T rescues

[dan_f]

The normal T rescue calls for pulling the overturned boat onto the rescuer's deck. If the overturned kayak has a full, upturned bow, the rescuer has to grap the slick and possibly awkwardly shaped overturned bow and reach well under the water to grab an unseen toggle or deck line, and then pull an uncooperative boat over one's hull. Does it make sense to paddle along side the overturned boat, grab the coaming, invert the capsized boat to expose the rigging, T up, pull the boat over one's deck, and then roll it over to drain the water? In this case the upturned bow and accessible deck lines ease pulling the capsized boat over one's deck. This latter process seems much more dependable, but I may be missing some important point. Comments?

[jeffcasey]

grabbing the bow isn't as hard as it may seem, provided you remember that you can lean hard into the bow...even a swamped boat provides quite a bit of leverage for bracing. if you can get the swimmer to aid by pushing down on the stern at the time you lift, it helps, but by no means is it necessary.

[Kevin B (RPS Coach)]

I'm interested to see what other more experienced members have to say on this topic. For me personally, I would expect the boat to be much heavier to move given that it would be full of water after being righted, which may offset the perceived advantage of having access to the deck lines, etc. You should also be able to gain access to the deck lines when you tilt the boat slightly to one side to "break" the water seal in the cockpit. You don't mention having the "victim" press down on the overturned stern as you lift the bow. When I've had to do t-rescues for the type of boats you described (even boats without deck lines, just bungies...trust me, I know..), having even an inexperienced person simultaneously press down on the stern as I lift the bow seems to do the trick.

[EEL]

> This latter process seems much more dependable,

>but I may be missing some important point. Comments?

I am just a beginner and the number of T resuces I have done is small so I cannot offer expert advice, but I suggest you get a friend, go to a pond or shelered beach area and try what you have described as well as the "standard" T technique. I rather suspect the problems with what you suggest and the advantages of the "standard" T rescue will become evident. Playing with boats is very instructive.

Leaving aside the problems of dealing with seas when all this stuff is normally needed, the "Standard" T rescue is really rather "bombproof" and easier than it might seem. My limited experience is you grab the bow, you do not mess with toggles and lines and once you get the inverted bow over onto your deck you have a very stable platform. I would hate to have an upright bow on my deck sliding around. Assuming a normal wet exist, there is very little water in the overturned boat and by getting it on you deck before it is flipped, very little water will remain in the boat after it is flipped upright and ready for re-entry. Under flat practice conditions and a boat with an angled bulkhead, it is amazing how little water will be in the boat if you can lift, rock, and flip the boat in one set of fluid motions. My experience is that the long sweeping bows of "Brit" boats are actually easier to deal with. Of course YMMV and what you desribe may work best for you.

Ed Lawson

[djlewis]

Or lean your boat so far toward the capsized boat, using it as a support, that your coaming is under water and, better yet, actually lower or nearly lower than the capsized bow. Then you can easily drag the tip of the bow over your coaming and lean the other way to pick the bow up, break the water seal that often forms at the capsized cockpit, and get the bow in position to drag it farther up.

The method of righting the boat in the water first (from the bow, not from the side), pulling it onto your coaming and then turning it upside down to empty, is also good and favored by many.

Lots of variables -- some personal preferences and some situational. It's good to practice many variations.

--David.

[Linda]

I find that it is indeed much easier to flip the boat upright and slide it up over my cockpit and flip it again to drain the water. It takes much less muscle strength as you are working with the shape of the hull of the boat that you are emptying, rather than lifting the bow from under water. Best thing to do is to practice both methods in varying conditions to see what works best for you.

[rcohn]

This method was described in Sea Kayaker Magazine awhile ago. I think it was "Issue 99, Apr. 2004, page 32: “T-Rescue Tune-Up” by Brian Day: Technique, T-Rescue, Capsize recovery" I remember they also advised edging your kayak away from the boat across your deck to help lift it.

Ralph Cohn

Elaho DS, blue & white with yellow trim

[Brian Nystrom]

...but you've got the technique correct. Assuming the upturned boat is on your left side, you put your left hand on the keel for support, lean over and grab the boat by it's "snout" (not the toggle or deck lines) with your right hand. At that point, the upturned boat is supporting you and you are fully committed to it. This seems to be what many people who have trouble with this technique fail to do. They try to stay upright while grabbing the other boat and pull it straight up, which simply doesn't work. The next step is to use your hips to rock yourself back upright, which entails pulling YOUR boat UNDER the capsized boat as much as lifting it over your coaming. It's all about leverage and it's easier to do than to describe, particularly if you use the method that David described of lifting the inverted boat with the edge of your coaming.

Having a high bow in your face and a boat rocking around on it's keel in your lap can be rather dangerous in rough water. I can't say I know of anyone who's gotten their nose broken or lost any teeth doing this, but the potential for such injuries certainly exists. By comparison, an inverted boat is more stable when it's resting across your deck, it helps stabilize the rescuer's boat and the bow is low and out of your face.

