Last night a church member took a bunch of youth up here doing a program for the church over to LeConte Bay on his fishing boat. It was foggy and there were no other boats in the bay so he fired off an old parachute flare to see if it still worked (it did). He monitored the radio to make sure no one saw the flare and paniced. I happened to have my PFD with me and decided to test out my three hand held flares. 0 for 3!!! Not a one even so much as fizzled! I am thinking of going with the pistol type flare system though where I will store them on me while I paddle I have not figured out yet. A bird in the hand may be worth two in the bush but a handheld flare is worthless Bob *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
My conclusion, vhf radio to call for help, gps to tell them where I am, the exact coordinates, and then maybe a flare, after I see the whites of their eyes. just and inexperienced guys rambling Mike San Rafael, CA Actually your conclusion has a lot of wisdom. bob *************************************************************************** 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 had the same experience several years ago. Joan and I each had three small (pocket-size) hand held flares that were just past their expiration dates. One or two of them fizzled, the rest did nothing at all. Pains-Wessex hand held flares are reputed to be reliable (USCG and SOLAS approved). They are also larger (and more expensive) than the flares that fit into a standard PFD pocket, but -- as you say -- a bird in the hand.... Paddling mostly in the the populated New York Harbor, Hudson River and Connecticut shore areas, I don't always carry flares. When I do, I carry two Pains-Wessex flares in my day hatch. One is a parachute flare, and the other is a white hand flare to be used when I can see my rescuer trying to home in on me. Of course I always have my VHF and a cellphone in a waterproof bag, as well. Bob Volin Bob Carter wrote: > Last night a church member took a bunch of youth up here doing a program for > the church over to LeConte Bay on his fishing boat. It was foggy and there > were no other boats in the bay so he fired off an old parachute flare to see > if it still worked (it did). He monitored the radio to make sure no one saw > the flare and paniced. I happened to have my PFD with me and decided to test > out my three hand held flares. 0 for 3!!! Not a one even so much as fizzled! > I am thinking of going with the pistol type flare system though where I will > store them on me while I paddle I have not figured out yet. > A bird in the hand may be worth two in the bush but a handheld flare is > worthless > > Bob *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Bob Volin wrote: I had the same experience several years ago. Joan and I each had three small (pocket-size) hand held flares that were just past their expiration dates. One or two of them fizzled, the rest did nothing at all. --- As a former combat search and rescue pilot, I'll weigh in here from a perspective of 300 to 500 feet above you and your capsized boat. The pencil flares that many of us carry to remain legal at night are about good as y'all discovered. The option would be to carry a birthday cake with a few dozen candles lit off, and wave it over your head. (In my case, there'd be more than a few dozen, but it wouldn't make much difference.) To be found in congested areas, you have to stand out from your environment, or my helo crew and I won't even begin to pull you out -- visually or physically. My choices for my own rescue: voice comms -- VHF, mobile phone for the same reasons as noted in the earlier thread. (Talk to me!) GPS, sure -- especially if I'm away from visual reinforcement -- like "close to red bell 42" vice a lat-long fix. (Tell me where you are, 'cause it's a big ocean out there, even in the Chesapeake Bay or in Long Island Sound!) For specific identification to back up a voice contact, or in the absence of voice contact, I'd use my old mil-spec ACR strobe. (Show me that you're not a boat or a floating birthday cake!) I've had my old ACR strobe since Viet Nam days, 40 years ago, and it still works fine. Hard to find batteries. Easily as good now, any ACR (http://www.acrelectronics.com/) C-Strobe or Firefly strobe unit. (No ACR affiliation -- just a very satisfied customer.) If I'm doing an Ed Gillet unsupported trans-PAC trip -- which I won't be! -- or if I were ten miles offshore looking for whales, a good EPIRB (emergency position-indicating radio beacon) or a PLB (personal locator beacon) -- something like ACR's new PLB with all the data in one package -- would be a gotta-have. Smaller, lighter better, probably bloody expensive, but how much do you pay for life insurance? (Have an internationally recognized system tells me where you are even if you can't!) But, for most of us, in local, inshore waters, a good set of hand-held flares (like those used on roadsides by state police, not the bloopy-fizzy things we all carry with our security blankets) for night ops that cover the rules. And a few cans of smoke (Pains-Wessex sells them, as do others) for daytime ops will make you stand out, and will give me a good wind indication, thank you very much. A strobe to add some continuum of visibility to the flares would be ideal at night. Something as simple as flourescent paint on your paddle blades will help me in low