The Capsize Drill for a Closed Cockpit #Kayak & Kayuta Lake

Kayuta Lake Trip Report

By Matt Stephens

Capsizing and Escaping from a Closed Cockpit Kayak - The Basic and First Procedure

Introduction

When kayaking one of the most crucial things to be able to do is escape from your kayak should you need to, for example if you capsize and are unable to roll back up and there is no one else in the vicinity to rescue you (using a T Rescue, or often called an Eskimo Rescue).

Before setting out on the water the correct equipment should be worn; buoyancy aid (life jacket), helmet, warm clothing - dry, semi dry kagool or clothing to protect from elements (sun, rain, wind), appropriate foot wear. Other optional equipment includes a spray deck (covering the cockpit, stopping water to enter the kayak) in the form of cloth or neoprene.

The Capsize and Escape Drill (in a scenario)

You are out paddling on the river with your local kayak club on mild water (grade 1 - 2) and find you loose balance within some moving water and consequently end upside down. You have not yet learnt to self rescue (screw roll, hand roll) yourself back up.

1) Don't panic - doing so will reduce the amount of time you are able to hold your breath and may also lead to mistakes. Relax...that's the key.

2) When the kayak's settled in the water (ie. not still rolling over) its time for the most important part of the drill, Three loud bangs on the bottom of the kayak. To do this simply lean forwards (moving your head towards the spray deck) and reaching your hands out of the water onto the base of the kayak, in the middle of the cockpit area. From here bang three times.

This allows other kayakers near to you to be aware of your situation and take appropriate action.

This could lead to your being rescued in the form of an Eskimo Rescue.

3) Next, whilst remaining leant forward, move your hands into the same position as the three bangs stage above. This time however, bring your hands further towards the front of the kayak (around level with the front of your cockpit) whilst keeping them out of the water. They should now be positioned to the side of the kayak.

Now whilst holding this position, move your hands so that the palms of your hand are facing you (meaning your little finger is touching the kayak on both sides). Now move both hands down to the rear of the kayak, slowly, whilst keeping them out of the water as if you were directing a lorry reversing into a space.

Once your hands are level with the rear of the cockpit (around level with the back of your seat), turn your palms around so that they now face the front of the kayak. Then move them in a Reciprocating fashion, back and forth from front to back. See diagram below.

See diagram: http://www.eveshampaddlesport.co.uk/images/capsize_hand.jpg

This may seem silly but this allows you to find the nose of a kayak should someone try to Eskimo Rescue you by bringing their kayak in a T Shape to yours.

If this were a Eskimo Rescue you'd now pull yourself from the other kayakers kayak back up.

Lets continue as if there was no-one to rescue you, meaning you now need to escape the kayak and get wetter.

4) Pull the loop/strap/hoop at the front of your cockpit which is attached to your spray deck (the device that stops water entering your kayak).

This releases your deck, and water will start to enter your kayak. Don't panic!

5) Next whilst remaining in your kayak move your hands to behind the rear of your seat, with one hand either side of the kayak.

Push off from here using your hands, and you will naturally pivot out of your kayak in a sort of side ways "U" Shape.

6) You are now swimming in the water, whilst keeping hold of your paddle and kayak swim to the nearest or safest get out point (such as a slipway or fishing platform) and make an egress.

Note: whilst swimming a fellow kayaker may be able to empty your kayak of water and get you back in whilst still remaining on the river. This is called an "X Rescue".

Empty kayak and keep warm, by wrapping up and keeping out of the wind.

Matt Stephens

Evesham Paddlesport, 2007

[http://www.eveshampaddlesport.co.uk]

The Vale of Evesham's Kayak and Canoe Club

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Matt_Stephens/71519
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Capsize-Drill-for-a-Closed-Cockpit-Kayak&id=422220

Uncover the #Outdoor Adventurer in You

Camillus Kayak Shop Demo Day May 29th 2016

By Brian Ramsey

As a young person you were fascinated by the articles in National Geographic magazine and you yearned to be like the individuals in the articles. Even now, as you are older, you enjoy watching Discovery channel and Animal Planet and secretly wish you were one of the characters in the show, taking part in an outdoor adventure. Despite these desires you never seem to have the outdoor adventures you yearn for.

