By Ray Goodwin

Thanks to Venture Canoes, NRS and Freebird Paddles. Side bags are by Tribal Bags (they also do great end bags). 

Ray Goodwin’s website:
www.RayGoodwin.com

Ray’s YouTube Channel is:
www.youtube.com/c/
RayGoodwinCanoe

Ray Goodwin’s self rescue for a Canoe

With the end of lockdowns, a lot of folks are going to be heading for the water. Some will be prepared; some unprepared, but worse of all, many will be unaware of the dangers. In March, most inland waters have reached their lowest temperatures and only in April do these begin to rise slowly. In May, both sea and inland waters are still cold. On a nice calm, sunny day in May, a lake and any water body can seem benign, and I often see inexperienced paddlers wearing shorts and t-shirts but with no buoyancy aid. If they end up in the water and then the problems hits.

Cold Water Shock

However we are dressed, an involuntary response is likely to hit us on immersion into cold water. We can end up with an uncontrolled gasp response, immediate constriction of surface blood vessels, increased heart rate and a surge in blood pressure. These are unpleasant effects for any of us but can, for some, lead to a heart attack or stroke. For most, these effects decline after a couple of minutes, but then the body will be cooling which will, if the situation is not resolved, eventually lead to hypothermia.

We are now in a race against time. Breathing will become more normal, but hands and limbs will be cooling quickly as the body works to maintain core temperature. In cold water, hands will start becoming clumsy within ten minutes, and our ability to use arms and legs will diminish. Swimming will become ineffective. Even in a drysuit, hands and limbs will be cooling quickly. The body is not yet hyperthermic, but we are losing the ability to do anything to help ourselves.

If we are in a group, then hopefully, others will affect our rescue. However, some of us travel as a single boat, solo or tandem, or in strong wind others may not be able to get back to us: using solo sailing rigs, this is a real risk. We need the ability to self-rescue when far from shore, and swimming will not save us.

Capistrano Flip

With a lighter boat and a good swimming kick, it is possible to get in under a capsized canoe and throw it over to become upright and dry Photo above right). As a tandem crew, it works well with the swimmers around the canoe’s centre. Solo, it is normally best to work close to one end and rely on the airbag at the other end; the canoe pivots over the airbag, and again, with enough kick and thrust from one arm, the canoe can be almost empty.

Anyone who has been in the water for an extended period and is suffering from hypothermia must be treated with extreme care. Water pressure on the legs will have squeezed blood out of circulation. People should not be raised vertically out of the water, as this will encourage blood quickly back into the legs; this can prove fatal. Medical assistance is required fast, and the casualty must be kept horizontal.

A tandem crew can assist each other to re-enter. A solo paddler relies on getting their legs to the surface and giving an almighty set of kicks, with one hand on the near gunwale to push and the other on the far side to pull. It is something I used to do myself, but with increasing years and weight, it no longer works for me (below).

Side Airbags

Fitting side airbags, common amongst canoe sailors, make self-rescue much easier (main photo above by Greg Spencer). These can be side bags typically sold for dinghy use. My own are custom made by Tribal Bags. I have then cut, so they don’t interfere with my kneeling positions for paddling (below).

Using a Counterweight to Assist Re-Entry

Turning the canoe back upright may not be easy, but that is the start of the process. The side airbags will allow for a drier boat after the righting. This may be enough for the more agile, and they can scramble in with a relatively dry boat. For some of us, it still is not easy. So I set my canoe up for using a counterweight (below). A loop of strong cord is preplaced around either end of the central thwart: not too long because of a creating a snagging hazard. Then I can use a heavy kit bag or a flooded drybag as the counterweight.

Using a kit bag for the job, the more weight in it, the easier the re-entry will be. First, the canoe is flipped upright, and then the kit bag is pulled back to the canoe (it was on a leash). It is then karabinered to the preprepared cord on the central thwart (two photos below).

Working around to the opposite side, you can now clamber in across the side airbag (below).

The kit bag is left attached and in the water to aid stability during some very quick bailing (below). It is often said that the most effective bailer is a frightened person with a bucket: I saw that in action partway into the first canoe crossing of the Irish Sea and will vouch for its truth.

Failing to carry a sufficiently heavy kit bag, I have an empty dry bag in the front of my canoe, which I fill with water as the counterweight. I don’t want to rely on the plastic clip, so two loops of the cord are fastened through close to the clips (below). Use a heavy-duty bag for this as I have seen light ones rip and become useless. It is not easy to fill the drybag with water, and care has to be taken as a water-filled drybag can sink; keep hold of it. Fill about three-quarters full and then roll down and fasten the bag, as usual, using the plastic clips. It needs to be closed to prevent the water from being squeezed out during the re-entry.

A karabiner is then used to clip the two cord loops on the bag (below) before clipping to the central thwart. Once all of this is done, and it takes time and effort, it is back around to the far side for the clamber in. Some would criticise the time taken, but it works, which matters to me in a survival situation.

Again, the canoe will be unstable, so I leave the flooded drybag in the water and generally put my weight slightly to the opposite side.

For many of us, self-rescue is not easy, but it is a vital skill to have. By its very nature, a solo accidental capsize is shocking. If it is into cold water, it will be many times more shocking. We need a well-practised plan that will work. The counterweight methods I use are by their nature slower, but for me, they are sure, and that is what counts.

Many thanks to www.lizzieharrington.com for assistance and ideas