Date: Tue, 7 Jul 2009 19:20:46 4 Chuck "skimmer" <skimmer_at_enter.net> wrote: >>>>A few decades back, a group of us were paddling on a day trip in Frenchman Bay off Ba' Haba' (Down east, where they have real scenery). One of our group members was a somewhat new paddler, but built like a linebacker-- a powerful fellow. After some miles, we began to wear him out. His comment was something to the effect, "how come I'm getting worn out, and you guys don't seem to be doing anything!" By today's only racing stroke standards, I guess we just didn't know what we were doing. On another day, the same paddler had a great vertical stroke exactly amid-ships just as a small wave hit him on the opposit side of his boat giving him a sudden sideways shove. We did a rescue with him after he blew two attempts at rolling (broke a thigh brace and part of his backrest). Too much power--not so much skill. Boat tripped over the vertical paddle-- instant face plant- very efficient.<<<< I don't think a small wave (that isn't breaking) can push a kayak enough to the side to have it trip over the paddle (that the small wave will also be pushing to the side). I'm sure that is not what happened in this case even if that is what the paddler described. By amazing coincidence, I was also paddling with that small group when this capsize occured back in 1984 (during the week after the LL Bean Sypmposium) but I remember the reason for the capsize a little differently. Jim was paddling a new Easy Rider Eskimo and was slightly in front of me after we had turned towards an island beach after paddling along a cliffy shoreline. Were now in a following sea. Jim's kayak broached suddenly (to the left, as I recall) and either tripped over the paddle Jim had in the water on that side or on his rudder when it reentered the wave crest once he had skidded to the side. If the later, Jim was not experienced enough at broaching yet to know to lean to compensate just before the rudder fin snags. I remember being glad we had made the decision to stay far enough off the cliffs we were going to be blown towards during the rescue to have time to do a rescue. As I recall, Chuck directed the rescue. It was a rescue I hadn't seen done before. Jim was placed between his kayak and another's kayak, he lay floating on his back between them and hooked an arm and a leg over each kayak. He then was directed to lift his body up between the kayaks from this on his back position and lift his hips up and over his own kayak to drop into his cockpit as he maintained contact with both kayaks. The rescuer maintained a bridge between kayaks as well, helping bring the kayaks together under the victim as the victim moved his body up and out of the way. I thought it was a very good rescue for a big guy and made a mental note of it. I don't recall the backrest damage but I vividly recall the snapped off thigh hook from the first roll attempt (which had at first looked to me like it would succeed). I contacted Easy Rider's owner when I returned to Seattle and told him what had happened and that they needed to beef up that thigh hooks (and probably send a beefed up pair to Jim to glass under his cockpit for replacements). Once Jim was back in his kayak we started on the same course and I was coaching him in what to do to cope but the following seas. However the way his stern was skidding around in them had him very nervous about capsizing again. So after a bit we turned to the right and backtracked some to get him out of those following sea conditions. We chose another nearby island for the lunch stop rather than risk another capsize. *************************************************************************** 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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