Limited finances, pressures of work, family responsibilities are the reasons you give yourself for not being able to explore the outdoors. None of these should be reasons to prevent you from uncovering the outdoor adventurer that lies within you. Instead of seeking the big adventure you can have a series of small outdoor adventures that will fulfill the yearning for adventure

The question some may ask is where and how do I experience these smaller adventures. The opportunity for an outdoor adventure exists in every location. Every locality usually has a local hiking club and the majority of these clubs are usually happy to have non-members along for a small fee. In addition to hiking clubs there is sometimes a local field naturalist club that organises field trips that non-members can participate in. Hiking is a good way to experience nature and at the same time provide the body with valuable exercise. Some people may think that the years of sitting in front of the television will prevent them from undertaking the rigors of a strenuous hike. Most hiking clubs rate their hikes with a scale ranging from Easy to Challenging. You can start with the easy hikes and over time build to the challenging hikes.

Many hikes are day hikes so you can take one day out of your weekend to be an outdoor enthusiast and still have time for your family responsibilities. An advantage of participating with a hiking club is the safety and security of being with an organised group that knows the trails, thus preventing you from getting lost.

Another great way to experience the outdoors is kayaking. When the term kayaking is used, many immediately think of fast rushing water , navigating large boulders and the heart stopping adrenaline rush of white water kayaking. Kayaking is not however only white water, there are many slow moving rivers, large lakes and sheltered bays where a pleasurable morning or afternoon can be spent paddling. In most areas where there is a sizable body of water, local kayak shops or outfitters can be found. These kayak shops will often have boats available for rental and sometimes organize kayaking expeditions on weekends.

Some individuals are scared of kayaks because they have never used them. Learning the basics of kayaking is however very simple and can be done with a few minutes of instruction. Once the basics have been learned and equipped with a personal flotation device (life jacket) an entire realm of nature viewing is opened up along streams, in ponds and in sheltered bays.

An overnight or weekend camping trip is yet another opportunity for the outdoor enthusiast to awaken that adventurous spirit. You may think that camping requires having plenty of camping equipment, but that is not applicable in every situation. A very good article, Surviving Camping Equipment Overload - How to Manage on a Small Budget, can be found at the Outdoors Trinidad web site. A camping trip is also an opportunity to have other family members participate in your outdoor adventure.

Another opportunity for having family members participate in outdoor activities is a cycling trip. This can be a weekend trip or just a day spent cycling along country roads. One of the great things about a family cycling outing is that you proceed at your own pace. If an interesting bird or animal is seen you can stop to observe and then resume your ride.

So go ahead and organize your mini adventures and uncover the outdoor adventurer in you.

Brian Ramsey operates the web site, Outdoors Trinidad, and is the author of the CD, Discovering the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Brian_Ramsey/70403
http://EzineArticles.com/?Uncover-the-Outdoor-Adventurer-in-You&id=415617

#Kayaking Footwear

Camillus Kayak Shop Demo Day 2016

Author: Jakob Jelling

Kayaking footwear comes in several different designs, to keep your feet safe and, in some cases, warm.

Kayaking will obviously not require the same type of footwear that you would wear to the store or on the street. However, since you will not always be in the kayak (eventually you're going to have to come back to land and get out of it), you'll probably want to have some sort of shoes just in case you have to come back to a rougher part of the beach. You don't want to hurt your feet just because you have been in a kayak.

Something to keep in mind about regular shoes, of course, is that they tend to be fairly heavy. Therefore, if you end up using a regular pair of shoes, you will probably be adding unnecessary weight to your feet. Part of the reason that you're adding extra weight is that regular shoes do not repel water in the same way that water footwear would. The other down side do this is that your regular shoes will also not dry out very quickly at all. In fact, you'll probably be stuck with wet shoes for a long time after you finally get done kayaking.

The best type of footwear for kayaking is more like a slipper. These shoes might not be waterproof, but if you are in water that is too cold for your feet, you should probably look into getting a dry suit that covers your feet as well.

The nice thing about these slipper shoes is that as soon as you step out of the water, most of it will drain away. The result is that you are left with damp but not too soggy shoes which will probably dry out fairly quickly. The other thing that you get with this footwear instead of going barefoot is that you'll know that your feet are being protected each time you step on the bottom - and considering that you can never be quite sure what is just under the sand, this is probably a good thing.

