Re: [Paddlewise] Elite racers

Another thought might have been to get the hypothermic paddler in the  
cockpit of the rear paddler rather than in the middle cargo hatch if  
it was too small to allow getting center of gravity down.

Many years ago I escaped (or at least a member of my group escaped) a  
Darwin award by pulling someone out of the water and having that  
person sit in my lap in my single. She was high enough in my lap that  
the boat was unstable and when combined with the fact that I could  
not effectively use my paddle, I could really only stay upright by  
holding on to other kayaks to make a raft.. We sat around like this  
for several hours until rescued.

In many doubles, however, there probably would have been room for her  
to scoot forward enough to get her rear end on the floor of the boat  
and lower the center of gravity. Indeed, in some doubles, enough room  
to scoot forward enough  to get under the spray skirt or at least low  
enough to allow the rear paddler to paddle again.

Just tossing out an idea for someone who finds themselves in such a  
situation. You might practice with YOUR double to see if such a thing  
is doable.
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