NSPN Pool Session - 01.27.2019 - Haverhill Pool

[kattenbo]

Pool session as a trip report?  Well, why not - it’s a boat, in water, moving.

I haven’t been to an NSPN Pool Session since the old days when Bob Burnett was a legitimate threat to world peace (or at least to the stability of his fellow paddlers) and we were in the double pool (anyone remember that?).

I showed up at the pool in Haverhill about 10:30 for the 11:00 session in order to take a look around.  Nice facility with an easy access route to get the boats from the car to the water.

Rob showed up and we took boats (I had two) off the cars and carried them into the foyer so they’d be ready to go as soon as the pool cleared.  At 11am we moved in and finished getting ready to hit the water. With just the two of us there was plenty of room.

My focus for the session was solo self rescue - emptying an upside down flooded boat and successfully re-entering without assistance.  The description of the technique is pretty straightforward:  break the airlock on the cockpit, empty as much water as possible, flip the boat (these two steps can be done in either order), then re-entering the boat without flooding it again, all while floating in deep enough water that you can’t touch the bottom.

Eezzee-peezee.

Right.

Breaking the airlock:  generally done by rocking the boat to one side until one edge of the cockpit rim is out of the water.  One challenge is to make sure the airlock isn’t re-established as you maneuver to either flip or empty the boat.

If you’re starting with flipping the boat then emptying it, you can simply continue to rotate the boat on it’s long axis.  Depending on the cockpit size and shape and on the amount of floatation in the boat, even a slow roll will normally get some of the water out, but not necessarily a lot.  You can then re-enter a flooded boat, but all of the water in the boat makes it very unstable (i.e hard to get back in), and you’re then in for a ton of fun pumping out. You can pump out, then reenter, but if you think pumping is a lotta fun from inside the cockpit, wait until you try it from the outside.

Alternatively, you can empty most of the water as part of flipping the boat.  This involves breaking the airlock with a slight rotation, picking up the nose (bow) of the boat to get the whole cockpit out of the water while it’s still mostly upside down, and then rotating the boat before you let the bow back down.  Again, eezee-peezee.

Well, it would be if you could touch bottom.  Which you can’t.

Two possible approaches, both of which are dependent on a good leg kick.

• Low lift, slow roll:  This is where you tread water, lift the bow to break the airlock and then rotate the boat and water drains from the cockpit.  Advantage is that you don’t have to get the entire cockpit out of the water, disadvantage is that if the cockpit isn’t completely clear, it will retain a fair amount of water.  The cockpit stays partially flooded with either associated pumping pain or stability issues on re-entry.
   
• High lift, fast roll:  This is a more explosive move, dependent on a strong supporting kick.  It’s essential that you start by breaking the airlock. Once the airlock is broken, it takes a strong kick and hard lift to get the entire cockpit clear of the water, then a quick flip to avoid scooping water back into the boat.  If you’re successful, you’ll end up with a reasonably dry, upright boat ready for you to re-enter.

I opted to work on the (sorta) high lift, fast roll approach.  

Started with the lift.  After capsizing the boat (harder that you might think), swam to the bow, floated on my back, rocked the boat to one side to break the airlock, and started to lift - and promptly submerged.  No surprise - 17+ lbs of flotation in a PFD (+plus natural and wetsuit) isn’t enough to support even a lightweight boat without treading water.

Tried again, this time while actively treading water - got most of the cockpit clear of the water, but dropped the lower edge into the water as I started the flip - so while the boat did turn over, it mostly filled back up.

• This is where I think I should stop and point out that the boat I was working with is a 14’6”, 29.5lb  Northstar Trillium solo canoe (yeah, Rob was surprised too). Since it’s an open boat, you have to really get most of the boat out of the water to avoid picking up a lot of water during the flip.  It’s actually not a bad vessel to practice with - if you can get a canoe empty, a kayak is a snap.

After a bit of practice I found I could tread water, break the air gap, lift the bow and then hitch the boat along until better than 2/3rds of the hull was out of the water.  At that point a successful flip was possible.

• For kayakers:  the stern bulkhead and hatch turn the entire stern area into an air chamber, so emptying the cockpit really is pretty easy.  
• For canoeists: using float bags in the bow and stern to supplement any built in air chambers would simulate the kayakers bulkheads and make this a lot easier.  

Once the boat was upright, it was time for reentry.  Basic steps are the same regardless of boat type: get yourself up on the boat in a balanced position, maneuver to drop your butt into the cockpit, work your way into a paddling position, emptying any excess water, settle and go.

• For kayakers, you can come up over the side just behind the cockpit, balance, get first one leg then the other into the cockpit while still face down, slide into to the point where your butt is over the seat, then turn over.  This works more easily if you have some kind of outrigger (like a paddle float).
• Kayakers can also come up over the stern (cowboy style) staying low with legs in the water, work up to the cockpit, drop butt, pull your legs in, settle, pump and go.  So folks find this approach much easier - others, not so much.

There are three challenges with a canoe:  (1) the boat sits much higher in the water than a kayak; (2) the “cockpit” is open the entire length of the gunwale, making it harder to avoid refilling during re-entry (watch how much of the stern of a kayak is underwater during a cowboy re-entry); and (3) the width of the boat means a longer reach across to get a grip to pull yourself back in.   

• What I found to be successful with my canoe on that day in the pool was to line up closer to the stern than the bow (so I wasn’t reaching across the full width of the boat), use one hand on the near side gunwale, pull it down, setting the boat up on edge, then grabbing the far side gunwale and stabilizing in that position for a minute.          
• Next was to swim the bottom half of me up to the surface, and then a quick lunge to get the top part of my body up to my thighs up and over the canoe.  If i could get so my head and neck were over the far side and my thighs were on the near side gunwale, I could balance with the gunwale out of the water.
• From there it was a matter of edging a bit further in to center, then rolling over and dropping my butt to the bottom of the boat.  That’s a really stable position, and in a canoe you have lots of room to work yourself back into a paddling position.

By the end of the session I had managed five successful re-entries.  I also found that with the Trillium’s amazing secondary stability I could rest sitting sideways with the boat on its edge, gunwale touching the water, legs dangling over the side and just hang out - pretty cool.

I’ll be back for the next Sunday pool session.  And if you haven’t been to a session yet, sign up for one - it’s a great place to work on your skills in warm water with (usually) plenty of helpful folks around.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

 

[Dan Foster]

One modification that might help - when you're pushing up on the bow to lift the boat, hold your kayak paddle in the middle of the shaft with the other hand, after letting it float to the surface with the blades as flat on the water as possible, and push down hard on the paddle while pushing up on the boat. Pushing down on the paddle helps keep your body from submerging and gets a bit more of the boat out of the water. Probably harder to do with a canoe paddle, but you'll still get some resistance against the water if you choke up on the throat of the paddle.

[kattenbo]

Hi Dan - good comment.  It really helps with a kayak, where a one hand lift is doable.  

I'll try to see if it works with a canoe - I don't think the issue will be so much the one bladed paddle - as you point out if you choke up to the point you're essentially holding just above the blade, you'd probably get some support.  

Where I think the challenge would be for me is to control the canoe with one hand while pushing the paddle down with the other.  In my first session I needed both hands to keep the canoe from rolling prematurely and scooping water.  I'll give it a shot.

I have seen another approach to emptying that I'm also going to try.  Could be fun to watch ?.

[Pintail]

Gosh, it really is nice to have kattenbo around again!  Yes, Keith, there are still one or two who remember the sessions at Leyden Aquatic Centre — the double pools.  (Did I get the name Leyden right?)

[kattenbo]

You did indeed.  Good to be back.