light or obscuration. And SOLAS-equivalent retro-reflective tape tabs on your PFD straps and hat would be lovely, thank you. (Made a night rescue in Southeast Asia in combat one time based on the lucky chance illumination of a downed pilot's reflective tape on his helmet. Of course, it made me into a bullet-sink, but that's another matter.) Consider your environment. Consider who might look for you. What will they see? (We had a man-overboard situation one day in low-key carrier operations at sea where a sailor lost his footing and wound up in the water. Everybody saw it, everybody saw him. And everybody helped by throwing life vests, mattresses, pallets, rafts, huge flares, etc. into the water to mark his spot. Problem was, he was now somewhere in the middle of a half-mile wide flaming debris field of rescue stuff and flotsam and jetsam, and it took us a half-hour to find the poor bugger. So figure out how to stand out in that debris field -- or in some of the urban waters in which we paddle. Comms, active short- or long-source visual night signals, smoke as a day signal (how many PWCs emit a quarter mile stream of flourescent smoke?) and passive identifiers like flourescent paddle blades (that can be seen in fog or haze long before anything else) and retro-tape. Think it through. Where are you potentially going to be if you encounter trouble. From 300 feet, your head and frantically splashing arms are, at best, another whitecap to me in my helo. Don't need no more whitecaps. Got lots. Stand out! Tell me where you are! Show me where you are! Or I might wind up leaving you where you are 'cause I can't find you -- and I really don't like that. Joq *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
As a former US Navy Parachute Rigger, [Parachutes, Inflatables, & LOX systems, I give you a Salute for such a well written piece. Great info here, the last paragraph is worth repeating: Martin, Jack wrote: > As a former combat search and rescue pilot, I'll weigh in here from a > perspective of 300 to 500 feet above you and your capsized boat. [sniparoni, the Internet Treat] > Consider your environment. Consider who might look for you. What will > they see? (We had a man-overboard situation one day in low-key carrier > operations at sea where a sailor lost his footing and wound up in the > water. Everybody saw it, everybody saw him. And everybody helped by > throwing life vests, mattresses, pallets, rafts, huge flares, etc. into > the water to mark his spot. Problem was, he was now somewhere in the > middle of a half-mile wide flaming debris field of rescue stuff and > flotsam and jetsam, and it took us a half-hour to find the poor bugger. > So figure out how to stand out in that debris field -- or in some of the > urban waters in which we paddle. Comms, active short- or long-source > visual night signals, smoke as a day signal (how many PWCs emit a > quarter mile stream of flourescent smoke?) and passive identifiers like > flourescent paddle blades (that can be seen in fog or haze long before > anything else) and retro-tape. Think it through. Where are you > potentially going to be if you encounter trouble. From 300 feet, your > head and frantically splashing arms are, at best, another whitecap to me > in my helo. Don't need no more whitecaps. Got lots. Stand out! Tell > me where you are! Show me where you are! Or I might wind up leaving > you where you are 'cause I can't find you -- and I really don't like > that. > > Joq Great advice. mark -- # # mark zen -- fort lupton, colorado, usa #-========----============--=========--===- # ckayakr[at]dotzen[dot]org------------http://www.dotzen.org/paddler/ # o, o__ o_/| o_. o__/ # </ [\/ [\_| [\_\ [\/ # (`-/-------/----') (`----|-------\-') `\--------/--------/' #~~~~_at_~~~~~~~_at_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_at_~~~~~~~~_at_~~~~~~~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # Semi-Random Fortune ... # A bug in the hand is better than one as yet undetected. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Hi Folks, Following is an article I wrote for our national sea kayak newsletter, which may be of interest given the recent posts on flare failure and aerial search. I have made a few additions to make it clearer for international readers, and have added lat and long details to add in locating the areas on GoogleEarth, hopefully the coordinates will survive the email process. Cheers JKA -- John Kirk-Anderson Banks Peninsula NEW ZEALAND ------------------------- Dead Man Paddling Last month I took part in a Coastguard Search and Rescue Exercise (SAREX) off Canterbury, on the east coast of the South Island, New Zealand, in which I played a kayaker missing off shore. My part in the exercise was small, in that I was one of more than a dozen scenarios that the SAREX dealt with, ranging from a collision between a jet ski and a mooring buoy (enough said!) to a fire on a launch. I was the only person out on my own, and I also ended up furthest off-shore. I was more than six nautical miles into Pegasus Bay before I was recovered. Jim Lilley, of the Canterbury Coastguard, approached me several months ago when he was planning the SAREX, and the search for Australian trans-Tasman paddler Andrew McCauley was fresh in his mind. Andrew disappeared off NZ9s Fiordland coast, close to finishing the first kayak-crossing from Australia. Jim wanted the search