I’m not sure that’s the point of the
article I read in sea kayaker. Which month was it?
Also, what caused "4th person"
to capsize. Also, just curious.
Great write up. With more detail, I think it could be a great Sea Kayaker safety column, without the extremely hard lesson that many has. Illustrates a lot of good safety points.
This report reminded me
of one of the cardinal rules I learned in my highschool WW club circs 1968:
DO NOT LOSE SIGHT OF THE CANOE BEHIND YOU!
If the faster paddlers had just slowed to maintain contact, there would have been more rescuers in a stronger position.
Jim
The article was several years ago
by Wayne Horodowich. The same article is posted on his web site www.useakayak.org. Click on the library link and then towing. The article was from 1997.
Other good resources for info on how to prevent and deal with these types of situations are:
USK Video Vol 1 & 2 on Capsize Recoveries and Rescues
John Lull’s book as mentioned before.
In the group of guys that I paddle with (really a team), everybody carries a tow line, VHF, spare paddle, flares, and a whistle.
Everybody is also very experienced in towing and rescues and recoveries. If you paddle with us and can’t keep up with the group. You will get towed.
When somebody obviously needs a tow, we don’t ask if they would like one. We inform them that we are going to give them a boos so that everybodyu can stay up with the group and not fall behind.
If you make the choice to paddle with us, you also make the choice to be towed when those around you feel it is necessary.
I dunno
I think towing people every time they can’t keep up with the group sounds a little extreme. It would sound much easier just to moderate your pace based on the slowest paddler, don’t you?
Good report.
I always paddle with atleast 1 or 2 people I trust with my life. The importance of group awarness cannot be stressed enough. Even for us river and creek runners. Glad to hear everyone came out ok.
Mystery affliction
"Did the person who got sick ever figure out what it was?"
No so far. One of the other paddlers in the group (the guy who did the towing) is an EMT. We speculated back and forth about dehydration, electrolytes, “bonking”, etc., but we really have no idea what happened and nothing we could think of really fit the known symptoms and circumstances. The stricken paddler drove home without incident, but he was still feeling fatigued the next day. He may have gone to the doctor since (he was planning to), but I haven’t spoken with him in a couple of days.
Update
After further discussion with the parties involved, I learned that my recollection of the radio conversations was somewhat innacurate. The two lead paddlers knew that we had an ailing paddler, but the last transmission they heard (on someone else’s radio) was that the three of us were underway and heading toward the landing spot. They did not know that we stopped a second time and were under tow. While that doesn’t excuse their lack of attentiveness, at least it makes it clear that it wasn’t a case of callous disregard, as it seemed at the time (that would have been out of character, anyway). It also points out that communication errors made by those of us in the rear exacerbated the situation.
Dunno yet
It was probably just a fluke
I spoke with him afterward and he had no idea what happened. He was fine before the capsize and had no problems on the return trip.
Although the conditions weren’t rough - 1’-3’ gently rolling swells - it’s easy to get caught off guard or off balance by the variable nature of waves. I nearly went over once myself in a moment of inattentiveness. You just never know when it’s going to happen.
These people are friends
I know that they wouldn’t do anything intentionally dangerous or irresponsible. With a couple of exceptions, we all knew each other and had paddled together before. I think that made it possible for us to let our guards down a bit too much. We ALL learned something from the experience and hopefully, we’re better paddlers for it.
Funny thing
We actually performed a similar scenario with a group I was teaching during our club’s trip leader training last year. I had the (unsupported) towed paddler capsize while on tow. The person leading that segment of the training rushed in to help. The swimmer. When she arrived, he looked up at her and said “don’t take this personally”, then grabbed onto her deck rigging - as a panicked swimmer might - and pulled her over, knowing that she couldn’t roll. Interesting debrief afterward.
The point, as was the point of my post, was to demonstrate how quickly things can spin out of control. I’m really glad to have had the opportunity to do some of these things in a friendly, supportive and safe environment before experiencing anything similar for real.
