Being alone makes it hard to know what happened without an autopsy... could also have been a myocardial infarction, a stroke, a arrythmia, a ruptured aortic aneuryism, a ruptured cerebral aneurysm... and several other things are possible. That said.... sure it could have been a spray skirt problem, esp with a new boat and new skirt... but one thing worth knowing and practicing is the release of the spray skirt by putting your hand down the between your skirt and year body, and popping it off with your fist, as close to the cockpit or the side as is possible for good mechanical advantage. This takes only a few seconds.... and does not take all that much strength either. What a sad happening, no matter what the cause... Mike O. > From: "skimmer" <skimmer_at_enter.net> > A 57-yr-old woman club member, long-time white water paddler, > skilled at rolling, was practicing rolling in a new ww kayak near the > club dock on the Schuylkill River. It appears that no one was > watching her until someone noticed she was upside down in the > river. She was pulled out of the river by club members and > pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. > > Speculation was that she had accidently folded the skirt release > strap inside the boat and was subsequently unable to get the skirt > loose to bail out. Medical problems are not known at this time. > > No details are available at this time. > > Chuck Sutherland *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Lots of news concerning her death. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&q=schuylkill +dead+kayaker&btnG=Search Jim et al *************************************************************************** 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 Tue, Jul 1, 2008 at 11:54 AM, Michael Orchard <mspadorchard_at_comcast.net> wrote: > > That said.... sure it could have been a spray skirt problem, esp with a new > boat and new skirt... Matt Broze or one of the other manufacturers might want to address this, but I don't believe that there is a "standard" for cockpit coamings. And I've noticed that some boats have deeper coamings than others. It's probably worthwhile for any paddler in a new boat or with a new spray deck to practice pulling that loop or toggle to make sure that it comes off easily. > but one thing worth knowing and practicing is the release of the spray > skirt by putting your hand down the between your skirt and year body, and > popping it off with your fist, as close to the cockpit or the side as is > possible for good mechanical advantage. Jim Farrelly's link indicates that the woman paddled Class IV water and was a white water instructor so it seems likely she knew this technique. As you indicated, Michael, it could have been anything. But it's certainly a good idea to practice the hand down your spray deck's tunnel. It's especially important if you have a drysuit that includes a part that folds over the tunnel as this could thwart any attempt to move your hand down between your body and the tunnel. Craig Jungers Moses Lake, 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/ ***************************************************************************
Picking up your knees and grabbing the skirt at the side is a good technique to try also. Try it while you're breathing, not when you really need it. Steve -- Steve Cramer Athens, GA http://www.savvypaddler.com *************************************************************************** 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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