A deep water rescue performed by two rescuers who empty
the victim's boat by see sawing it across a paddle bridge formed
between the two boats.
The most successful rescue in really rough conditions is the 'HI'
(so called because of the position of the kayaks), also known
as the Ipswich. During the rescue the paddles are under control;
the kayaks form a close raft giving stability, and the man in
the water, besides being able to help considerably with the rescue,
need never lose contact with the rescue kayaks. The rescuing paddlers
position themselves at either side of the upturned bow about a
yard apart, facing into the swell. The three paddles forming a
bridge across the boats, the bow of the upturned boat is lifted
high so that the cockpit clears the water.
Helped by the man in the water, the kayak is then fed backwards
over the paddles and rested on its cockpit coaming, where it can
be seesawed by the rescuers. They are assisted by the man in the
water, who supports himself on one of the bows while pushing upwards
and then pulling down, thus emptying the kayak. The boat is turned
the right way up, put on to the water, pushed forwards, then back
under the paddles into the re-entry raft position. To execute
a rear deck re-entry, the paddIes can be kept across the boats
or pushed out of the way. The positions of the rescuers' arms
are also variable. They can hold either side of the cockpit or
they can be crossed over each other, one hand of each man grasping
the opposite side of the cockpit coaming, thus making a stronger
link. Practice will help the individual decide which is best.
The patient comes between his own kayak and one of the rescuing
boats, places his hands on the apex of both decks - his afterdeck
and the other's foredeck - the head is thrown back level with
the water, the legs are hooked into the cockpit, the behind is
raised up and entry is accomplished by an ungainly forward wiggle.
The rescuers keep supporting the raft until the spray cover is
firmly secured. From the positioning of the kayaks to the finish
of the rescue should take about one minute during practice on
calm water. I practise this in a swimming pool, creating artificial
waves by tossing a boat up and down in the shallow end, while
helpers splash with paddles all around the deep end and the odd
sadist throws buckets of water over the participants for added
realism. Some points to remember on open water:
1. Be quick! The man in the water may freeze.
2. It is better to lift the bow first, because there should be
more buoyancy in the back half of the kayak. For all methods of
rescue the boat must be full of buoyancy. I was going to go on
to say that if you did have inadequate buoyancy, you deserve all
you get, but unfortunately someone else gets it. You won't have
the job of lifting your own waterlogged kayak, although you will
have to spend much longer freezing to death in the water while
someone else does the struggling.
3. The man in the water must at no time lose contact with the
rescue group if conditions are windy. His kayak and those of the
two rescuers can be blown away faster than he can swim after them.
So hang on to at least one boat at all times.
4. Re-entry can sometimes be a problem.
The person in the water must remember to tuck his/her spray cover
out of the way before hoisting himself up on to his rear deck.
A rear deck carrying equipment, together with all the attendant
elastics, ropes and hooks, can present a man whose legs are straddled
across a flat Eskimo deck with untold problems as he tries to
hitch him/herself forwards towards the cockpit. Considerable strain
is sometimes placed on the rescuers' arms when the patient raises
himself from the water on to the back deck.
