Self Rescue Practice

watch the float the whole time
I forget exactly how my hands shift as I corkscrew into the cockpit, but regardless I know I watch the paddle float 100% of the time starting from laying face down with my feet in the cockpit until I twist to sit normal.

corkscrew
pardon my poor writing skills.



jc describes it well as a corkscrewing motion so that your butt doesn’t swing out of axis with your upper body compensating on the other side. So instead of getting on ones knees you stay low all the way in. It may not plop you down in the cockpit seat perfectly but it keeps you from getting on knees and having yr butt stick out while twisting over.



It sounds like you have the part down fine where you trap the paddle with your torso but instead of making it a start/stop process try and make it one motion sliding up on the deck, sliding/corkscrewing into the cockpit then bringing the paddle over and forward.



When i first started paddling I only did a pf. self-rescue about six times in the first year, then took some more classes but didn’t practice much beyond that and learned rolling over the following year but never practiced rescues much,I was a statistic waiting to happen. Anywho after a few years I took instructors classes and in the first couple weeks of instruction I did more pf rescues than I did over the previous four years. The biggest improvement came from making it as continuous of a motion as possible thereby reducing the time you’re high centered.



I figure doing something a dozen times(not in the same day) is a worthwhile intermediate goal for getting it down,then go out into bouncy water and do it a dozen more times. The kayak I did all this on has a relatively high aft deck (Mariner Express) so there wasn’t much room for error. The surprising part is that it really did work in waves, although not breaking or short steep ones. A class I took did rescues under the Golden Gate Bridge where there were 2-3’ waves with a flood tide. I was blown away it actually worked.

I believe there are a lot of
carefully thought out things used in the Mariner paddle float rigging that make it much easier. I never had a problem doing the PF recovery in my Mariner Elan. Part of the experimenting I want to do is take out the Elan and try it to see if my current problem is me or more the differences in the Force 3.



By the way, I did the paddle float rescue ok in the Force when I used a Euro paddle instead of my GP. The larger loom makes it much harder to keep the paddle in place on the deck without some tie down.



Mark

not a rescue
you do know that if you come out of the boat and RE-NTER then you did not rescue yourself. You have now put yourself back in the same boat and same conditions that caused the capsize. Now your wet and have a cockpit full of water. It is not a self rescue its a re-enter. A rescue is when the coast gaurd or a OMG!! power boater comes to your aid.

And Paddle Float …

– Last Updated: Nov-11-08 9:33 PM EST –

A paddle float can be a great help during reentry and roll. Not only does it allow you to roll back-up thru re-entry even with a sloppy roll (or when tired or injured) but also is a good teaching aid (either on the paddle or in your hands).

:slight_smile:
well I suppose if the water is very cold, and you may get hypothermia but you re-enter, pump out water, dry and warm up then maybe you’ve rescued yourself :slight_smile:

so it’s easier in the Elan than
the Force3? The Broze guys did figure out their rigging but it’s still a crude and conflicted way to get back in and paddling to safety without help. When I threw my then svelte 175lbs on the back deck it let our a LOUD crack sound as the inside seam tape on one side ran along the inside of the the middle of the bend of the deck resulting in a stress riser.

The instructor heard it from 50’ away.

Q #!: Video clip
http://www.qajaq.no/technique.asp?id=4

Good video
He shows what I was trying to put into words.



In my experience, if I have the float on the paddle, over my shoulder, I can lift the bow and drain it better than if I try and do it with just my legs kicking up.