...the first evening paddle of the season. It wasn't hot, and I still wore a dry suit when JB and I paddled off South Shore last evening. There was a nice 2-foot roll/chop on the outside as we did a two hour tour.
Not too shabby.
Sometime on Saturday, I looked across the river to see a gaggle of boats against the far wall. Not all the boats were occupied. Paddling over, I noticed a woman hanging on to the bow of one of the rescuers.It seems that she and her husband had dumped a tandem, plastic recreational kayak which didn't really have flotation or effective bulk heads. The beast had taken on tons of water, and Doug--thankfully one of our strongest guys--was on site attempting a T-rescue.
Nydia quickly came along side to add her muscle to the effort. Some how, and by time I got across the river, they had the man back in the boat. I was concerned, however, at how tired the woman appeared. Although she said she wasn't chilled, we knew the water couldn't have been warmer than 50 F, and she was not dressed for it.
Because she did not have the Strength to pull herself onto a deck, I had her reach across and simply grab my opposite deck line. She now had two kayak bows under her arm. We had the now-righted tandem come in the opposite direction and slowly make a space between the two boats while another kayak was positioned so she could get her feet up out of the water. This pulled her from the water and gave her a three-boat platform on which to rest. Finally, we had her put her feet into the cockpit and completed the rescue.
After delivering her safely to shore, we asked that that boat not be put back onto the water.
Paddle safe...
DS
Gary, a retired attorney, is one of the original members of the Milwaukee paddling group. He has done it all and has earned all sorts of certifications. Eventually, he gravitated to racing and bought all sorts of those skinny boats in his quest for speed. Along the way, he studied the forward stroke and practiced and honed his skill. He added a kayak paddle attachment to his rowing machine, and his basement soon became the Simon's University of the Forward Stroke around here.
This year, Gary did an on-water teaching session, and interest ran high. I cannot reduplicate all that he taught in this limited space. Suffice to say that he has developed an intricate understanding of this under-practiced technique and is able to convey by speech and example just what needs to be done to achieve an efficient forward stroke.
Gary has been kind enough to mentor me (along with others) in this black art. I have "paddled" in his basement, and he has stood on the shores of the river to point out my weaknesses. One of the good guys, Gary Simon is giving back a great deal to our sport.
then up the Milwaukee River to the main store where we had breakfast before the test paddling resumed.
Tomorrow, I will have a few more comments and photos on this event.
One of the great "luxuries" I had while sailing was the ability to spread out a chart and use tools such as parallel rulers and dividers. It was important, with my 6-foot draft, to always know my position, especially when sailing near the shore line. Another challenge was coming into a new harbor at night.
Observing a numbered buoy at such times (and knowing what they mean) can be a life saver at such times. I encourage folks to get one of the many small books available on navigation. There are even a few aimed explicitly at paddlers. And, by the way; if you ever see a navigation light out or an aid to navigation out of position, call the Coast Guard immediately. They tell me that it is appropriate to use channel 16 at such times (they will then probably direct you to 22).
As I hauled out, I saw these new paddlers, and they were doing it right. They stayed together better than any class I've ever taught, and they had adult supervision and an experienced instructor. Hmmm...pretty smart, don't you think?
