My great fear boating alone on the ocean is getting separated from the boat or paddle. I always use a leash on the ocean and strongly recommend one for SOT boaters. I connect it from mid paddle to the bow toggle. Just like SeaDart.
A SINK will probably fill with some water when capsized and that will slow it down.
An SOT doesn't take on water in a spill and can float away in a high wind faster than you can swim to catch it. Especially if it gets a head start while you are dazed and confused from hitting the water.
If you fall off the boat, but hang onto the paddle you can pull the boat back.
If you lose both and paddle, the paddle may act as sea anchor and slow down the boat enough to catch it.
Or maybe you can catch the paddle but not the leash.
Or maybe the paddle and boat are in different directions and without a leash you would have to choose. Not a good choice. Niether is much good without the other.
SOT surf kayaker use them up here and the boardies get annoyed if you do not. They do not want to get hit by a loose SOT in the surf.
For the ocean I always wear a PFD, wetsuit most of the year, and I use a leash.
Why not both? "It’s important that you learn a lesson about judgement from your experience, rather than looking for an equipment solution. "
You’re assuming one can develope a PERFECT judgement so they are never in condition beyond what they plan. I doubt it’s true of ANYONE. Besides, how does one get the “experience” to develope such perfect “judgement” from without accidentally pushing the envelope a few times???
An equipment solution allowes one to get out of such bad judgement and live to learn from the experience. I can often see around here there’s nice breeze going all day, strong enough to blow away the boat but not so strong the paddler couldn’t easily climb back on had them have to boat with them. That’s a natural condition for a teter.
Your boat under almost all circumstances is your best PFD and way of being found. A leash if necessary is not a bad idea to tether you to the boat if in a situation where you are far from shore. In the surf zone it has some complications.
as mentioned Chris Duff uses a tether on his solo expeditions, but it's also because he has all the gear in the kayak for four months.
It is almost impossible to see a person floating in the water even from a plane. but a kayak is a little easier to see by a long shot.
BUT, judgement and skills will ultimately take you a lot further than a tether.
And whether you paddle alone in conditions suited to your ability is up to you.
Just Jang On, Spring Is Coming Lots of folks get in trouble this time of year. They have not been boating and sometimes go out in questionable weather.
A well known professional did it lst year.
We lost someone from the board about this time last year that way.
Other perspectives There’s been some discussion of leashes recently on the Yahoo surfski list and a while back on the outrigger list. I think there’s also a thread in the Paddlewise archives that you can get to from the website. You might check those thoughts out, too.
dunno First off, did you lose your boat? That’s got to be a terrible feeling.
I do paddle alone quite often, but I’ve never gone into open water on my own. I will go into the ocean, but only on calm days and I stay close to shore (spitting distance close, I figure there’s not much to look at any further out). I do however always use a paddle leash. Mostly because I don’t want to lose my expensive paddle, but for the other obvious benifits too. So I don’t think I’ll ever use a leash.
When I do wet exit (which so far I’ve only done on purpose) I leave the boat capsized and stick one leg up into the cockpit while I attach and inflate my paddle float. That way I stay connected to the boat but have both hands to work with.
Tether works for me… So far on the new tippy SOT I have found it easier if I don’t have to deal with the paddle when trying to climb back on. Then retrieve it when stabilized. I have it tethered to the console of the boat. GH
Just to help The kind of tether BNystrom was talking about will pull off if needed…It presents no entrapment hazard. You can make one with some spools or large plastic bobbles, (to provide a release handle), and a short length of bungie and hog rings. Tethering a paddle to your wrist does not require much of a tether.
Good technique is better than any gear. The question is stil an open one for me. I would love to tether a paddle to the deck when I am doing rescues in rough stuff but I shove it under the bungie beyond the hatch which has beads on it.
Non related story
I am thankful for those who taught me good technique. I saw a the leverage of a 25+ mph wind gust on one end of a camano cause a deck line to shear 1 inch into the blade. ouch!
I didn’t lose the boat I didn’t lose the boat that time. Also, I am a SOT guy, so your trick will not work for me. Since, sometime, I am paddling 2-3 miles into the ocean, I want to reduce the risk… Howver, I got great ideas from the forum. Thank you guys, see u in San Diego, so I wouldn’t have to paddle alone!
