You’re right
that we all didn’t answer both questions, but we all answered the first in our way.
As for the side of the boat, I generally find that during practice, my boat ends up bow to the waves, so the side doesn’t really matter much. It seems that I have a penchant to enter from starboard, since that is the side where my roll is strongest.
Entering from windward or lee may place your body higher than the cockpit and facilitate entry, if timed properly, but the only times I’ve really used the paddle float rescue was during practices or in clapotis, so the potential effect has never really come into play. I haven’t capsized in harsh conditions where the paddle float was required for re-entry and I’m not certain, unless the water was warm enough, that I would really rely on it in such conditions.
Rick
My reply from previous similarthread …
Learn to get on the back deck and hand paddle out of the impact zone quickly. A paddle float re-entry will be very dicey in breaking waves no matter what.
if you can’t re-enter and roll you will be swimming the boat in through breaking waves unless you are super agile, which if you are more likely than not you will just roll up.
Instructors should teach paddlers how to ride in on the back deck, and how to keep their kayak from becoming a missile in the surf zone. And as noted above, when to let go. I too have broken a finger in the surf.
Pinning the paddle under the deck rigging and scramblign around leaves you very vulnerable if the waves are breaking less than 15 seconds.
If you want to re-enter in breaking waves buy a sit on top. I do it all the time with no issues.
self-rescue in breaking waves
I agree with seadart - self-rescue in breaking waves is nearly impossible. The worst afternoon of my life was spent repeatedly trying to self-rescue in breaking waves. I had practiced a lot, with a paddle float and without, and that day I could get back in (until I got too tired to keep trying) by scrambling onto the back deck, but after re-entering, the half-filled boat was too unstable and was quickly re-capsized by breaking waves before I could pump enough water out. Eventually I was able to swim the kayak in (not easy on that day because of an offshore wind and fast-ebbing tide). After that I spent a lot of sessions working on my roll in surf in controlled situations so I would never again have to come out of my boat.
For me, practicing self-rescues before that day was very useful for getting to feel comfortable paddling in situations with non-breaking swells but if I ever come out of my boat again in breaking waves, I will use my energy to swim either into shore or out of the surf zone.
A paddle float is basically useless…
…in rough water, as are most of the “parlor trick” self-rescue techniques. The only thing I’ve found to be reliable is a reenter and roll, which I typically do with a side entry. While it’s possible to do the inverted entry and attach a spray skirt, it’s considerably more difficult and requires more time underwater. To me, it’s not worth the effort.
On a more cautionary note, if the OP isn’t capable of self-rescue in rough water, he shouldn’t be paddling solo in those conditions, plain and simple. It’s a good way to end up as a statistic and a sad news story.