controllers to cope with looking for a very small target, with little knowledge of the craft9s speed and capabilities. The Coastguard in New Zealand is all volunteer, and they receive no government funding. All of their crews work other jobs and give up time when their pagers go off. Their vessels are sponsored via charities, and they hold sausage-sizzles and the like to raise funds! I am not making that up. Unlike Coastguards in other countries, they have no legal authority but are "contracted" by the NZ Police, who control searches, to assist when required. For that they can claim expenses. If the search involves an EPIRB or beacon, or it is outside the capabilities of the local agencies to deal with, it can be upgraded to a Class Three search, which is controlled by the National Rescue Co-Ordination Centre, based in NZ's capital, Wellington. This allows for more resources, including military assets, which given our massive sea area of responsibility usually means P6 Orion maritime surveillance aircraft. In this SAREX, the scenario was that I was on a multi-day trip, paddling from Kaikoura (420 25' 04.22" S 1730 40' 35.58" E), south to Lyttelton (430 36' 26.86" S 1720 43' 21.90" E), and that I was on the last leg, having left Waikuku Beach (430 17' 16.59" S 1720 43' 16.06") at 0600. I was reporting in to my wife every three hours, but I had missed the 0900 and 1200 reports, and so the alarm was raised at 1230. This was the only information that was initially provided, but if the controllers asked they were to be given other info, including that I had a VHF and cell phone, callsigns and numbers could be provided, and that I was well equipped for off-shore paddling. Oh, and I was also diabetic. The cunning plan that Jim and I cooked up was that I had left Waikuku heading south, but then had problems, possibly due to hypoglycaemia, and was pushed off-shore by the very strong outflow from the Waimakariri River (430 23' 22.55" S 1720 42' 44.64" E). This would put me out into Pegasus Bay, and would widen the search area considerably, requiring a bit of lateral thinking and good control of limited resources. We also expected that a shoreline search would take place, but this would be hypothetical as land searchers were limited. Rather than drive north to Waikuku and paddle south, I left Sumner Beach (430 34' 16.87" S 1720 46' 16.04" E) at 0900 and paddled north east, on a sea as flat as a pancake. I was disappointed by the conditions as I knew that the Coastguard Air Patrol (CAP) aircraft that were available would spot me easily in the flat light on the flat sea. Monitoring my VHF I heard other scenarios unfolding, and as time wore on the voices of the radio operators became tense as they dealt with greater demands, both from the controllers and the Coastguard crews. As I knew all the scenarios, I chuckled at their discomfort. Making approximately three and a half knots to the north east, I soon noticed a few lenticular clouds forming over the Southern Alps, the mountain chain running the length of the South Island, a classic sign of a nor-west wind. This wind is a Fohn wind, and often proceeds a cold front (Winds circulate clockwise around a Low in the Southern Hemisphere). Sure enough an off-shore started blowing, rising to about 10 knots. This was perfect for the exercise, as the white caps and lumpy sea would add to the difficulty for the searchers. Catching an occasional diagonal surf, the coastline was soon a dark line of trees, with nothing else visible of the flat Canterbury Plains. Banks Peninsula stood up very clearly, but I couldn9t pick out individual buildings. Checking my GPS, I was about six nautical miles off the coast, and the wind had backed to the west, blowing directly off-shore at about 15 knots. Reaching my designated area, I was sitting eating a snack bar when I noticed that I was being blown off-shore at 1.5 knots, as shown by GPS, and with still an hour to go before the search for me kicked off I had to paddle back towards land or I would have soon been out in international waters! At 1220 my cell phone rang, and a cheerful Jim Lilley asked if I was ready as my "wife" was about to raise the alarm. I gave him my position from the GPS and waited for the cavalry. Listening to the VHF I soon heard a call for two rescue vessels to head from Lyttelton at "best possible speed" into Pegasus Bay and await further instructions. They were soon on station and wanted to know what to do. The message passed to them was that a solo kayaker, in a yellow kayak and wearing a yellow jacket, paddling NORTH from Waikuku towards Kaikoura, was overdue. They were sent directly towards Waikuku, before the message was updated to advise that I was heading SOUTH, from Waikuku towards Lyttelton. This happened after Jim Lilley, who was sitting behind a controller, told them to re-check their information. The two vessels then headed along the coast, about one mile out and separated by about 300 metres, at 20 knots. A CAP aircraft was also involved, flying up with them and continuing north past Waikuku, before returning south in a creeping search. >From my position all I saw was an aircraft flying down the coast, several kilometres away. I didn9t know that another aircraft was also searching off-shore, and I heard and saw nothing. I had four smoke flares ready to use, and I had also hoped to use a signal mirror to see how effective it