Inverseyourself

I took a 5 day WW-"Intensive Course" at Zoar in 2001. Zoar is an excellent school with high-class instructors (at least back then) in western Mass on the Deerfield River and got me rolling (C-to-C) in Class II WW in one morning. I was briefly hooked but was only able to run WW on 3 more days with instructors on the Deerfield in 2003. During my last run of the Zoar Gap, class (II-III), I suffered a concussion while drifting through the gap upside down after an early capsize, hitting my helmeted head twice in short succession on two submerged rocks that back then were called "hammer and anvil". I had been warned about those but, once inverted, seemed to be magnetically drawn to them. Since I had just become a father, I put further adventures on hold, except for one beautiful day paddle on the Na Pali Coast in Kauaii, although that was in a tandem. In spring 2013, I started researching sea kayaking, which up to then I had deemed a sport for geezers in dorky hats. Somehow, I had discovered the sporty side of it. I bought some instructional DVDs and eventually rented a sea kayak on a hot summer day in Gloucester. The folks there apparently thought that I looked like I knew what I was doing...I didn't really, at least not in practice. I launched at Lane's Cove and made my way to the southern tip of Crane's. On my way there I made sure I still had my roll. On the way back, I became a little cocky and chose the direct line from Crane's southern tip to Lane's Cove, further out to sea. I was thinking of testing my roll that far out but instinct prevailed and I didn't. Once I was closer to the beach, I capsized on purpose and...fell out of the boat (nylon spray skirt). I knew the theory of Cowboy rescue and made it to (not into) the cockpit several times. With waves picking up, I capsized again and again. Being the stupid, ignorant and self-conscious beginner that I was, I declined offers from a passing jet-skier to assist me back into my boat. After several more unsuccessful attempts, I started feeling tired and began swimming the boat towards the rocky shore. At some point, someone from a million-dollar mansion took pity and paddled out in his kayak to assist me. Since I was loaded with theory, I was able to talk him through an assisted rescue and eventually made it back to Lane's Cove, humiliated but much the wiser for it. Shortly thereafter, I read Deep Trouble, realizing that my story would have had the potential for an additional chapter. On Columbus day '13, I bought my first boat from Tom and hooked up with NSPN. And now I can't wait for spring to go out on the ocean with you guys again.

Welcome Bob: For me, one of the most important skills to learn early on during your paddling career, in fact, the very first skill to learn, is practicing a wet exit with a spray skirt on. You can do dry runs on land: Practice tucking your upper body forward and then release the spray skirt via its handle with EITHER hand by pulling FORWARD and up (or down when you're upside down). Also practice peeling the side of the sprayskirt off with one hand without using the handle (in case you inadvertendly tuck the spray skirt handle inside the cockpit). Practice all this on land (at home?) with eyes closed. Make sure your sprayskirt has the right fit for your cockpit coaming, neither too tight nor too loose (at the beginning, err on the side of loose). Next, take all this to the pool and practice there. From my own experience, I can tell you that there is nothing more sobering than finding yourself upside down and entrapped in the cockpit. Unless you practice a wet exit in a controlled environment, you just won't know how you will react, especially when, either in the pool or in the real world, you capsize unexpectedly without "setting up" the capsize intentionally. Make a habit of always checking that the sprayskirt handle is outside the cockpit and check whether the other paddlers in your group have theirs on the outside as well. This will become second nature eventually.

Besides, if a group of paddlers gets caught in a tricky situation and only one paddler has the Rescue-ME-ME-ME-Balloon and ends up using it (think "Wheeeeeeeeeeee"), the post-incident pow-wow might become a little uncomfortable for that person.

If you use helium, take a few deep breaths before getting on the radio. The CG will get all excited about rescuing Mickey Mouse!

Leon, I perfectly understood. That's how my toggles are configured, as rescue tools, not as carrying handles. Yes, I meant that carrying the kayak on the toggles weakens them. I'm on the same page

Great write-up, Rick! What's always fascinating in stories like yours is that, while a paddler is in the process of dying in the surf, beach-walkers mere yards away are often oblivious to the danger that people that appear to be "just frolicking a little in the waves" are or that beach-goers are oblivious to the presence of such people. Regarding toggles: Tom told me, upon purchase of my first boat, not to use the toggles to carry the boat, for the very reason you quote, that it may one day save your a.. and more. Most paddlers I've paddled with grip the hull itself when carrying the boat but I have seen some carry on the toggles. I myself have "slipped" a few times in this regard but will try to faithfully avoid my toggles for boat-carries in the future. Of course, one option would be to regularly renew the toggle cords.

Very much looking forward to this!

Total eye candy (but not a Speedy Launch) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lORyUMUUIxM

Might still be handy in bear country...if you leave the other paddlers behind.

