Thank You

[p***@gmail.com]

Richard Alexander hosted an assisted rescue clinic or perhaps inquiry
would be a better description. It was fascinating.
We covered most forms of rescue that I am familiar with excluding any
form of a roll.

Mark Dykeman demonstrated a stirrup rescue that worked well.
I carry a stirrup but only in that near useless solid paddle float. I
have in the past carried a stirrup strap around my pump or tied to
the tow rope but after trying various rescues just dropped it because
it seamed more of a nuisance than valuable tool.
I found the stirrup strapped to the casualty boat torqued the boat and
made the rescuer work to stabilize a boat that was being twisted.
Using a variation with the stirrup strap looped over the paddle and
under the boat was an improvement but time consuming and not really a
great improvement.

HERE IS THE JUICE
Mark tied that strap to the rescue boat and ran the strap over the
casualty boat. The swimmer lifts them self onto their own boat with
the buoyancy coming from their own boat and stresses pushing down not
out.
The rescuer has both hands free to help hoist the swimmer aboard their
boat.
To overcome the advantage this effortlessly gives the swimmer would
have to be heavy enough to pull the rescuer and their boat over the
casualty boat. (Not happening).

I have never seen this rescue arrangement in any book, movie or
article that I have read.
Perhaps its there but I think this is a Mark Dykeman initiative.

I will be carrying a stirrup from now on.
Thanks Mark and Richard.

Alex

[Kuviasuktok]

Yes it was a worthwhile and informative evening. Stan has a picture
on his blog (plug here for your excellent blog Stan) and you can see
it at www.kayakingdreamin.blogspot.com/

We'll refer to this rescue as the Dykeman stirup rescue?

But, don't throw away your solid paddle float yet Alex! I think we
can agree that a self-rescue with a strap can be problematic because
the boat wants to tip towards the side you're trying to climb back
into. What if you whipped your solid paddle float onto your paddle
like a paddle float recovery but then loop the strap around the
combing as a stirup to climb back into the boat (same side as
outrigged paddle)? This would help with the boat being more stable as
the boat won't tip as much and help paddlers with poor upper body
strength. I don't think the extra few seconds to put the solid paddle
float on would add significantly to self-rescue time. An inflateable
paddle float may add to much in the water time.

Comments?

Think I'll write a song - "Ode to the solid paddle float" *lmao*

Tony :-)

[Alex McGruer]

I will be hanging on to the solid float: It makes a good fender.
Sandy can use it easily as he is a little lighter than me.
The inflatable works for Cecilia.
The Dykeman Stirrup Rescue is a good name.

It ws fun.