Surfski Knowledge Base

(The link to the newspaper story no longer works but the discussion repeats many of the details of the problem and rescue)

ALAN CLARK
01/05/11 #9867

More information has become available about the kayak rescue which occurred off of Point Wilson last Thursday. The kayaker, Dale Moses, wrote a narrative about the incident. It is available at http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20110105/news/301059986/rescued-kayaker-writes-what-he-did-wrong-in-brush-with-death .

Although he is a recreational paddler in a Necky Looksha 17, it is interesting to read his thoughts about the day. A number of things stand out for me. On the plus side, Dale was dressed to endure a prolonged immersion (though a leaky neck gasket did complicate matters), he didn't panic, and he stayed with his kayak. But Dale states that he underestimated the force of the ebb on a day with a pretty large tidal range and an ebb current of probably over 3+ knots and hadn't practiced self-rescue skills in rough conditions. It sounds like he was not used to paddling in tide rips and that he went over when his boat broached in the waves. Dale had the good fortune to be paddling where there were plenty of on-lookers, who called in for help. His account is an interesting read, even for surf ski and outrigger paddlers, because it illustrates some of the dangers inherent in paddling in the cold and often rough waters of the Northwest.

Alan

Re: Port Townsend Kayaker Rescued
Michael Gregory
01/05/11 #9868

- Practiced remounts two years previously on a lake?
- Drysuit took on water through a gasket?

Hmmm. What is wrong with this picture?

Mike.

Re: Port Townsend Kayaker Rescued
Reivers Dustin
01/05/11 #9869

Observation 1: I've done eskimo rolls. I've done wet exit & re-entries. Performing either of these under duress w/o assistance is a feat of significant accomplishment. Getting back on a surfski takes practice. Getting back on an OC canoe is no big deal.

Observation 2: situational awareness. If four foot waves sneak up on you, then that should weigh into the decision to operate the vehicle. Cruising speed of a touring kayak: if your vehicle can't move away from the three knot current then you go where it goes.

Observation 3: I don't understand the choice to not have a hand held VHF radio. There have been very few immersion incidents that could not have avoided fatality if only the victim(s) would have had a radio. When I see write-ups that don't mention this I feel weird. The Bellingham Coast Guard has asked me if they were to stock a bunch of loaner hand-helds and then maybe small boaters would use them and return them. My sad answer was I just didn't think they would be used. I have mine, what else can I say.

rd

Re: Port Townsend Kayaker Rescued
Erik Borgnes
01/05/11 #9870

He had lots of gear - safety gear, too - with him (cell phone, whistle, flares, knife, compass, pfd, leash, etc) but if not for being rescued, he would have drowned even with all that stuff with him. 45 minutes in the water is a very long time. I suspect that after that period of time, he wouldn't have had the energy or have been able to think clearly enough to slip back into the water to retrieve his flares, let alone figure out how to use them if he were not thinking clearly.

Secondly, he was 45 min in the water. Shore was 150 to 200 yds away. I'm sure it's not fair to judge the situation in its entirely based only on that, but swimming cross-current towards shore should have taken what? 10-15 min at most even in a dry suit and pfd (this is tough to judge)? The question goes back to the “stay with the boat” rule. He was seen because he stayed with the boat, but if noone was hiking with binoculars and looking that direction, he might have drowned with the boat. Maybe the best thing to do is to tow the boat if you swim for it which would be easy to do with a Think ski or the Epic V8 via a leash and the bow handle.

As for vhf . . . I've had one for a couple of years but haven't ever used it because I'm too afraid to break any laws by hitting the wrong button and I can't remember how to use it, either. I suppose if it's used often, then it will be more likely to be used in an emergency situation. Same thing with flares. I keep meaning to set up a meeting with the CG to practice setting off one or two so that I don't end up shooting one straight into my face or down into the water at a time when I really need one to work.

