My wife and I took an introductory sea kayaking lesson yesterday. We mostly enjoyed it. I was surprised at the level of technique that is required simply to go in a straight line, and using your hips opposite of a turn is completely non-intuitive at first. With more practice I think we’ll get the basic paddling skills down.
That said, there is one thing that concerns me and that is rescues and self-rescues. I took an unintentional spill and the instructor decided to use it as an opportunity to teach some rescue techniques. We tried assisted and non-assisted with the paddle-float. We also tried a rescue where my wife held the bow of the boat and I pushed down on the stern and tried to cowboy-style sit and work my way to the cockpit. All of these were very difficult. I managed to get back into the cockpit once, but every other time I simply did not have the strength to pull myself up onto the deck … or I’d get partially on the deck and the boat was so swamped with water that it was tippy and would just roll. After some time in the water and many attempts I was so tired that I could barely lift my arm.
I am in reasonable shape – not overweight at 6’ and 170. This experience was a little bit of wake-up call just in terms of the dangers of sea kayaking. If my wife and I were alone on cold water (Puget Sound, for example), I’m not sure how I would have fared.
I want to be smart about this learning process. Our current plans were to do some mild lake (rental) paddling just to work on paddle technique, while staying close to shore. If one of us happens to flip and can’t do a rescue, it would still be possible to make it to sure and the water temps wouldn’t be thtreatening.
I am wondering, however, if my first experiences with rescues are consistent with what others have gone through. Is is a matter of technique over strength? How can we practice rescues without having concerned lake residents calling the coast guard?
Yes…
Your experiences are pretty much in line with how I was looking at things, at first… I am still a beginner, but Ive been paddling for about a year. I have taken an into course and rented several times, maybe eighteen or so. More recently my girlfriend and I purchased two kayaks. We have had the new boats out over the past two months maybe fifteen times. All our paddling to date has been in protected water.
We have been doing a lot of reading on the various paddling techniques used including rescues, rolls, and some advanced strokes.
The water temps have gotten to the level around here that we have begun to practice some of the rescue techniques that we have read about. We should have had someone video tape our efforts to date, we could look back at our antics and laugh. We have practiced three times so far and we are in fact getting better. We can both manage a self rescue, most times, and we can both manage an assisted rescue. Our rescues need refinement, they need to be quicker, and we need to learn to do them more from instinct rather than slowly remembering each step along the way.
We have a class comming up in another week where we hope to get a little help in getting our selves ironed out.
So, if our experience is anywhere near normal, you are right there with us.
Mark
stirrup or scoop…
for those who cannot pull themselves onto the deck there are two reasonably easy choices: (1) a stirrup and (2) a scoop.
- the stirrup is simply a length rope or webbing which the rescuer wraps around his/her coming and lets the other end drop into the water. you, the rescuee, can place your foot in the stirrup and use it to leverage yourself up and onto your boat. the length of the web/rope should be such that it affords you a “step” … thus you want to put your foot into it with a bent knee. the rescuer holds your boat just like the standard rescue so that your stepping on the webbing doesn’t turn the boat over.
- a scoop rescue is used for paddlers who are injured and cannot perform a standard rescue. it can also apply to those without the strength to pull themselves onto stheir boat. basically, the rescuer can either leave the rescue boat full of water or partially full of water, turn the coming such that it’s half in/out of the water, and the rescuee can then slide into the cockpit. having done that, the rescuer brings the rescued boat and paddler to an upright position and while stabilizing both boats, pumps out the rescued boat.
Two points to remember
. On a self rescue keep your weight on the paddlefloat side even after you are back in the yak and keep it on that side untiul you have the boat pumped out.
On the assisted rescue, the one that it not in the water needs to be constantly pushing down on the opposide of the yak from which the one being rescued is climbing in, and then after you are in they should help out balancing it.
Cheers,
JackL
Practice, practice, practice
That’s all it is. Keep a good attitude (“I WILL learn it”), and keep working on it. By the end of the summer, you’ll wonder what you were worried about.
Take another lesson in a month or so & see what new things you can learn. There’s always more to learn!
Wayne
good questions
"I was surprised at the level of technique that is required simply to go in a straight line, and using your hips opposite of a turn is completely non-intuitive at first. With more practice I think we’ll get the basic paddling skills down."
Very good point I went three years without knowing how to properly do this, and I finally had a really good lesson with Nigel foster on directional control that peaked my interest. Point is it will not come fast, you really have to work at it, I would say my skills on this are coming along but nowhere near advanced and I have been working on it for a while, 5+ years.
“That said, there is one thing that concerns me and that is rescues and self-rescues… After some time in the water and many attempts I was so tired that I could barely lift my arm.”
