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KBBS Archive 30,000
Re: Pygmy Hatches - yes, do it
Posted By: Chris Bush In Response To: Re: Pygmy Hatches - yes, do it (Brian Nystrom)
Date: Wednesday, 21 June 2000, at 10:03 a.m.
If you are in this situation and must perform an unassisted rescue, you can use your paddle float (which you'll need to deploy anyway if you're in this situation) for extra bouyancy. Cradle your paddle, float attached end up, under an arm, with your opposite knee hooked over the other end, under water. This should help you get the bow lifted out of the water. There's a picture of this technique, I think, in one of Derek Hutchinson's books.
If you can do an assisted rescue, your partner(s) can help you lift the bow and drain much of the water, which is still preferable to getting back in and concentrating on pumping, when you should be getting back in and concentrating on staying in - although a partner should still be helping you get back under control at this point also.
I have been able to lift the bow of my overturned Coho in modest conditions, with just the bouyancy provided by my PFD. I have also found that most of the water that gets in, happens when I just right the boat from the side, as the cockpit tends to scoop water in while going back over to the upright position. When I right it from the bow, not much water is really in there yet anyway.
C
: I'll wager that your friend has never tried this in the water. Sure, you can
: do it on dry land (by slowly rolling it to get most of the water out, then
: lifting), but if the boat is swamped, you're not going to lift it while in
: the water. Water weighs 8 pounds per gallon. Your PFD provides somewhere
: around 15 pounds of floatation. You do the math. It's hard enough to right
: an empty boat, let alone a partially flooded one. Be smart and either
: install two bulkheads or use float bags. It's not worth risking your life.
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KBBS Archive 30,000 is maintained by Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks with WebBBS 5.12.
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