However, if the slipper footwear is not right for you, several other companies offer sandals that might suit your needs as well. While sandals will not close over your feet in the same way, they will still be able to protect your feet from anything that happens to be under the sand.

You can also purchase socks for kayaking which will keep your feet warm.

About the author

Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.kayakhelp.com. Please visit his complete kayaking guide for all skills and ages.

How to Take a #Kayak Vacation

By Shannon Clark

More and more people are starting to look into active vacation pursuits, and kayak vacations offer the perfect opportunity to do so.

While there are always a number of hiking vacations that you can go on, a kayak vacation offers something different - something that you may never have done much of before. When you're out on the water in your kayak you will experience something you've never experienced before and see many new sights that go unseen to land travelers.

Budget Your Kayak Vacation

The first thing you should know is that it's going to be important that you properly budget for this vacation. If you're on a more restricted budget and trying to make the trip as cheap as possible, you'll want to find a river that is located somewhere closer to home, no further than an hour and a half of a drive.

This allows you to visit the river for a day trip and return home at night, saving the costs of evening accommodation.

If you have a wider budget, then you have many different options. There are a variety of places that offer kayak vacations in America such as the Great Lakes, Florida, the Florida Keys, California, the Carolinas, and New York.

Other places in the world that you may want to consider are Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, which offers many beautiful rivers to travel to.

Plan In Advance

It's also very important that you're planning your kayaking vacation well in advance. If you're choosing an actual vacation package, these often book up very fast, so it's a good idea to reserve your place at least a month in advance. This also allows you to take advantage of any discount packages that are going on and see when the best of the year to visit is.

Research Ahead

Finally, like any other vacation you're going to go on, it's a smart move to spend a bit of time researching the area ahead of time so you can plan out everything you want to do while you're there.

Since it's doubtful you will spend all your time out on the water kayaking, this will allow you to take in whatever else the area has to offer and make it a more complete vacation.

So keep these points in mind. Taking a kayak vacation is one of the best getaways you can go on, but it's important to plan ahead.

For more helpful tips, please check out my website on kayak vacations [http://www.kayakalberta.com].

We offer nutrition, fitness, and river tips, all found at [http://www.kayakalberta.com].

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Shannon_Clark/125749
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Take-a-Kayak-Vacation&id=2879255

Extreme #Kayaking

By Kevin McNally

If you are finding canoing a little staid, have you ever considered giving extreme kayaking a go? Along with white-water kayaking, you may want to give sea kayaking or kayak racing a try.

Certainly, for any of the above forms of kayaking you will need to have the right sorts of equipment. The most important thing is that you actually have the right sort of kayak. As you will soon discover that, the kayaks used for racing are somewhat different in design from those used for either sea or white-water kayaking.

A race kayak is designed for use in flat water and is much longer and narrower than other styles of kayak. This is because they often only need to be paddled in one direction in a straight-line. As for white-water kayaks, these are generally far shorter than race or sea kayaks as they need to be maneuvered very quickly in order to avoid hazards that white-water rapids are likely to throw up at them.

Another difference between white-water and racing kayaks is the shape of the hull on the white-water ones they come with a planing hull. This means that if at any time the kayak is hit by a wave instead of it pushing it to one side it actually causes the kayak to be lifted out of the water. This gives the appearance as if the kayak is actually skipping over the surface of the water and makes it easier for the person in it to do tricks.

For more information visit Kayaking information [http://www.kayakingtips.org/kayaking-information.html] and Extreme Kayaking [http://www.kayakingtips.org/extreme-kayaking.html]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Kevin_McNally/6861
http://EzineArticles.com/?Extreme-Kayaking&id=1117653

Teaching Your Children to #Paddleboard

Opening Banquet 2016 Sunday, April 24, 2016 

 Mark your calendars. The CNY Kayakers Annual Opening Season Banquet will be held at Fisher Bay Restaurant.  The price is $20 all inclusive and we include membership for the renewing members who RSVP in time. We will gather between 12:00 and 1:00 PM. Dinner is at 1:00 PM.

More Banquet Information

Teaching Your Children to #Paddleboard

A popular water sport, mainly among teens and young adults, paddle boarding is also a child friendly activity that is fairly easy for kids to pick up and excel at. As long as your children have basic swimming skills and are comfortable in and around water, teaching them to paddleboard is going to be quite simple and a lot of fun! Here are some tips to get you started.