was. Another vessel was then tasked with searching Lyttelton Harbour, and they asked for a physical description of me, and what was provided was very flattering; Aged 36, tall, lean and with fair hair sounded good, but I think I could have paddled past them without being recognized - I9m 43 and normally say I9m short and bald. Suddenly I heard the sound of an aircraft engine very close, but I couldn9t see anything. With a smoke flare ready I searched the sky, scattered with low clouds, for a sign of my saviour. A light aircraft appeared out of cloud about 1 kilometre north of me, heading away, too far to see me. At about 1400 I had a call from another SAREX director, asking if I had seen any aircraft, and for an update on my position. By this time I had again drifted off, but the wind had dropped to below 10 knots. It had continued backing and was now blowing from the South West, the direction from which cold fronts usually arrive. Over the VHF I heard the search controllers say that a commercial aircraft flying out of Christchurch had reported seeing a kayak at my location, and the two search vessels were sent towards me at "best possible speed". This fictitious information was dictated by the requirements of the exercise, as two hours had been allocated by the organisers to deal with me. At 1430, two hours after the search started, I saw an aircraft approaching from the north, on a heading straight towards me. My position at this time was 6.5 nautical miles (12.07 kilometres) of the coast (430 27' 07.46" S 1720 52' 04.04"). I had been given some smoke flares to use, all of which had been donated by boaties as they had time expired, but some were still better than the ones that I carry. The first two flares failed to ignite, so I pulled out one of my own hand flares, which I carry in a plastic tube. It had expired in 2005, but I was sure that it was OK. It also failed. Next flare, nothing happened. Down to my last flare, the expiry date was 1985, and the writing was scuffed and fading. Amazingly, it worked and orange smoke drifted across the water, but by this time the aircraft was very close and had already seen me. It began left-hand circles around me, and unbeknown to me, dropped several smoke flares close by, which I didn9t see. I heard the SAREX controllers call the vessels coming to me and confirm my location, and soon I saw a vessel breaking waves as it approached. Holding my paddle in the air, the vessel changed direction and came straight to me. As the vessel, an 11.3 metre RHIB, came alongside, the aircraft flew off, sent to find a life raft drifting off Lyttelton Harbour, another scenario. The crew on the RHIB held the bow and stern of my kayak, while other crew members held me until I had popped my spray deck and clambered aboard. Given a cup of tea and a bit of cake, I was soon transferred to another craft and taken back to Lyttelton. On landing an ambulance paramedic offered to check my blood sugar levels, in keeping with my "exercise" diabetes. I declined. Additional information, and lessons learned. I was paddling a yellow Wilderness Systems Tempest 170, wearing a yellow paddling jacket over a yellow buoyancy vest, a yellow hat, and my paddle had fluorescent yellow and orange blades. I was wearing two layers of polypro under a Gore-Tex drysuit, a fuzzy-rubber hood, and pogies. The water felt cold to the touch and the wind had a cool bite. June is winter in New Zealand. Safety equipment included a VHF radio, a cell phone in a waterproof case, a 121.5 EPIRB, a GPS, four smoke flares, two parachute flares, signal mirror, and strobes. Except for the EPIRB, which was borrowed for the exercise, I carry this gear on all trips. I was on the water for five and a half hours and only ate three snack bars and drank approx one cup of water. This is not unusual for me, but I have "hit the wall" before while paddling - an interesting experience. I regret not having my blood-sugar level checked when given the opportunity at the end of the exercise. It would have been interesting to see if I was in any way sugar-depleted. While a long way off my planned route, the area in which I was "found" was completely feasible given the prevailing weather conditions. The SAREX organisers, and presumably the search controllers, were surprised by the off-shore winds, as it was on-shore closer in, as forecast. The skipper of the rescue vessel that recovered me said he would have recommended a search further off shore after his observation of the conditions. The aircraft that "located" me had checked the coastline, and the crew were certain that they would have seen me had I been in their search area. They had eight people on board, and were able to clearly see surfers so had a good idea of the scale of objects on the water. After being given my location, they saw me from a range of about one kilometre. In their day job, they take tourists out to look for whales off Kaikoura, so they are skilled observers. The other aircraft that was searching had a crew of three and was a low-wing plane, which hampered their view. The vessel that recovered me had been given my exact position, which they loaded into their navigation equipment. They headed towards me at 30 knots until they saw the aircraft circling and changed direction towards the smoke flares that had been dropped. They couldn9t see me until I "hoisted that yellow flag", i.e.: I