Maybe Warren should start practicing this before his next adventure in bear country (here we go again...)!

Hi Lisa Weather for Salem Sound doesn't look bad, especially after Noon, with winds dropping to 5-10 kn and temps predicted around 50. Kevin might join us but can only do BIW at 1:30. Are you still interested?

And we should introduce mandatory GoPro documentation of the carnage as well as a copy of the doctor's note. Anyone can make up stuff

Lynch Park in Beverly, of course!

Hi Lisa. I was hoping to go out of Manchester Harbor tomorrow. Unfortunately, the latest predictions of SW 10-15 kn with gusts up to 25 kn with a resulting SCA are suboptimal. Let's look at NOAA tomorrow morning. If conditions lighten up, we could get in touch and maybe mess around Manchester Harbor and surroundings taking in at Tuck's Point or from Lynch Park in Salem. Andy

Rob, sorry the trip had to be cancelled but please keep posting. I won't be able to join next WE. The one after that is already booked as well (wink, wink) but I'm sure the coming winter will offer many opportunities for you to lead.

Did they start throwing bags containing white powder overboard as the CG was approaching?

As you all know, there are GPS-capable VHFs (e.g.Standard Horizon HX 851 with GPS and DSC). You can read the lat-lon off the monitor as you are talking to people. I guess that in rougher seas you would probably want to avoid managing two electronic devices (VHF and i-phone) while trying not to capsize and managing the emergency at hand. Of course I'm stating the obvious. Above device can also give you your speed and can be a GPS (with waypoints and all) and functions as a "light" beacon because of its DSC-function, of course not equivalent to PLB. It's a little more pricey but then again not too pricey considering what you get. Only negative, it's rather clunky but fits well in my Astral front "hand warmer pocket" (I learned this from Phil) without any issues during rescues (including cowboy).

Now all we need is to get to see it, too. Please.

The Storm is a 680 blade, a little smaller than the 700 X-range. I love my Storm as an all round blade, although it feels sometimes almost too light. Just picked up a 210 Carbon Corryvrecken(for under 300$), curious how it'll serve me in lumpy stuff.

Hope to make it!

In the end....exactly what Ed said. Mess around with your boat and eat Swedish Fish!

Sorry, 220 Tooksook. You'd end up with a 210 Corry (probably shorter since the shaft length difference is probably > 10 cm looking at the photo)

Fish form: less positive pressure along the hull forward to the broadest point because broadest point is more forward. Swede form: more positive pressure along the hull forward to the broadest point because broadest point is more aft. Could the reason be that, because of above stated, fish form is directionally more stable (i.e. turns less easily) and Swede form directionally more unstable (i.e turns easier) and that for that reason a more "passive" stern blade maneuver fits an easier turning Swede form and a more "active" forward blade maneuver fits the less easily turning fish form? Just blurting out crazy stuff here.

Thanks for the pic, Michael. I'm trying to figure out what this means in practice. Of course, these paddles are for very different styles, the Tooksook a cruising paddle for lower angle style, the Corry an aggressive high angle surf/lumpy water paddle. Now, if one assumes that a certain paddler gets the Tooksook blade completely immersed (maybe even more than that depending how "wingy" he paddles) with each stroke (let's leave aside the style to achieve that), as a paddle blade should be, shortening the Corry-shaft to at least the Tooksook shaft length or even shorter (accounting for high angle) should immerse the Corry's blade fully - i.e. give you what you want from your paddle. The Tooksook's shaft length looks (I didn't check online) at least 10 cm longer than the Corry's. You would then end with an overall ~ 205 paddle and should still be fine if you comfortably paddle a 215 cm Tooksook. That certain paddler could then conclude that he is paddling way too long a Tooksook. I guess what that all means is that you should compare shaft length, not overall paddle length, because in the end you will immerse the paddle to where it meets the shaft and the distance from hand to blade should remain the same across paddles once you have found that very distance for yourself. You probably said that all along Michael but I had to clarify it for myself. Of course I could be way off with above analysis and wasted 10 minutes of my time and 3 (?) minutes of any reader's.

I can do acute seasickness leading to projectile vomiting with violent convulsions leading to simultaneous bilateral shoulder subluxation leading to capsize leading to entrapment leading to (after successful hand of god) extreme, confused combativeness and general rambunctiousness and malevolent behavior for the remainder of the rescue all the way through simulated choking at the 3PO. I think that at the level of 4* and above, "failing" is just, as you said Rob, identifying your weaknesses and working on them for the next assessment. In that sense, your 4* assessment was just another training course. 4* is probably something that one doesn't want to "just" pass (not saying you would have "just" passed). All you have after that are 4 * to your name and maybe not enough skill to do what you're supposed to do, lead (unless you become an undercover 4*). Andy (who's working on 1*)