Start With Safety

First and foremost, ensure your child is wearing a certified life jacket when learning any new child friendly activity involving water. Safety always comes first! You will be starting your son or daughter out in shallow water, but a life jacket is going to make any tumbles off a paddle board that much safer, and really, it’s just good practice for water sports.

Second, ensure you are teaching the skills of paddle boarding in not only shallow water, but in an area that is calm and a safe distance away from waves, currents, boats and swimmers that may be in the area. This is going to allow for the safest conditions to teach and minimise distractions, as well as protect swimmers from a possible projected paddleboard in the event of a fall.

Get Equipped

Once you have obtained a paddleboard, through purchase or rental, equip your kids with child sized paddles. Although paddle boarding is a child friendly activity, child sized paddles can be challenging to come by so an adult paddle that can be adjusted down to child’s size will work also. Show them how to hold the paddle shaft with two hands instead of the proper adult position of one hand on top of the paddle handle.

Tip: don’t forget the sunblock, sunglasses and sun hat to protect your child from the sun while out on the water.

Start With Kneeling

Start with having your ‘students’ kneel on the paddleboard before attempting to stand, to give them a feel for the water beneath the board. This is a good time to teach your children the basic skills of paddle boarding, including the forward paddle stroke and buoy-turn, and have them practice paddling while still in a kneeling position. Give them some practice time while still on their knees until they feel ready to take it to the next level and stand.

Time to Stand!

Help the little ones stand to their feet by stabilising the paddleboard until they are up and balanced. Stand by and spot them as they continue to balance and begin to practice the skills they learned while kneeling. Standing close to your children’s paddleboards will also help you keep them away from other activities that may be happening in the water nearby that could threaten to interfere.

Paddle boarding is a child friendly activity that is pretty easy to teach, but you may want to consider signing your offspring up for a lesson if you lack experience and are unfamiliar with the strokes. Any place that rents paddleboards will most likely offer a beginners’ class to get the kids started. You may also want to consider taking a lesson together, so you can enjoy the day together out on the water on paddleboards!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Richard Edwards is the Managing Director of Summit & Blue, an adventure holiday company offering independently crafted child friendly activity holidays to exciting destinations around the world, including France, Italy, Portugal, the USA and Canada. With unique itineraries and exciting activities like biking, hiking, white water rafting and canoeing, we create holidays for those looking for an experience a little more off the beaten track.

Is it Okay to Sea #Kayak Without an Eskimo Roll?

Join us at Camillus Kayak Shop Demo Day 2016

By Gary Ward

Sea kayaking has mushroomed as a personal water sport over the last two decades. More and more people own kayaks and paddle regularly. Sea kayaking lets you get close to the water and close to the shore in places that are very difficult or impossible on foot or even in other small boats. But kayakers are prone to several potential dangers. Being prepared for the dangers is important. Knowing how to self-rescue is a basic skill that all sea kayakers need to know, and those out paddling on their own really must know and practice self-rescues to make sure that they are prepared for getting themselves out of tricky situations. As a sea kayak guide, I want to help teach others how to kayak safely and responsibly.

Rescue skills are a cornerstone of sea kayaking skills, along with boat preparation, paddling skills, navigation, and weather prediction. Upcoming articles will deal with the other four cornerstone skills, but today, we will concentrate on rescues, particularly self-rescues.

Most committed sea kayakers are proud when they perform their first roll. After the first, the next rolls come easier, until the kayaker figures out that the roll is only in one direction, on one side, usually the strongest side. Then the whole process starts over again for the off-side roll. Eventually, the roll on either side gets good. But a set up roll does not mean that a kayaker can roll when something happens unexpectedly. Usually, the first few necessary rolls are blown, until the renewed rolling practice starts incorporating more unexpected obstacles to rolling back up. More practice in more difficult scenarios then leads toward a "bombproof" roll. This is one of the ultimate goals of a committed kayaker because it is the quickest and easiest self-rescue for a capsize.

Being able to roll is not absolutely necessary for a committed sea kayaker, however. Self-rescues line up on a continuum of effort and difficulty, and relate to the types of seas a kayaker wants to paddle in. If you are a kayaker that paddles only on a small lake that is calm 95% of the time, the ability to roll is not really necessary; however, if you are regularly paddling in 1+ meter swell, breaking waves, currents, and surf, then you really need the roll. The more dynamic the water you paddle in, the greater the need for multiple self-rescue techniques, and especially a roll. Most committed sea kayakers learn at least four techniques for self-rescue.