waved my paddle in the air. After talking to John Seward, Operations Manager of the National Rescue Coordination Centre who was observing the SAREX, he said that a real search for me would have quickly upgraded to Class Three, which meant that far more resources would be available. I think that the exercise was of benefit to all parties: The searchers probably have a better idea of where kayaks could end up and how difficult they are to see. For me, it reinforced the need to be self-sufficient and showed the dangers of relying on outside assistance. After my own hand flare failed I checked my parachute flares and found that I couldn9t open the PVC tubes they were stored in, a scary discovery given the strict maintenance routine I operate. The flares were all Pains-Wessex hand smokes, regarded as the best available. If any sea kayakers are able to take part in search exercises I strongly recommend they take the opportunity. It can be a learning experience for all parties, and may get you thinking about how effective your systems and equipment are. I have ordered a GPS-equipped 406 Personal Locator Beacon that will broadcast my exact position in the event of an emergency requiring outside help. While expensive, it is the one piece of equipment that would have saved me if the SAREX scenario had been for real. Without it I would be a dead man paddling. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
> Following is an article I wrote for our national sea kayak newsletter, > which > may be of interest given the recent posts on flare failure and aerial > search. > Thanks I found this imformative both as a paddler and as a member of our local Search and Rescue unit. I am looking into buying a locator beacon as a back up. I will continue to carry some type of flare due to CG regulations requiring a signaling device but i will not put my faith in them. thanks Bob *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
G'Day Bob and Paddlewise, The flare failure post and search and rescue posts have been very helpful. I'm wondering though if the cause of flare failure can be determined. Were they stored in a waterpoof container? I've a set of three year old flares that fit into an Otterbox. They don't burn as long as the larger more widely used flares but I'm trading that against the reliability I hope comes with dry storage. Likewise a set of aerial flares that come in a water proof plastic container. They are relatively small, about the size of a 303 cartridge, with a pencil shaped firing mechanism. They come in a pack of eight and seem to stay quite dry. The plastic bags that many flares are supplied in, seem to sweat with condensed vapour trapped inside the bag. I'd say its best to remove the flares from these bags as they are likely worse than useless for keeping them dry in a kayak. I haven't been game to test these in Sydney and won't be back on the water until end September so would be very interested to hear experiences with flare storage. BTW Jack, thanks for those very useful posts. I missed what the acronym SART stands for? Search and Rescue T? All the best, PeterO *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
G'day, PeterO -- to your question -- -I missed what the acronym SART stands for? Search and Rescue T? It's for "transponder". Search and Rescue Radar Transponder (SART). Sorry about that, mate -- I write this stuff out all day for people who already know! ACR's SART is at http://www.landfallnavigation.com/-ssart.html, for example. Basically, it takes in a radar signal and sends back an echo that says you're not a lowly sea kayak but are more like the Troubridge Island Lighthouse or something bearing down on the sender. It's considered an enhancer, of sorts. Some paddlers need this more than others. (My son's in Wanaka, NZ now, PeterO, building wooden kayaks. And concrete countertops. One for fun, one for bread.) Joq *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Jack, Great post. As a fellow 22 year SAR pilot, I'd like to pile on a couple if I may be so bold. Extra food for thought: #1 FILE A FLOAT PLAN! It's a big world out there-- I have a much better chance of finding you if I have even a rough idea of where to start looking. Even something as simple as sending an e-mail to a friend with a rough start point and end point, and roughly how long you expect to be out can help. #2. Always a good idea to have some rescue items that work with no power. I like the signal mirror. I can see it in the air from quite a ways out when it is used properly. #3. Many search platforms these days have radar on them. Bring some tin foil along, and if you get in trouble crumple it into a loose ball and hoist it up either on your spare paddle or on something like a fishing rod. With today's radars I can see something like that quite a ways off, and if you're paddling at 3 kts or above you'll stand out from the surface clutter. #4 At night strobe lights stand out for a long way when the search crew is on goggles. Jack is exactly right, get a good strobe and turn it on if you get into trouble. Lastly, be familiar with your gear and know how to use it. The worst time to figure out how to use your fancy GPS or radio or whatever is when you're in trouble and really need it. Overall really useful post-- Jack really knows his stuff. Hoping none of us ever needs any of this-- Sluf *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