It’s simple A wave tosses the boat, which is attached to the paddle and yanks it out of your hand. Not so hard to imagine, is it?
I agree with you about the “phone cord” leashes. They are one of the worst kayak gear ideas I’ve ever seen.
As for Greyaks point, there is virtually no risk of injury from the wrist leash. All you have to do is let go of the paddle with the other hand, which is commonly taught as an injury avoidance technique in surf. The leash is made of bungee cord, so it absorbs shock. In a pinch, the leash can be slipped off easily. The main thing is that it poses ZERO entrapment hazard.
FWIW, since switching to Greenland paddles, I no longer use a leash at all, but I do have a spare paddle on the foredeck at all times.
Sure My point was that one should look to solve the root cause of the problem (bad judgement) before considering equipment “crutches”. People are often too quick to plunk down a credit card, rather than learning the more valuable lesson.
Also, beginners are not often in a position to make good judgements about equipment solutions. For example, I went through several iterations of leashes before I found one that did what I needed without causing other problems. Particularly where a piece of gear could pose an entrapment or strangulation hazard, knowledge is key to safety. Read Chris Duff’s explanation of his tether system and you’ll find he’s well aware of the hazards of it and uses it only under specific conditions. More importantly, there are specific conditions where he doesn’t use it.
A paddle will not work as a sea anchor Think about it. Unless the force of the water on the paddle is PERFECTLY balanced left to right, the paddle will simply pivot until it is parallel with the force. If the leash can slip on the paddle, it will slide to one end until it is stopped by the drip ring or blade.
Leash experiences… I used to always use a paddle leash, now I rarely do. I’m not against the idea, just had more problems with the leash cord than it was worth. I think that as my paddling progressed I’m not nearly as likely to lose my boat or paddle as I am to have an entanglment issue. Without going into humerous details, on two occasions while sculling and rolling to show off, the damn leash ended up wrapped around my skirt toggle and me, forcing a wet exit (both times with an appreciative audience). Haven’t used a leash in the 2 years since. The only nice thing about the leash was the ability to drop the paddle at any time without parking it. I always carry a spare paddle when paddling alone.
Not from what I’ve seen In big waves, paddles seem to travel faster than boats do (SINKS, anyway), probably because they’re easier to toss around. In big wind, the opposite is probably the case, but I can’t say I’ve experienced it.
I guess it all depends on your specific conditions and type of boat, but relying on a paddle to slow down a boat seems like wishful thinking to me.
Parking a paddle If you set up your bow rigging right, it’s simple to stash the paddle the paddle there. In addition to eliminating the entrapment hazard, the paddle is always within immediate reach should you capsize.
My point was that non-breaking waves don’t do the kind of violent tossing or jerking that should separate you from your boat. If you’re losing your grip in open water, you’re not holding on very well.
As to wrist leashes, my concern isn’t injury, it’s whether they really add any security. I guess there’s maybe some value if you need to use both hands to get back into the kayak, but otherwise, I’d just hang onto the dang thing.
I suspect that part of the reason for our different thinking on this stuff has to do with what and where we paddle.
You are probably right about Sinks. Sinks tend to fill with water when swamped in a wet exit so they will probably not get away from you, anyway. An extra paddle on decklike your Greenland Storm paddles would take care of a lost paddle.
SOT's don't ever swamp and they move pretty fast in a high wind and surf when empty. Losing a boat that way is a major concern. I strongly recommend a leash for an SOT on the ocean, especially for surfing, or if the trip includes surf landing or launch.
A leash has saved my butt before, and I know from exprience it does slow down a surfing SOT.
I don't know enough about Sinks to express an opinion, but I would guess a leash could easily cause more problems than it would solve for someone with a good roll.
Leashes are habit forming I like my paddle leash as it allows me to quickly and silently retrieve my camera for a fast shot. I always said I wouldn’t have one, but received it as a gift and have come to rely on it. So much so that I often forget and simply drop my paddle to do whatever, even though the leash may not be attached!