Don’t let it get to you
I have to admit with a degree of shame that I lost my temper with the two lead paddlers and had a few choice words with them after escorting the former swimmer to shore and heading back out to see if any assistance was needed with the tow. Afterward, I made it a point to apologize, we talked things over and we’re all good.
In case anyone was wondering, yes, the capsized paddler and I did go ahead of the towing group. I wanted to get him to shore ASAP so I could assist with the tow, if necessary. I was also concerned that if I held him back, it might exacerbate any cold related issues he might have. After rescuing him once, I was confident that I could do so again alone if necessary. I also knew the other three paddlers VERY well and was confident in their capabilities. We had radio communication, too and never separated by much more than 100 yards. It was strictly a judgement call. I can see reasons to do what I did and to stay with the towing group, so feel free to dissect it if you like.
Gee, I feel pretty good
– Last Updated: Jan-13-05 12:32 PM EST –
I think we actually only violated a couple of things on your list, though that was obviously enough to cause a problem.
One truly great thing about paddling with the of us in the group who knew each other is that there are no pride issues. We all know enough to not try to tough anything out. The stricken paddler communicated his difficulties as soon as he realized that it was a real issue and not just a minor discomfort.
Ironically, I had asked about the paddler who capsized at the start of the trip, since I had a tough time helping him get his skirt on and get underway through the surf, which was larger than he had previously experienced. I was told that he could not roll, but was otherwise a pretty solid paddler. I did ask him if he could wet exit with his very tight skirt (a Kelvar reinforced whitewater skirt on a Gulfstream) and he assured me that he had done so before. I had been keeping an eye on him to a degree, up until I dropped back to help with the ailing paddler. Considering that he had no other problems before or after the capsize, I suspect that it was just a fluke. He wasn't lying about being able to wet exit, either. ;-)
We had the capability…
…and would have done so if we felt the condition warranted it. In the group, we had an EMT and a Nurse Practitioner, so we felt that we had the resources to properly assess the seriousness of his condition. If we felt that circumstances warranted it, we would have made an emergency call in a heartbeat.
Speaking of which, we did discuss the possibility that it was a heart problem, though only after the fact. The stricken paddler has enough of a health care background that he was aware that could be the problem. He’s definitely going to get checked out.
I consider towing a basic skill
I think it’s fair to say that everyone should have the knowledged and means to do at least a basic contact tow. The likelihood of needing to pull someone out of a tight spot quickly is probably a lot higher than that of needing to do an extended tow. I rarely ever paddle without my tow rig around my waist and my contact tow is always on my fordeck, clipped on, coiled up and ready for action.
That said, towing is a skill and it presents its own set of dangers. This is particularly true of towing with long lines. Any time there’s a rope in the water, it’s a potential hazard. While it’s possible to learn towing basics through reading and practicing with friends, I suggest that you seek out an experienced instructor.
The stricken paddler did nothing wrong
He was fine when we left the beach. He’s quite skilled and generally one of the stronger people in our group. This situation came upon him rather suddenly and definitely unexpectedly. The fact that he was warm and alert, but didn’t respond to food and liquids indicates that it’s probably something that was beyond anyone’s control.
It was an informal trip…
…your basic “show-&-go”. There was no structure defined and the person who called the trip was actually one of the front two. The conditions were just enough to keep us from falling asleep. We were relaxed and having a good time and trying to work the kinks out after too little paddling recently. For the most part, we knew each other. We let our guards down.
Now we know better.
It’s interesting that…
…the four of us who knew each other best ended up together, along with the paddler who capsized. Perhaps it was just the luck of the draw, but I tend to think it’s because we’d been through the same training and knew each other’s moves.
I don’t see any point…
…in naming names or embarrassing/shaming anyone. Nobody did anything wrong intentionally and we all made mistakes. We all should have seen the potential for problems and dealt with it before things got out of control.