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Saturday 11/09/02   

Rough water rescue practice

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Nine of us launched at about 9:30 this morning for some rough water practice off shore of Torrance beach. We started from the hand launch in King Harbor and we had a lot of boats lined up on that dock. Somehow Lew looks just like a parent that has lost his child in a crowd. All the paddlers were strong and competent, so there were no worries about the need for any "actual" rescues. Also, all came dressed and equipped (physically and mentally) for some serious practice. We had alerted the Harbor Patrol, Life Guard, and Coast Guard, so as to avoid any unwanted rescues. Flares and VHF radios were on hand in case we changed our minds.

Once to the practice site, we divided into groups of three for safety and started rolling, wet exits, assisted re-entry, re-entry and roll, paddle float re-entry and roll. At left, Cindy is looking on as Lew gives Anneli an assist. At right, Jack is showing good boat emptying technique. Conditions were not nearly as bad as expected. Very conducive to learning. I think all present will be ready and willing to tackle more serious conditions in future practice sessions.

Vickie, John and I were a group, so most of my attention was directed toward us three. We started out with some rolls, then on to rescues. I was first in the water (because I like being in the water). It tried re-entry and roll, closed my spray deck and assured myself I could paddle away with that water in the cockpit, then flipped again so Vickie could empty my boat (too lazy to pump) and give me an assist. Vickie went next, then John.

John was paddling a beautiful Greenland skin boat that he had constructed. He designed it to fit in the traditional manner - very tight. It took him a long-long-long time to get out of that boat. I could see wiggling and paddle movement, but no John. I came very close to grabbing him and righting him, but decided to wait a few more seconds. Eventually he emerged, not like a wet exit, more like molting. He had a sea sock and flotation, but I still felt he would take on water. When I lifted the boat to drain it, it was very light and easy to drain - much easier than I am accustomed to. Sea socks work! Entering was a challenge, but there is not much room for water to get in because of the sea sock. It went well. His reentry-and-roll procedure looked bizarre. Because of the tight fit, he has to stow the paddle on deck lines and use both hands to get in. It takes a very-very long time. Luckily John is a good roller and has a lot of discipline under water. He reminded me that those boats are made for rolling, not wet exits.

Look Ma, No Hatch

It all started out very orderly and clinical. Vickie is recovering from oral surgery and wasn't feeling so great, so after a while she returned to the harbor for some solo rolling practice. Somehow that upset the neat orderly balance we had achieved with our perfect groups of three, and all kinds of fun broke out.

Don was a key instigator of bad behavior (good rescue practice) today. First he said he would take the front hatch cover off his boat and fill it with water. He jumped in the water and moved toward the hatch. I urged him not to do it, but that only seemed to motivate him even more. Soon his boat was sunk at the bow. While Jack was trying to figure out what to do with Don's boat, Don jumped on Harry's back deck to get out of the water.

Things quickly degenerated into a  tangle of boats as the three of them struggled to get the water out. This was a very good exercise and eventually they figured it out and got Don back into his boat. It was fun, but watching this certainly strengthened my resolve to keep float bags in my hatches. It was possible to do, but had the seas been really rough, it may not have been. The main lesson is simple:

or

Blown Away

We have all received instruction at one time or another in which we were told to never-ever let go of our boat after a capsize. "You need that to live", is a common phrase.

In the course of our rock gardening adventures we sometimes have out of boat experiences (OBE). Even with a "bomb proof" roll there are sometimes good reason to wet exit in a rock garden. I would say that at least 50% of OBEs result in the paddler being separated form the boat. That may seem high, but once you are out of the boat, it can become the implement of your demise if you get caught between the boat and the rocks. More than once I have ditched boat and paddle and swam for my life. Once things settle down, you or a paddling partner has to go back in for the boat. We have a very poor record in terms of how long it takes to reunite boat and paddler. We just never seem to have the right gear or to act decisively.

Open water scenarios are different, but anyone who has read "Deep Trouble" or who subscribes to Sea Kayaker is aware that this is a frequent accident scenario. Sometimes with fatal consequences. While the objective it to never let go of your boat, there is always a risk of becoming separated, especially in the rough water that is typical of a surprise capsize. We decided to try it a couple of times, first with my boat, then Cindy's.

I hitched a ride on Lew's bow when it was my turn. I was hanging on that bow and partially in the water for a long time. Anneli was having a hard time getting a hold of my boat to bring it over. I suggested she use my bow line, but that didn't seem to help. I couldn't understand the difficulty until I went chasing Cindy's boat a while later. I easily readied her bow line, but then fell short of clipping it onto my boat. With a short line, and no quick release, it didn't seem safe to clip it on my rear deck bungies. I tried paddling with the bow line in may hand, but that was next to useless. Finally I dropped the bow line and clipped on the line from my tow belt. Still turning with an unmanned kayak in tow was surprisingly difficult and it took longer than expected to return Cindy's boat. Had we been in really cold water she would have cursed me with her dying breath.

There were more difficulties. She had her boat, but there was tow line everywhere. Should I help her re-enter, or stow my line? The answer may seem obvious, but it isn't. Becoming tangled in a tow line during a rescue situation can be dangerous. You can't just ditch the line, because you may need it later. In this case she wanted to try and enter on her own so it didn't matter, but in a real life scenario she would have had to sit in the water until I stowed the line in some way.

Obviously, if there are only two of you, you have a life-and-death decision to make. Do you leave the swimmer and go for the boat, or stay with the swimmer? It's a hard decision, but if there are only two of you, you'll have to make it. If you're close enough to land to bring them in on your deck, you may well leave the boat behind. If you are miles from safety and/or outside assistance, you might have to get the boat and hope you can find them afterwards. It is a decision you can only make on the spot, and one of the reasons that Derek H says that unless two paddlers are both reliable rollers, the minimum on the sea is three.

Anyway, this drill was harder than expected. A few lessons learned:

Dead Man Floating

Just when there seemed to be a lull in the fun, Don decided it was a good time to become incapacitated. He fell over in the water and drifted away from his boat. I saw boats and people milling about trying to rescue him, but the consensus seemed to be that Don had "died" before being rescued. Being the arrogant guy that I am, I decided I could better their performance.

I tried dragging him to the boat, but that was useless. I clipped my tow line onto his PFD, then went for the boat. Had the distance between the two been greater than the length of my line (in strong wind), I would have had to get the boat first. I pulled Don to the boat (actually visa-versa) and thought I had bettered my companions, but that's when the fun began.

I couldn't believe how hard it was getting him in that boat. Eventually I figured out to pull by his feet and legs, and not to be too gentle. The paddle was a real problem in trying to hold his boat, my paddle, and him at the same time. I left the tow line attached until he was in the boat. Truthfully, he "revived" enough to do a little wiggling so I could get him back in. Otherwise, he would have "died" again. Once in, it was easy to pull him upright. Some lessons:

Great End To A Great Day

Soon after this we called it a day. After loading up boats and gear and changing into dry clothes, we headed for Captain Kidd's restaurant for lunch. We all squeezed into one table to tell tales of past experiences and make plans for future adventures.

Mostly I had expected to practice some known skills, but I really got exposed to some new problems. I got to paddle with some new friends for the first time (Harry and John), and some old friends. I learned a lot, but had a great time in the process.

Anneli giving me one final lecture for the day: "Steve, you need to spend less time taking pictures and more time practicing rescues!"