Pot Luck Rescues

Every year RIC/KA sea kayaking does a safety and rescue practice session early in the season. It is a good chance for regular members to polish up on their skills and for newer members to learn how rescues go in a group. TM usually takes the lead in running the group through its paces.
This year we had a good group show up and got some decent practice doing the basic assisted rescues. Most of the morning rescues were variations on the basic T-rescue. We practiced with the kayaks bow to stern, bow to bow, having the victim hang on the bow of the rescue kayak, and a couple of other variations. TM stressed a few things:

• The rescuer needs to make and maintain eye contact with the victim.


• The victim needs to be an active participant in the rescue if possible.


• All participants in the rescue need to consider the welfare of the paddlers not participating in the rescue.

We even did a few eskimo rescues, but TM stressed his opinion that eskimo rescues are rarely useful outside of spotting during rolling practice. In fact, he pointed out that they can be dangerous if the victim is not expecting it. A kayak bow on the knoggin is a sure way to ruin someone's day.
On the way back to the parking lot for lunch, TM and I split from the group to sneak a peak at the infamous breechway. It was flatter than a pint of beer after a night on the porch. Still, we found a few waves to play in before the second wave showed up and castigated us for not inviting them. I received special chastening for making off with H's lunch.
After lunch we practiced towing. We did some contact towing which is good for short distances. While passing PB back his short tow, I dropped it in the water. Since it was shallow and the rope was easy to see, I decided I could just roll over and pick it up... So, I grabbed onto the bow of PB's kayak, flipped over, and grabbed the rope. Getting back up proved to be a real trick. I had PB's bow with the wrong hand and could not get my body all the way around. Just as I was about to drop under and switch hands, another bow showed up and provided me a handy platform.
While practicing long tows, I handed off my tow rope to H and proceeded to drop the carabiniere into the water. It was not easy to see, so I was saved from even thinking about trying to rescue it.
We ended the water portion of the day with my demonstrating the rat swim. The rat swim is where you stay in the cockpit of the kayak and claw yourself to the surface to get quick gasps of air. It is uncomfortable and tiring, but if the water is cold and there are other people nearby it saves you from a bit of exposure.
After paddling, we retired to Christie's house for a pot luck. Everyone brought excellent food and it was nice to sit around and catch up.