points are: 3. the distances he was paddling. It is highly unlikely
that even a somewhat dehydrated medium weight paddler would have been able
to cover those distances. If he was dehydrated to the point of confusion
this would have surely been impossible. 4) The records of Andrews messages
and conversations show no sign of confusion. This includes his last messages.

Regarding Andrew's distress message. There used to be an anachronism in the
distress protocol in Australia that said you only use the call "Mayday Mayday
Mayday" if your boat is sinking or the engine is totally disabled. For all
other emergencies the correct protocol is "Pan Pan Pan". This may have changed
recently but I'm not aware of it. Such a protocol is not well suited for
kayaks. So It's puzzling that the distress call didn't include the words
"Mayday Mayday Mayday". He may have called Mayday earlier in a part of the
transmission that did not get through, it was a very weak signal. This plus
the fact that his rear cockpit was flooding would make the message "my kayak
is
sinking" quite reasonable.

Matt suggested that Andrew had already been separated from the boat before
making his distress call and that is certainly possible. The points that
seem to suggest he may have been with the boat are, the change in signal
strength before the last words in his distress call "its gone". This would
be consistent with an aerial losing height as Andrew fell back into the sea.
There's also  the question over why Andrew would have the VHF but not the
EPIRB.


Questions

Matt's description of how easy it is to separate from the boat rings in my
ears.  Bearing in mind that one doesn't impose requirements on anybody but
in terms of trying to maximise safety when paddling alone at sea what do
paddlewisers think of the following: -

Distress Call question

Doug's point to keep repeating the distress call is well made and I would
advocate that kayakers break the Mayday vs Pan rule and call Mayday from
the start of a distress call for a life threatening situation. This could
be a point of debate. My navy friends have said call Pan first then Mayday.
Whatever the distress call I'd repeat it at the start of every response to
the coastguard if possible. What do others think?

Tether when alone at sea question

What do people think about alway wearing a tether when paddling alone at
sea and what kind of tether. I take Doug's point and two of the most experienced
paddlers in our club also say that it should be optional. But after Andrew's
accident I'm not so sure that its wise for it to be taken off? And how to
set up a permanent tether that isn't also a hazard?

EPIRB when alone at sea question

If trying to optimise safety would you always wear an EPIRB tethered to the
PFD?

All the best, PeterO
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