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Sea Kayaks Techniques Bulletin Board
Re: You are alone/not entirely
Posted By: Brian Nystrom In Response To: You are alone/not entirely (Ian Johnston)
Date: Wednesday, 22 November 2000, at 4:36 p.m.
: Hi All,
: Just thought I would bring this back up to the top of the list.
Good idea! Thanks.
: >While I see your point, I don't think the situation is quite so dire. A
: >paddle float rescue with the paddle attached to the deck rigging (as
: opposed to
: > being hand held), it will continue to stabilize the kayak during pumping
: as
: >long as the paddler keeps some weight on it.: Yes, but they are limited either way. In severe conditions a paddle float
: outrigger will trip you up just as sponsons will.Fair enough. However, knowing your limits and not exceeding them, and paddling in groups can all but eliminate the necessity for paddle float rescues. I view them as the third line of defense behind rolling and assisted rescues.
: >Isn't that the point, if there is no other alternative? If you lose your
: boat >and you're on your own, exposure clothing and signalling devices
: are the only
: >things that will save you. Anything you can do to delay or prevent
: hypothermia increases your chances of survival.: Yes, if there is no alternative. Once you are at this point it is no longer a
: self rescue, it is now a matter of relying on someone else to save your
: life which is exactly what we are trying to avoid.True, we were talking about self/assisted rescues and I digressed a bit. However, minimizing contact with the water is also beneficial during self or assisted rescues. It reduces cold shock and maximises the victim's ability to get back in the boat. It also maximizes the victim's ability to continue on after a successful re-entry.
: >I agree. However, the point is to have as many self and assisted rescue
: >techniques in your arsenal as possible. No single technique, including
: >rolling, will work under all conditions.: Actually, I want to revamp my original statement. All these self rescue
: techniques were not developed as backups for the roll. They were developed
: to try and replace the need to roll with another more usable solution.
: They did not work as such but turned out to be good backups. The roll has
: not yet been displaced as the best self rescue technique.Agreed.
Personally, I don't really think of rolling as a self rescue technique, but as a paddling skill that eliminates the need for rescues of any sort. I guess that's just semantics.
: >Whatever method works is the best method.
: I disagree. The best method is the one that solves the problem with the least
: expenditure of energy and keeps the paddler the safest. In both catagories
: it is the roll.Granted, rolling is the best way to go whenever possible, but that's the key; it's not always possible to roll. I agree that any kayaker that's going to venture more than 100 yards or so from shore SHOULD learn to roll, but it's not mandatory. Yes, it is the best way, but it's not the only way and you cannot say that anyone who can't roll is not a good or safe paddler. In fact, I would go so far as to say that teaching good judgement is more important than teaching someone to roll. An astute paddler can avoid the need for rescue by using the most valuable tool we posess, the brain.
I'm glad I can roll. I'm happy to teach rolling to anyone who wants to learn. I actively encourage paddlers to learn to roll. However, I accept the fact that there are paddlers who can't roll (due to phyical or equipment limitations) or don't want to learn to roll, and that there are some recreational paddlers who simply don't need to learn to roll (why should someone who owns a sit-on-top kayak bother to learn to roll?). I'll gladly teach them alternative safety measures and try to get them to educate themselves about the dangers inherent in paddling so they can avoid them. To my mind, safety is the bottom line, however it is accomplished.
Getting back to the original topic, the problem is that the individual in question simply refuses to learn any rescue techniques or even properly equip her boat. That's called "stupidity". I think it's important to attempt to convince such people of the error of their ways, but I long ago gave up trying to save every fool from themselves. Darwin will have his due.
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