You nailed the problem right off, much easier to stay in the kayak, learning to both brace and roll are essential skills from my thinking, but opinions may vary.
“I am in reasonable shape – not overweight at 6’ and 170. This experience was a little bit of wake-up call just in terms of the dangers of sea kayaking. If my wife and I were alone on cold water (Puget Sound, for example), I’m not sure how I would have fared.”
Maybe you would have done fine, but don’t let good days ease you into letting your guard down. be prepared with skills and good judgement, good skills take a while and a desire to learn them, and judgment can take a lifetime, if not longer.
“I want to be smart about this learning process. Our current plans were to do some mild lake (rental) paddling just to work on paddle technique, while staying close to shore. If one of us happens to flip and can’t do a rescue, it would still be possible to make it to sure and the water temps wouldn’t be thtreatening.”
Sounds like a reasonable plan, but depending on your interest level, only paddling in the lagoon will give you an unrealistic expectation of everything the sea can dish out, if you plan to go sea kayaking, i would occassionaly venture out to sea with caution to keep your game sharp.
“I am wondering, however, if my first experiences with rescues are consistent with what others have gone through. Is is a matter of technique over strength?”
They sound par for the course, but keep working at them. Yes it is primarily technique, but also calm, if you are calm and warm you expend less energy. So invest in paddle clothing, and in staying calm when thing go wrong.
“How can we practice rescues without having concerned lake residents calling the coast guard?”
Good question, I have had the coast guard attempt to rescue me no less than 3 times while surfing on lake michigan. None of the times was the rescue necessary, someone spotted my kayak upside down, and then used a cell to phone the coast guard in less than 30 seconds before seeing my kayak upright with me still in it. I suppose you could call the coastgaurd yourself.
technique over strength?
>Is is a matter of technique over strength? <
A little bit of both?
As a smallish cycist with lots of legs but no upper body strength, I had some trouble initially getting myself up on deck during the self-rescue. I had to wrap one leg over the paddle shaft before attempting to pull myself over the deck. And I didn’t bother with cowboy rescue before I simply can not get on the rear deck that way.
On the other hand, I had no trouble pulling myself on deck during assisted rescue. By reaching over to the “assister”'s boat and grabing his croming, I could actually pull myself up on deck with reasonable ease. I’ve done that many times during one pool session and I didn’t seem to tire too much for the effort. So, I think technique might have something to do with it.
Also, boats with high decks are a lot harder to get up than those with low decks.
How can we practice rescues without having concerned lake residents calling the coast guard? <
How about shallow water where you can stand up? You just have to remember not to push off the bottom during your pull up phase.
Also yes
One of the things that I love about kayaking is the amount of technique involved, much of it being counter intuitive. One of my instructors told me that this is not a sport that requires great physical strength. But as with my other favorite sport, Judo, you may be able to “strong arm” your way through some things. As with Judo, “muscling” a technique can be very tiring. As technique improves, strength becomes less of an issue.
Lou
One more thing
At least for assisted rescue, try to kick your legs up until you’re floating almost horizontal on the water. Then it’s just a matter of pull yourself across, not up, the deck of the boat, till your belly is on top of the deck.
rescue classs
I took a class a couple weeks ago and luckily I seemed to be able to perform all three of the rescue styles you mentioned. I assisted others who seemed to have troubles, and based on their errors, I will quote something the instructor said which stuck with me. “Look at your rescuer”. By this, he meant that when you are moving from the perpendicular (to the yak) position to the parallel position, look at the rescuer (either the individual in a ‘t’ rescue, or the paddle float in a self rescue). Somehow this tends to put your weight slightly towards the side you look towards, which is where the support is.
I noticed that the lady I was assisting did everything fine until she turned her head away from me, or away from her paddle float, and then she rolled again. Every time, right as soon as she looked away. When she looked where she was supposed to, she was successful, every time.
Hope this helps.
Another option
Consider getting quality sit on top kayaks like Heritage Seadart or Wilderness Systems Tarpons. You can learn to self rescue in about 10 minutes, if you dress for water conditions you can be safe and enjoy paddling if you stay in conditions that suit your ability. I paddle sit in sides and have learned to self rescue and roll, but I use a Sit-on-top when I go for long distance coastal paddles, especially when solo. Go to sit-on-topkayaking.com for more information.
