Safety Practice 2010

I like the annual safety practice. It is valuable to get the the group of people you paddle with together to practice rescues. It is also good to teach newer paddlers basic rescues.
One of the things I learned at the RWS is that when the poop hits the fan knowing how the people with you react is invaluable. It helps when deciding what options are open. It makes it easier to coordinate. It also helps your general confidence.
Paddlers who know how to do rescue and how to be rescued are generally calmer in emergency situations.
The one rescue I never liked was using a stirrup. I know it can help a swimmer get back in their boat, but it also leaves them encircled by a loop of rope. I'd much rather just use a scoop to stuff the swimmer in the cockpit or find some other way to get them to climb out of the water.
Speaking of the scoop... It is hard to manage with a heavier paddler. TM demoed the scoop using H as his rescue dummy and made it look easy. When I tried stuffing him back in his kayak I nearly busted a gut. It took a while to find that sweet spot on his hull where I could get the leverage I needed to right his kayak.
One nice trick TM showed us was leaving the paddler face down on the deck when doing the scoop. It makes keeping the swimmer low to their deck. It also means you don't have to risk damaging a possibly injured back as much.
You can always learn new tricks!

Just Crazy Enough

Home life has been stressful the past few weeks, so a sunny long weekend was a gift from heaven. There was going to be kayaking. Oh there was going to be kayaking...
The only scheduled paddle was in upper Narragansett Bay which didn't really interest me, but it would have done in a pinch. Fortunately, BH was also looking for a little more action than the upper Bay would offer. His idea was to take advantage of the big tides and the constriction at the Quonny Pond breech way.
BH tried to enlist TM, PB, and myself. TM needed to get day care support. I was hoping to get H on the water and wasn't sure which day she would be up for it. PB wanted to do some cycling on the best cycle-day of the weekend. TM was able to secure a few hours of grandparent support. H planned to visit with a friend on Saturday. PB decided the day was perfect for cycling.
Saturday morning the three of us showed up to test our mettle. I was forgoing the mighty stick for my scoopy Kinetic Touring blades to battle the big water.
Things looked pretty calm in the pond, but we knew the real action was at the mouth of the breech way. The water rushing out of the breech into the incoming waves would make for action...
When we rounded the corner we met some flat water. There were a few bumps and some little swirlies. It was enough to make the hull bounce and rock. It made turning a little difficult. It was enough.
We decided to move down the shore and see what other trouble we could find. There were rocks to dodge a and small waves to ride.
Along one beach we found some very nice surf waves. The wave were just a few feet tall, had long breaks, and collapsed well before the beach. Perfect for a few early season, cold water rides.
So we could tell stories of mayhem later, I "volunteered" to be a train wreck. After surfing into the beach, I made a graceful turn into an oncoming wave. The wave was no problem, but it left me sitting parallel to the beach and the surf... The second wave hit me an as I braced, my paddle snapped. I was upside down with a paddle in each hand. Fortunately, the water was shallow and I managed to get myself upright and side surf into the beach.
I spent the rest of the day using H's Kinetic S. It is a nice paddle. It doesn't have the same power as the full size Kinetic Touring, but more than enough to handle most conditions. Compared to the mighty stick it is a club.
The rest of the day was pleasant. We bopped around the coast playing when the opportunity arose and otherwise just enjoying the feeling of being on the ocean. We quickly realized (or was it rationalized) that the mild conditions were perfect for an early season outing. There will be plenty of time later in the season for mayhem in big water.
Back at the put-in, we did (mostly) successful rolls. I blew one, but completed several others including a picture perfect off-side roll. Not bad for being out of practice and using a new paddle....

Safety Practice in the Rain

On Sunday RIC/KA had its annual safety practice. I was desperate for some kayak time, so I was willing to risk rain.
Fortunately it wasn't too rainy. It was cold though. So nobody really wanted to swim which made rescued hard.
Instead of a safety practice we did a strokes and boat control practice. It was a nice substitute.
I needed the practice. My turns were off and my hips were sore for days afterwards.

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.