To KK's post -- thanks for the nice words, but thanks more for the reference to the signal mirror. I wrote my response late after a cross-country flight, and I ommitted a couple of high-burner items that KK has addressed. KK: #1 FILE A FLOAT PLAN! ..... even a rough idea of where to start looking. Absolutely! One on me for leaving that out. Used to keep fill-in-the-blank float plans in my truck and fill out the critical bits before launching, leaving the plan on the glare shield. (At least in theory.) KK: #2. Always a good idea to have [a] signal mirror. Amen. I again claim jet lag for leaving that one out. If I could have only one passive survival item, I'd take a mirror first. During brighter daytime periods, that is the most powerful identifier with the greatest range of all. Absolutely the best daytime passive rescue device available -- as well as the cheapest device in my bailout kit. KK: #3. Many search platforms these days have radar on them. Bring some tin foil along, and if you get in trouble crumple it into a loose ball and hoist it up either on your spare paddle or on something like a fishing rod. With today's radars I can see something like that quite a ways off, and if you're paddling at 3 kts or above you'll stand out from the surface clutter. Great -- if it really works. My experience is different but old. (See PW archives for an eight year old discussion on this topic.) From what I've seen in the past, the aluminum foil stuff is interesting but unconvincing; have worked with some Coast Guard 42 footers prior to swim supports in the past with various commercial radar reflectors aboard, and have remained invisible to them at relatively close range and while in visual and radio contact -- but, again, you can't prove a negative. For radar visibility, I'd prefer a SART. Transform yourself from a possible blip requiring the oncoming craft to post lookouts to something closer to Point Lookout and you'll be more likely to attract the desired attention. (Most people worry more about the bigger guy than us, funny enough. Become Nova Scotia -- see archive.) KK: #4 At night strobe lights stand out for a long way when the search crew is on goggles. For an active rescue device -- absent a reliable radio -- the strobe would be my number one pick. Again, you break the pattern of the debris field. You allow the SAR crew to discriminate to specific targets of interest. Strobes are valuable even without the benefit of night vision devices on the SAR craft, as well. KK: Lastly, be familiar with your gear and know how to use it. The worst time to figure out how to use your fancy GPS or radio or whatever is when you're in trouble and really need it. Definitely -- the stuff is expensive weight if you don't know how to use it -- and that's not having RTFM-level experience, either: it's experience from having tried to operate the gear in realistic scenarios in the dark -- maybe in the water if the exercise can be controlled. (I've run a few exercises with our local paddling club in the past where we coordinated with the Coast Guard and local SAR and civil authorities for a sanctioned flare shoot-off -- usually a 15 minute period with a specific, pre-ordained start and stop time where we will attempt to light off pyrotechnic signals of all sorts (1) for the experience of actually doing it and (2) to see how effective they might be in a real situation -- along with (2b) to see if they actually work! Good, practical experience, but haven't tried it in a few years, and can't say with any assurance that it's still an option. But ask!) Thanks to KK and to others who have added to this thread. It reminds me of the old days on P'Wise -- where practical safety issues and experience drove the show versus dissonant discussions of T&E procedural flaws. Such discussions are too close to my work to be interesting but lighting flares and working SAR exercises are fascinating! Joq *************************************************************************** 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 discussion of failed flares, float plans, and other critical points of 'planning' as they relate to 'failure' take on a more substantive depth in Laurence Gonzales' book, Deep Survival (in paperback on Norton Press). More than a collection of post-mortem investigative summaries, Gonzales cites numerous neuro-psych-pathology experts to propose a model of 'who lives, who dies, and why'. Experts with training are not exempt...and he offers very telling reasons beyond 'familiarity breeds contempt'. A great deal of this discussion has to do with separating 'emotional' prompts from 'feelings'. One of these arguments is that we do not run from grizzly bears because we are afraid. We are afraid of grizzly bears because we run. This suggests that the emotional memory is hardwired and often contradicts even the most ingrained training. SCUBA divers, in surprising numbers, are found drowned with air in their tanks and fully functioning regulators. In some state of panic, they respond to a primary emotional urge to breathe by removing the mask that covers their mouth and nose...exactly what they don't want to do. When we talk about packing flares, bail out bags, learning and practising all manner of skills (strokes, recoveries, scenario training), we are assembling a 'system' that promises a greater chance of survival for those who learn