The "cowboy scramble" is a technique of climbing back into the kayak from the back. It is easier said than done. Climbing onto the kayak while preventing it from tipping over again requires practice. It is possible to clear the cockpit of most of the water before trying to scramble back in. This is an advantage. It does not require any rolling skills, just a bit of practice with keeping balance and supporting stability with paddle techniques. The cowboy scramble is effective and fairly quick, so it is a good technique.

The paddle float rescue is the next non-rolling rescue. Some kayaks have a clip-in padded seat that can also serve as a paddle float. But most need to have a paddle float brought with them. There are foam paddle floats inside special bags that the paddle blade fits into, and there are inflatable paddle floats. Each type has its advantages and disadvantages. A bagged foam paddle float is ready to use in a few seconds. It comes off the boat and fits onto a paddle blade. The other paddle blade is attached to straps behind the seat, with the whole paddle/float system now acting as an outrigger to assist re-entry into the kayak. A blow up paddle float takes us less space and has excellent flotation, but it has to be blown up while in the water. This is not always so easy. After it is blown up, it is treated just like the bagged foam system. Unfortunately, a paddle float rescue can be time-consuming and tiring. But it is relatively easy and works well in most situations.

A re-enter and roll rescue assumes that a first roll attempt has been blown and you had to exit the kayak. With rolling skills, a re-enter and roll rescue is good because it can be quick. It involves pulling the kayak onto its side, inserting the legs up to getting the rear end on the kayak seat, and then rolling up. The last stage usually has the head under the water, but it can be done quickly, and the whole process can be repeated if the attempt fails. It has the advantage of being quick, but the disadvantage of leaving a lot of water in the cockpit to pump or bail out.

The last rescue to discuss is the assisted rescue. If you are kayaking with others or just happen to bail out of your kayak while someone else is kayaking by, another person can assist you back into your kayak. Assisted rescues are part of essential rescue skills and need to be learned as a responsible kayaker.

When do you need a particular set of rescue skills? Assisted rescues, the "cowboy scramble" self-rescue, and the paddle float self-rescue are essential for everyone. Deciding to learn to roll will often depend on the types of water you paddle in and whether you ever paddle alone. If you want to be a solo paddler in waters that can or do have waves and currents, learning how to roll is strongly recommended. If you only ever paddle with others on calm waters, assisted rescue techniques and the two non-rolling self-rescues are adequate. As a guide, I want people to be able to use good judgment and think through potential problems on any sea kayak trip, whether it is for a couple of hours or a multi-day trip lasting several months.

No matter what level you are paddling, rescue practice is absolutely essential. Human beings do what we are trained to do in stressful situations. Learn how to do rescues from a highly skilled kayaker or professional so that you get the best techniques, then practice those techniques. After practicing them, you can put them to bed until the next season. Drag them back out and practice them again at the beginning of each new season. Make it fun and you will want to do it every time you go out! If you want to move on to the level of rolling, get help learning the body motions to roll. A good way to learn to roll is to connect with a group of river, or whitewater kayakers. They play in very dynamic waters and have rolling down to an everyday, mundane thing to do. I know a lot of my sea kayak paddling skills, including my roll, from doing whitewater kayaking on the side.

Ultimately, rolling a sea kayak is not absolutely necessary, but being able to rescue others and yourself is absolutely necessary. There are effective ways to do that without a roll, and you judgment needs to come into play to help you decide which techniques are best for you in your sea kayaking activity. Knowing and practicing safety steps makes for better paddling and can be a fun part of the activity. Building time into the beginning of your season to practice can make it a more enjoyable, as well as safer, paddling season for you and those you paddle with. So, get out there, practice your rescues, and have fun paddling your waterways.

Gary Ward has been leading trips and teaching in wilderness areas for 20 years. Having traveled from desert to sea, he spends most of his time now in coastal areas, exploring the boundary between land and sea, land and sky, and sea and sky.
He can be found leading tours, teaching, and writing for his business, Coastal Bliss Adventures.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Gary_Ward/585422

http://EzineArticles.com/?Is-it-Okay-to-Sea-Kayak-Without-an-Eskimo-Roll?&id=4118446