Another downside of the upright method is that dragging the narrow keel across a neoprene spray skirt is bound pinch it against the coaming and put holes in it. While that may be a less serious problem than the rescue at hand, it's still best avoided, as it can cause problems later on.

On the other hand, if pulling the boat across in the upright position is the only technique that works for you, it's defintely better than not being able to perform the rescue.

[bethany]

says this smaller paddler: there are certain boats I've found that no matter how far over I am and how committed to their bow, it is easier and faster for me to put them across my lap right side up and then flip them.

--b

[Ben Fuller]

We use the boat upright method all the time for doubles ( it's the only way) and for loaded singles. Also for people where the lift is challenging. Some people like Dale Evans in Georgia prefers it in the surf when rescuing novices as all he has to do is tell someone to right their boat and hang on. Requires no assistance. We have also found in very cold water with gloves it may be easier to pull the boat across when it's up right.

What ever works. I have done them with the rescuee crawling across my boat to the upright and stable boat when there was a rock wall involved.

First principles: commit to the other boat for stability.

Get in a spot that lets you help the rescuee climb on.

Practice both methods, upright and inverted.

Practice nose to tail and nose to nose.

Play with your boats.

[Rick crangle]

Dan, You can and should learn both ways of clearing a boat. Pulling the hulk on to your deck is a matter of what is easy and efficient. If you can do it the traditional way, boat deck down, then do it, but, if it is a laden boat, or a double, then by all means slide the boat up on your lap, and flip it. There is no sin in getting it on your deck whatever way you can, but don’t forgetting that the method of the traditional t-rescue was indeed developed to protect you. Not committing to the rescued boat with the close hand high on the upturned keel and the far hand under the nose is the down fall, or fall in, of most new to doing rescues. Also, how the boat is positioned and what side of the boat you are on is important. In current, or waves, you what to approach from below the rescue so as not to be pushed into the up turned boat and swimmer. Remember too, that the current can work against you if the boat you are trying to turn up is being pushing around, out of the 90 degree position, by the flow or the waves. Practice is the key. Have fun.

[dan_f]

Thanks to all who responded. The Sea Kayaker article is very good and as Ralph described. As David pointed out, the article recommends rotating the capsized boat upright at the bow before beginning the T-rescue. In the article, this rotation is illustrated with a kayak that has a fine and fairly flat bow that is easy and secure to grab even with small hands. As I learned last weekend, a bulbous, upturned bow is much harder to grasp securely in the initial engagement. A Currituck is easier to handle than a Susquehanna.

Dan

[djlewis]

>Another downside of the upright method is that dragging the

>narrow keel across a neoprene spray skirt is bound pinch it

>against the coaming and put holes in it.

It's a bit of a sidebar for this topic, but a couple of us asked Tom Bergh about that when practicing the pull-it-on-upright technique over the weekend. His answer -- he's used Kokotat sprayskirts for years and has never damaged one that way. Draw your own conclusions.

--David.

[bob budd]

>...expose the rigging...

Consider also that you may expose THE LACK OF rigging.

I would suggest that if you haven't already done so you should do a bow rescue/dip (your boat in motion) using an inverted boat, both empty and cockpit reasonably full of water. I believe you will find (as I did) that you can depend on the boat for all the buoyancy you need to right yourself. For me, this eliminated any hesitancy I had to "commit to the rescue".

I would first try to dump the boat inverted as it is safer as noted elsewhere in this thread. If you approach a large boat you might immediately choose to slide it on your deck upright after assessing conditions and risk. My (plastic) Easky weighs less than my (glass) Orion, i.e. glass can be heavy(ier). For each of us, the definition of large boat varies, so a bit of practice may be in order. The goal is to get the rescuee back in their boat as quickly as possible.

[christopherG]

i think that any boat participating in an NSPN trip should already have been exposed as "deck-rigging-less" at the beach briefing, surely? this is rare nowadays, although some home-built boats have no decklines.

[bob budd]

In Connecticut I saw one of Nick Schade's boats with recessed walnut-sized fittings for deck rigging that looked smart. I recently paddled with the owner of a Seda kayak that didn't have deck rigging (but has since been added). The point being that you can encounter unrigged boats commercially made and rigged boats home made.

However, the rescue being the subject of the thread I return there and would encourage a rescuer to proceed deliberately with a rescue to minimize the time the rescuee spends in the water. If the boat is upright and rigged and the seas are kind then upright on the deck she goes. If the boat is inverted then you know it has a bow and may not be rigged so grab the bow if its girth does not still your heart. The paddler, in this case the rescuer, is responsible to their own safety first and shouldn't risk injury nor proceed with an unfamiliar course.

[Brian Nystrom]

...which is why I brought it up. Unless you're willing to use a skirt with a heavy rubber rand and/or Kevlar reinforcements, you can expect damage, as neoprene does not hold up well when it's pinched between hard surfaces. Reinforced skirts are designed for plastic boats and can be difficult to get on and off of fiberglass coamings.