and adopt such practices. That works, right up until it doesn't. SAR people familiar with going after lost hikers know that many become lost precisely because they are so convinced in the infallibility of their navigational 'instincts' or even actual map reading skills. Once on a solo hike off trail north of Jasper, I was convinced I'd found a specific high lake in thick mist and fog. I would have bet the ranch on it. In the morning, a clear morning, I began the day like I always did....by triangulating my position on the topo so that I'd have a 'known' starting point. Ooops. I was one drainage over and at a smaller, similarly shaped pond of a lake. Had I not began the day by triangulating, I would have started my day's travel with an erroneous mental map. I would have likely corrected it and figure it out before something really dangerous happened. But the truth is, I was lucky the weather went well instead of into a June blizzard. I recommend this book because it will give you a set of fresh eyes on planning, training, skills, and 'systems' geared for those who engage in risk-involved activities. I can't think of a better companion read to 'Deep Trouble'. Both will combine to pose questions worth serious pondering. -Will ps. I have no financial interest in either books, Norton Publishing or yada yada yada. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Will Jennings' excellent "good read" post reminded me of some of Ed Gillet's stories. (I took a weekend "beginners' clinic" with Ed about 12 years ago, and we discussed his Hawaiian expedition at some length. Interestingly, at that time, his reaction to a North Atlantic US/Europe transit was that it was too dangerous. Take that in context when you read his story at http://mwatton.customer.netspace.net.au/pacific.html. I wasn't a beginner in 1995, but I felt like it with Ed, and learned more in that weekend than in the rest of my almost 18 years in sea kayaks.) A 2003 C&K interview at http://www.canoekayak.com/features/stories/gillet/ is a little too glossy and cute, but there's some information there, too. Joq *************************************************************************** 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 7/23/07, Will Jennings <will_at_bigwoodenradio.com> wrote: > > > SAR people familiar with going after lost hikers know that many > become lost precisely because they are so convinced in the > infallibility of their navigational 'instincts' or even actual map > reading skills. Once on a solo hike off trail north of Jasper, > I was convinced I'd found a specific high lake in thick mist and > fog. I would have bet the ranch on it. ....... > > .....Ooops. I was one drainage over and at a smaller, similarly shaped > pond of a lake. Anyone who navigates must surely have had a similar experience. At a small airport (now closed) north of Seattle we named a nearby body of water "Lake WTF" (you can feel free to provide your own words for the initials) because it was so similar to the lake just south of the airport. The name came from an exclamation, "WTF happened to the airport?" uttered by a close friend on what should have been final approach. The problem of actually finding the airport was created by nearby Paine Field and the necessity to stay low and outside their traffic zones. This airstrip (Martha Lake for those who are interested) was placed off-limits by all local aircraft rental businesses (FBOs) because it was short (1500 feet), difficult to find and had an approach hampered by one very tall tree; which was why we liked it, actually. Over the years I've visited "WTF Mountain", "WTF Island" and "WTF Bay" plus, no doubt, more similar places graciously erased from my memory by the intervening decades. None were fatal but some of them could have been. A close friend, returning from the Mexican mainland to La Paz (near the tip of the Baja) at night (and before GPS) turned into a by he was sure had La Paz at its end. Unfortunately for him and his boat (and his cruising lifestyle) he was one bay south and sailed up onto a sandy beach while on a course that should have taken him safely on to the anchorage in La Paz. GPS has done wonders for the art of navigation; mostly elminating the "art" portion. But you can still get mixed up. One time in the Wasp Islets of the San Juan Islands I found Crane Island while looking for Deer Harbor on Orcas. My GPS was set to "north up" and I just got confused for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, of course, the marina at Deer Harbor (with all its boats) was clearly visible off to my left. I once sold my airplane and bought a boat using the excuse, "in a boat you can at least stop and think it over". This is only true if you actually stop and think. It pays to be a little skeptical about your navigational abilities. Even if you have a GPS sitting right there on your spray skirt. Craig Jungers Royal City, WA *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Craig wrote: > > I once sold my airplane and bought a boat using the excuse, "in a boat you > can at least stop and think it over". This is only true if you actually stop > and think. > Is it the "stopping" part or the "thinking" part you have a problem with? :) Mark J. Arnold *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Mark Arnold wrote: > Is it the "stopping" part or the "thinking" part you have a problem with? :) In some outdoor books, S.T.O.P. is Stop, Think, Organize, Proceed. 