“Swim Onto The Deck” Not Climb.
t rescue
if you are in the water.
your wife paddles over, detrermines you’re okay, you get to the stern, she gets to the bow…she stows her paddle, leans over and grabs your bow…if she can’t reach your bow, flip the boat upright…in any event she is going to lift and you are going to push down on the stern on 3…if the boat is upside down, ge tthe cockpit to clear the surface and let the water drain out. if the boat is hull down, she needs to pull it over her deck until she can roll it over (towards her) and let the water drain out…once the water is drained out the yak goes back in the drink hull down…she pulls herself around to a bow to stern position…now she leans OVER and holding the cockpit in a VERY FIRM grip, you pull yourself from teh stern of your boat to the side and up to the cockpit. she reaches over and stows your paddle between the 2 boats and goes back to the vulca death grip thing on the coaming of your yak…it’s very important that she commits to leaning over and holding on tight…the better and more secure the grip, the easier time the casualty (schwimmmaaaa!) has getting into the boat.
as far as you getting into the boat…floating inthe water on your back, aim your head at the stern…now hook your outside leg in your boat and uder the forward deck…use that to lever yourself into your boat…with that leg hooked and supplying the force, you have no choice but to turn towards your wife (good)…this will swing you around and your arse should be in the seat.
try it.
this method doesn’t require any arm strength on the part of the casualty and is pretty simple - its essentially a classic t rescue, it’s just the entry that is modified a bit. someone referenced a scoop rescue in this string but that requires a little more skill on the part of the rescuer whereas this is essentially the tried and true t rescue.
good luck - you’ll get the hang of it…we’ll all started and all occassionally stilldo …swim.
rescue
When you wet exit, hold onto the boat and paddle. Go to back of boat and push down hard 3 times on back of boat with boat still upside down then bear hug the boat and twist until it is right side up. Slide and straddle up the back of the boat while keeping head low and look around. I keep a foam float on back deck and slide paddle into it while hooking paddle biner around shaft. You are on top of boat and then do reentry. I added mop brackets to back deck to keep paddle perpendicular. Or tip the boat right side up and lay across back deck and paddle to shore perpendicular to boat. Practice until you look forward to swimming and counting fish!
Success makes for confidence
I think this shows the error of instruction that results in planting doubts in a student’s mind that discourages them from learning more. I include myself in this description, that is giving instructions that were less than effective and produced results that you both experienced.
I have learned that better instruction shows us ways to do things successfully, at least in part, right away, so that we gain in confidenc and our self image becomes formed around, OK, let’s practice this more, I will be able to learn this and do it well.
As many here have said so well, there are very efficient ways to get into one’s boat that will work for you both. Get an instructor who knows how to marry the technique, method of teaching, and your particular strengths and needs.
Of course this is my take on instruction and does not speak for anyone else at all!
ditto…
Repetition wil do it
The above idea re stirrups and scoop is really worth trying out. No matter how good anyone is at working without them, there is always the chance of a dump sometime towards the end of a paddle when you are tired. At that point all that matters is getting back in - worrying about how is for the purists.
That said - for most people, the start-up on this stuff is messy as heck. It is unduly tiring partly because it is unfamiliar, and partly the sudden realization of risk in a kayak is pretty daunting. So you get less relaxed and tire faster.
Just spend some more time in the water and start having some fun with it. Then as long as you paddle together and stay in water where the rescue skills you’ve learned are appropriate, you’ll be fine. There are opinions out there that nothing less than a wet re-entry and rollup will suffice in higher seas, but it seems that your basic question is “does this get easier?”.
Yup, it does.
from Derek Hutchinson
Over the years I have devised numerous deep water assisted rescues. The one I especially recommend to couples, i.e. if one capsizes or even if both capsize and they are alone is all written and described in my book, The Complete Book of Sea Kayaking. Find a quiet pond, where the water is either reasonably warm or you are dressed in a copper helmeted diving suit. And practice these within swimming distance of the shore.
Do the solo capsize first, on pg. 121. I called it the T Quick Rescue. Various strategies for re-entry are illustrated. Make sure your boat has water tight compartments front and rear. DO NOT ATTEMPT THESE RESCUES WITH A NEAR SHORE RECREATIONAL BOAT (without the 2 water tight compartments). If you have a near shore boat, you should always paddle within swimming distance of the shore. Good luck and happy paddling.
"copper helmeted diving suit.?"
Speaking of making things seem overly complicated… !
I bet we can assume this was written by Hutchinson, who paddles in rather cold water to start with, before people commonly had access to wetsuits and/or drysuits.
But Hutchinson’s techniques are excellent, even without the Diver Dan getup.
Try This:
1) Put floated end of paddle at a right angle to the boat, on the starboard side.
2) Wedge other blade under bungies /deck lines right behind the cockpit.
3) Put the shaft to your back, right hand out near the float, left hand on the far side cockpit coaming.
4) Put your feet in the cockpit.
5) Pull on the coaming, push on the paddle shaft, and hoist your butt in the seat.
6) Put the pump between your knees and pump out one handed and keep the other hand on the paddle shaft, leaning toward the paddle float.
This works for me every time.