Erik

Re: Port Townsend Kayaker Rescued
ALAN CLARK
01/05/11 #9871

Long ago I did some guiding and kayak skills instruction. I always hesitated to tell people to swim for the shore. Many of my students, wearing all the paraphernalia (PFD's, spray skirts, etc.) that goes with sea kayaking, wouldn't have been able to swim fast or long enough to cover 200 yards in current. Rather or not that is true for presumably fit ski paddlers, I'm not sure. I may have just signed up for swim practice with you Erik.

VHF radios provide a margin of safety and a means to communicate with other boats. The requirements for having one are few and the radios are fairly inexpensive. Many are waterproof, some even float, but I've been warned that a waterproof dry bag is a good investment. Many of my friends, paddling in the SF Bay area, have used them to keep track of each other and to re-assemble during downwinds. In a place like Port Townsend, you can usually count on a couple of boats out on the water that will be monitoring their radios. In the Strait, off of Sequim, it may take a while to contact anyone other than the CG up in PA.

Personal Locator Beacons (FastFind, AquaLink, SPOT II) have become small and light. They are advertised to work almost anywhere (I need to check if Hawaii is covered by these systems) and send out a distress message and a GPS location. Some of these units require a yearly subscription to a service ($100 for SPOT II). I don't know why I haven't bought one, other than I've been waiting for them to become a bit more refined (lighter and cheaper).

The guiding group I worked with tested flares that had been in a marine environment (but not immersed) two years old or less. They found a failure rate of around 50%. Looking at accounts of incidents involving sailboats or kayaks, flares shot off during the day have often been ignored. I have carried a small battery powered strobe (visible at 1 to 3 miles) at times.

So I need to practice self-rescues on my surf ski and rolls in my kayak, try swimming in cold water and current, and buy a new VHF radio.

Alan

Re: Port Townsend Kayaker Rescued
steven wort
01/05/11 #9872

As for VHF … for a mayday call http://www.ehow.com/how_4434312_call-vhf-marine-boat-radio.html, and for a Pan Pan call http://www.ehow.com/how_4434662_pan-call-boats-vhf-radio.html

Something else that happens is that many folks with VHF dont think they are in an emergency situation until its to late for help to get there in time. There should be some simple guidance around exactly when to call for help, and in many cases, its as simple as fall in when its cold, or windy, and you imediately call for assistance (Pan Pan, not a mayday). If you then try to re enter, or remount a couple of times, and are getting cold, then maybe thats when your Pan Pan goes to a mayday call, but the CG is already alerted by the Pan Pan, and help was on its way.

For experience with flares, that sounds like something that would be valuable to set up with the CG, so folks can see how the different flares operate, and how innefective some of the smaller ones can be in sub optimal conditions.

Re: Port Townsend Kayaker Rescued
Reivers Dustin
01/05/11 #9873

Some of this discussion is review of previous. For example if you search the archives for message 4039 you'll get a flavor. (That was posted years ago.)

I've put information up here before about the CG implementation of “Rescue 21” or D.S.C. Also I've reviewed the latency problem with EPIRB devices. EBIRBs are great for vessel distress. Not great for immersion response.

More importantly: if you key your VHF on Channel 16 enough, someone will come find you. This has nothing to do with other boaters. The Vancouver Island CG has a complex array antanea w/ direction fixing. They have been first response a couple of times when I've Mayday called. Port Angeles station has also responded to my handheld transmitting from Bellingham Bay. You do not need to observe protocol to have your life saved. They will find you if you give the system a carrier signal long enough to get a fix. But the best part is when you look at their boat or helecopter and tell them, “I see you 1/2 mile to my NW” or similar.

Bellingham Station has gone live with Rescue 21. If you have a DSC equiped radio, push the magic button and the radio tells the CG it's location within about 3 meters repeatedly until someone tells the radio to stop doing it. No speaking required (digital encoded transmit that does not impede voice commo).

Expensive? Compared to what, a boat? a paddle? a PFD? I am not impressed with water-dye, flares, smoke & mirrors. There is just no substitute for talking with the man driving the taxi to come pluck your ass out of the muck. Get the radio - and make every effort to prove the money was wasted.

rd