kayaker’s
journal TECHNIQUE BY CONOR MIHELL Rescue Me THE YOUTUBE ASSISTED RESCUE
YouTube has changed the world of pro- crastination. Countless Ali G, Borat and Trailer Park Boys skits, whitewater wipe- outs and stupid human tricks stream its bandwidth, just waiting to waste your time. But recently, YouTube has become a bit more practical. Sift through the shock, awe and laughs and you’ll find stuff that’s useful—like this clever modification that combines the classic assisted sea kayak res- cue with the reentry technique known as the cowboy scramble. An effective assisted rescue gets the
paddler out of the water and into a dry kayak as quickly as possible. To this end, the T-rescue has long been the standard. It’s stable, efficient and, because of various reentry options, practical for a wide range of paddler sizes, shapes and abilities. As- sisted rescue involves three steps: Securing the swimmer, emptying the water from the capsized kayak and assisting the swimmer with reentry. For more advanced paddlers, reentering using the cowboy scramble ex- pedites the process.
COMING SOON
1. Te first step is the same as that of the classic T-rescue. In the event of capsize, it’s imperative that the swimmer holds onto his boat and paddle. From here, the swimmer works his way to the stern of his overturned kayak while the
rescuer grabs onto the bow, forming a T-shaped raft. Te swimmer then pushes down on the stern of the over- turned boat while the rescuer slides it upside-down onto her coaming and spray deck. Sliding the capsized kayak across the coaming as far as its front hatch lifts the cockpit out of the water and empties it.
2. Te rescuer now rolls the swimmer’s kayak to an upright position and clamps it to her coaming, draping her arms around its bow. Tis position is surprisingly stable for both the rescuer and the swimmer. In wind and waves, the rescuer’s kayak will naturally drift to form a right angle to the wind, increasing the stability of the raft.
3. Next, the swimmer scrambles aboard his boat, straddling it at the stern, keeping his weight low and sliding to- wards the cockpit. Te swimmer drops butt-first into the seat and then folds his legs into the cockpit.
4. After the swimmer fastens his spray skirt, the rescuer lowers his boat back into the water.
CONOR MIHELL is a freelance writer and a Paddle Canada Level III instructor based in Wawa, Ontario.
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24 ADVENTURE KAYAK | SPRING 2009
PHOTOS: CONOR MIHELL
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