For the crossing to the oil rig we had beautifully calm and sunny weather. I put Steve in charge of navigation, because he wanted experience navigating a crossing with a compass. Despite my policy not to use a GPS on a crossing unless it is absolutely necessary, George had his turned on, but I asked him to keep the readings to himself so Steve could navigate. About an hour into the paddle, George announced that his GPS went overboard without him realizing it. He headed back to look for it, because it should've been floating in its waterproof bag. He caught back up with us about an hour later. Unfortunately, he was unable to find it. I'll let George elaborate.
At the oil rig, we took a break. Steve, Dave and I did some rolls. I also practiced taking a dump at sea and fell in, so I relaxed in the water for a few minutes before climbing back in. The 62 degree water didn't feel cold at all, and it was actually refreshing, even without any immersion gear.
For the paddle back, Steve was in charge of navigating again. I told George to feel free to take off, because I know he likes to paddle fast, plus he had a deck compass to navigate with. In an instant, George was gone. However, his direction was well to the right of ours.
Like usual in the area of the ocean off Long Beach, often referred to as Hurricane Alley, the wind picked up right after noon. For the last hour and a half of the paddle, we had confused choppy seas, breaking waves and winds of 15-20 knots coming from the port beam. Steve's kayak, a Falcon 18, was weather cocking and slowed him down, so he dropped back with Dave and John. Since I was in training for a trip, I took off. When I reached the entrance to Alamitos Bay, I looked back and saw Steve, Dave and John coming in, so I went on into the bay.
I arrived back at the launch site at 2 p.m. I was expecting to see George's kayak already on his car, and I was shocked and concerned when I didn't see it. As I was tying my kayak down to my car, Steve, Dave and John landed.
Dave and Steve told me about Steve's carnage just off the jetty at the entrance to the bay. Steve was hit by a wave, capsized, missed his roll and swam. The wind and waves were quickly pushing him and his kayak toward the rock jetty, but Dave was able to quickly perform a combat rescue. I'll let Dave and Steve elaborate. Awesome job, Dave!
A few minutes after the others landed, George landed. I asked him what happened, and he said he had to stop for a while because of a leg cramp caused by the cockpit configuration of his new kayak, an Extreme. I'll let him elaborate.
It was an adventurous day on the water! Of course, that's what makes sea kayaking so awesome. It is much more than just a sport.
Duane Strosaker
www.rollordrown.com
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As always great report. There's really not much to tell. Frequent rescue training and recent instruction by Wayne Horodowich and Aqua Adventure's Jen Kleck and Greg Knight made this a nonevent for Steve and I.
I was about fifty yards into the mouth of Alamitos bay when I heard Steve yell my name; I looked back and saw that he had capsized just inside, and about 20 yards away from the breakwater. The winds were pushing him toward the breakwater and waves were breaking on it. I quickly paddled over to Steve, and after negotiating an equitable rescue fee (Lunch), we both decided that we needed to get him in his boat as the quickly as possible and away from the breakwater. Without bothering to drain his boat we quickly and calmly did an assisted rescue. Since Steve and I practice this stuff fairly often there was no need to coordinate anything and he was soon in his swamped boat and paddling away. Once we were in mid-channel we decided to drain Steve's boat. Steve jumped back into the water and we attempted a T-rescue. The T rescue calls for the boats to be bow to stern when the capsized paddler re-enters the boat. This allows for the rescuing paddler to assist. However the winds were pretty fierce in the channel and after draining Steve's boat our boats ended up-bow to bow. Rather than take any more time in a crowded and choppy harbor entrance we decided to improvise. Steve swam in-between the sterns of the boats and gracefully hosted himself up by resting his left leg and elbow on my boat had his right leg and elbow on is boat and shimmied into his boat. I'm sure there is a name for this rescue but I think I'll refer to it as the hullcracker mambo rescue. Hullcraker is Steve's nickname.
The whole incident ended up being little more that a good story during our after paddle lunch. However it could have been have been an un-happy tale if;
Hope to see you all on the water soon and at future rescue skills practices.
Good report and rescue!
I think it is interesting that so much training emphasizes getting the kayaks bow to stern for rescues. There have been a few rescues that I have seen or been involved with in which the kayaks were bow to bow and the side by side rescue was done that way, because it wasn't convenient to turn one of the kayaks around to be bow to stern. For example, when Jeff McNair and I were thrashed in the back of Seal Canyon Sea Cave at Santa Cruz Island this winter, our kayaks ended up bow to bow, and the water was much to rough for us to turn Jeff's kayak around for the side by side rescue. For this very reason, I practice side by side rescues both bow to bow and bow to stern.
Good job on Steve Wilson's part too! Sea kayak rescues involve both the rescuer and the person being rescued. You guys are a great team.
You raise a good reason for people to practice a rescue that is bow to bow as well as bow to stern. I'm sure that inside that cave it would have been almost impossible to turn the boat around.
There is also another technique that should be practiced as well that is on Wayne Horodowich's site (www.useakayak.org) and I believe in his rescue video and that is "walking a kayak". Although I know you know the technique, for those who don't on Wayne's page called "Quick Tips" there is a link to a terrific descrtiption and photos of how to do it. Once the technique is learned and practiced, it can be done in just a few seconds in very rough water. This is certainly much quicker than trying to turn boats around.
As a reminder to people reading this, Peter O'Sullivan and I are hosting a CKF rescue practice session and potluck in Santa Barbara on June 29th and Duane Strosaker is hosting a rescue practice session at Alamitos Bay on July 13.
Come to one or both of these sessions and learn and practice these essential skills.
Your right about Steve being due credit. The truth is that it was not really a rescue as much as a both of us working together to get him back in his boat fast.
Two boat held securely together by a rescuing kayaker is a very stable platform and allows for many different options in assisting a paddler back into their boat. Our improvised method "the hullcrker mambo" worked well enough, and baptism under fire is the ultimate test. Obviously a stern to stern has short coming in a true rescue situation. The rescuing paddler cannot assist a panicked, injured or physically challenged paddler back into the boat.
Given an option I would go with a bow to stern set up. But certain situations just don't allow, or make the option difficult and or more time consuming. In your case the cave prevented maneuvering the boats. In my case the wind and the chop maneuvered the boats into the stern to stern position. Walking the boats to set up for a bow to stern scenario would have taken time and in this case would not have provided any benefit since Steve did not need my assitance.
I'm a weekend paddler, and there are many paddlers more proficent in rescues than I. In my opion it would have taken more than a few seconds to walk the boats around. Given the same situation in rough waters with an experienced paddler in the water I probably would not worry which way boats were pointing, but just focus on getting the swimmer in the boat.
Glad the rescue turned out all right and the nice narrations about it.
Never thought before that the T rescue had to be bow to stern or bow to bow, after draining the water. We have been doing it for years, and never thought about it. We just moved the boat in whatever direction seemed easier after doing the T cockpit water draining.
Sometimes we had them bow to bow and sometimes bow to stern. We always hold the boat from the cockpit at the front of the empty boat, leaning totally on top of it. We hold it fron the front in order to leave space for the rescuer to climb over the cockpit and move backwards upside down, let the legs inside and turn around.
I donīt think it makes a difference if the boats are facing in the same or the opposite direction.