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 enjoyed the post too. I'd like to do an in-depth article for SeaKayaker Magazine some day regarding flares and rescue visibility. Someone may beat me to the punch, though. There is an alternative to swimming from your kayak and needing a rescue - just tether yourself. I know, tethers are dangerous and we are all just between swims... I bought my 14 year old daughter a well-made fiberglass (can paint it pink for her) sit-on-top kayak this weekend - possibly a Laser Blade according to Matt B. (ever tried to stump this guy on kayak identifications - almost impossible I think). It has a day hatch on the back right side behind the well, a back-center lunch hatch, and a full size hatch on the front deck with a hole plug for a mast on the foredeck. I found a Pelican flare set in the hull, with aluminum cartridge hand-held smoke flares included with the pencil flare set. Will have to try them out. Must be 25 years old or so. I liked Mr. Martin's sentence: "Problem was, he was now somewhere in the middle of a half-mile wide flaming debris field of rescue stuff and flotsam and jetsam, and it took us a half-hour to find the poor bugger." Sounds like the debris field that fans out after one of those poorly made, lightweight sea kayaks breaks up in heavy seas, to me. :-) Speaking of flaming debris fields, I cut-in a rebate window into the kitchen today, then sprayed a can of expanding foam around the inside perimeter. Didn't know the chili on the gas stove top was still cooking. The wet-foam circumference of the window caught on fire from the expelled gases. Very entertaining. My daughter was wondering if I was going to jump through the window - circus style. Oh well, at least I didn't set of any flares in the bathtub. Doug Lloyd > As a former US Navy Parachute Rigger, [Parachutes, Inflatables, & LOX > systems, I give you a Salute for such a well written piece. Great info > here, the last paragraph is worth repeating: > > Martin, Jack wrote: >> As a former combat search and rescue pilot, I'll weigh in here from a >> perspective of 300 to 500 feet above you and your capsized boat. > > [sniparoni, the Internet Treat] > >> Consider your environment. Consider who might look for you. What will >> they see? (We had a man-overboard situation one day in low-key carrier >> operations at sea where a sailor lost his footing and wound up in the >> water. Everybody saw it, everybody saw him. And everybody helped by >> throwing life vests, mattresses, pallets, rafts, huge flares, etc. into >> the water to mark his spot. Problem was, he was now somewhere in the >> middle of a half-mile wide flaming debris field of rescue stuff and >> flotsam and jetsam, and it took us a half-hour to find the poor bugger. >> So figure out how to stand out in that debris field -- or in some of the >> urban waters in which we paddle. Comms, active short- or long-source >> visual night signals, smoke as a day signal (how many PWCs emit a >> quarter mile stream of flourescent smoke?) and passive identifiers like >> flourescent paddle blades (that can be seen in fog or haze long before >> anything else) and retro-tape. Think it through. Where are you >> potentially going to be if you encounter trouble. From 300 feet, your >> head and frantically splashing arms are, at best, another whitecap to me >> in my helo. Don't need no more whitecaps. Got lots. Stand out! Tell >> me where you are! Show me where you are! Or I might wind up leaving >> you where you are 'cause I can't find you -- and I really don't like >> that. >> >> Joq > > Great advice. > > mark *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Good point but unfortunately for safety sake we tossed them into the sea lest a delayed ignition set the boat on fire. thanks Bob ----- Original Message ----- From: John H Hello Bob Carter - i would take them back to where you purchased the product and ask them to respond in behalf of the manufacture. I would be interested in hearing the out come. i would also report it to the local coast guard folks. Keep us posted, enquiring minds want to know. john Santa Rosa *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Bob Carter wrote: > I am thinking of going with the pistol type flare system though where I will > store them on me while I paddle I have not figured out yet. A couple of years ago, I found a neat design for a 12g flare launcher that was a folding tube design rather than a pistol. It was slightly larger than two pencil flares, so well suited to a PFD pocket. That was the good news. The bad news was that the company was bought by Orion (or their parent company) and they decided to scrap the product in favour of their old, bulky pistol design. So, I never was able to get one... though I looked through a bunch of marine shops hoping to find one in their old stock. I just looked to see if anything new is available and - no luck. However, I did find the following - a CSI's view of a flare gun. If nothing else, it shows that the Skyblazer flares are better than the Orion flares when used in the Orion flare gun. http://www.noedelscientific.com/user/Flaregun1.pdf 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/ ***************************************************************************
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