So we were paddling yesterday and as we put in a paddler dashed through our group and asked us to watch his boat. Apparently his paddling partner had taken a particularly nasty swim, he ended up in an ambulance for a bit. Further down river another one of our friends was just about to set up and play on a very nice wave when he saw the swimmers boat go by so he grabbed his gear and bolted down river and set the boat on shore. When we met up with our friend we decided to continue down river and pick up the boat and take is back to work. We work at one of the larger paddling shops in the area.

So my real question is..... our friend essentially took off alone to rescue this boat. he is a very good paddler and the section was well within his ability but should he have gone off by himself? Second, how much beer do you think the guy owes us .

my point of view if he could do it and could release the boat if it capsizes he should be ok. On the the beer i would at least expect 2 cases

A bottle of Absinth!

and

I'd say he should have gone down with him. You never know what will happen when you paddle alone. You just never know.

Paddle safe,
Boe

Wasn't actually with him when the boat went by. Our run ended at the wave so we went to get it after.

I think if you know the section of river ahead and your buddy needs you go for it, I had a swim on the weekend and my 13 yr old buddy chased my boat down a fast section of gr2/3 river not massive I know but he didn't have his deck on, without his help it would have been a long walk to fish the boat out of the resovouir the river fed into.

Oh man I am not sure where my karma is going to take me on this one, it all comes down to two things I reccon 1 the paddlin etiquette and 2 judgement call.

1/ The etiquette. I rescued this guys boat after he bailed, someone on the shore then pulled it out, but I could not get out at that spot and ended up about half a K down from where the boat was pulled so I had to walk with my boat about 1.5k back to where I had started with the boat. Not one person came to make sure I had got out ok and the guy whos boat it was did not come and help or even say thanks. I am afraid I saw red (not proud of that) I found the guy and told him exactly what I thought about him not checking my safety and not saying thanks let alone offering to help me with my boat. This I thought was bloody rude so I told him. Damn did that screw my karma two days later I got pinned then after self rescue lost the boat, serves me right I am thinking should not have shat the other guy out. All the rescue gear was in my boat but we flagged down some other kayakers who helped us get the boat out (2 hours). That night I found where these guys were staying and dropped off two cases of beer and two bottles of wine to say thanks and drove about 40K to get there. Was this just my guilt or the right thing to do? In a nutshell does someone have to say thanks or is it something that we should just do for karma and good sport? if we expect beer and loads of thanks does that just screw karma and mean we are in for it next time...


2/ Judgment Call. Participating in a dangerous sport is one for individual choice any decission you make rightly or wrongly is down to your choice, should you chase a boat down river on your own? probably not, but, if you come out of ok then probably yes, but u never know. We can all look in hindsight and say shouldn't have done that but at the time it appears like a good idea. I take the 5 second rule, take the initial reaction (chase) count to 5 look again and if I still think chase then go for it, but that count can make the differance between a good idea and a very bad one. IMHO


Hope some of that makes sense...


Maybe there should be a new post on boat rescue etiquette

On the etiquette i think it is the right thing also to do is thank the person that helped you out.

I agree that it is at least good manners to say thankyou when people have helped you out. Yes, I would have no hesitation in buying someone a drink to say thankyou. However, I think you have to proportion it to the level of help you have recieved.

Sadly there are a few rude indivduals out there. Could this perhaps also be down to embarassement on their part because they had maybe bitten off more than they could chew & didn't want to admit this or just felt plain stupid? Although this can never excuse poor manners.

If one of your buddies is good enough to take off & rescue a boat & knows what they are doing then I suppose that's OK. I would add that no two sets of circumstances are ever the same & it's down to an indivdual jusgement call on the day.

Pete46:ask:

If i mess up and take a swim. I make sure I thank the person who gets my boat and make sure when we get to the take out I carry their boat to their car. (cant buy beer at 19) but I paddle in a Pack of people and they all know me. Some people might be to shy to go up to the person who saved them and buy them a beer or two or twelve.


I always make the mistake of going down and rescueing no matter what the circumstance but that is just my personality ( Im an EMT) Thank my Karma I have never gotten hurt


Well good luck for you all and have a safe and fun river season

I've rescued a few hundred folks and/or their gear in the past, and in turn I have been rescued by others on occasion. I never expected a beer or any other reward, other than maybe a \"thanks man\" or a nod if they were on the end of my rope or the back of my boat. I still figure I am repaying Les Bechtel of NOC for his rope to me in Corkscrew that one time I really needed it, by passing it on. I would have bought Les a case or more monthly in tribute for that rope, but he never thought the first thing about it as it was in the past, and he knew I had learned from it. We all do dumb things eventually if we paddle long enough, and it ought to work better if we'd just be thankful that we had to chance to be there for someone else when they needed it. Sure beats some of the alternatives. Retrieving dead bodies is NOT fun. Neither is explaining things to the next of kin. Going after gear is good, but go after the people first. Gear can't die, people can. Remember that when you go after gear. It ain't worth your life to rescue a boat or paddle. Do so only under safe conditions.

When I salvaged gear without the owner being near, I returned it, IF I knew whose it was or it had an ID on it. Sometimes I got paid postage, often I didn't. If it didn't have ID and no one claimed it after I posted noticed that I had it, I considered it mine and kept it or sold it as \"free salvage\" (in US, see Navigational Rights Act of 1899 for navigable rivers). At one point I had 17 boats, 12 of them salvaged, about 10% of the boats I retrieved.

Only time I lost a boat, some guys from Darmouth got it before I could get in to get it as the water went down, and never bothered to call me, with my name, phone number, and address in large letters inside the boat in two places. I would have paid a reward or salvors fee, but they drove off with it, never to be seen again. Flipped me off at the time as I had made dilligent efforts to get in to get it for two days, (was in massive circulating log jam) only to have them grab it within two hours of my third attempt, literally as I was hiking in again, but I chalked it up as my fault for losing it in the first place, and saved my pennies for a new Hollowform. I had posted notices with local authorities in both states/counties (River was a state line) and the USFS and at all the put-ins and take outs, so it is doubtful they didn't know whose boat it was. And it wasn't a navigational hazzard where it was by any stretch of imagination, but some folks see things differently.

Sometimes, what goes around, comes around again. Do the right thing and the safe thing.

Beaverman

I took a freezing cold swim a few days ago and thankfully had some awesome friends around me to get me and my gear to safety. It took me 30 minutes before I could make sense of what happened and was so cold, freaked out and dazed that rather putting these guy's at risk, I walked out.
I publicly thanked them on our local paddling site and yes when I catch up with them I will definitely be buying them some beers.
I think thereshould be more friendly people in this crazy world we live. We should bloody thankful that there are kind people who put there lives on the line for us and our gear.

BUY THEM A BEER AND SAY THANKS, IT DOESN'T TAKE LONG AND YOU MIGHT MAKE A GREAT FRIEND.

cheers and safe paddling
Hippostan
p.s. THANKS IAN AND MIKE FOR SAVING MY ASS.

i dont want to sound like a nooblet but would it be stupid to attach a thin piece of string or rope to the end of your boat and then to your PFD, or would it cause a dangerous situation like wrapping around the neck ?

Being attached to your boat is bad news bears!

That would be an absolutely terrible idea. Supposing for example you were paddling a large Pyranha Burn… it's volume is about 300 litres. 300 litres of water is about 300kg weight. Imagine trying to swim to safety with a ~.3 tonne anchor attached to your torso…

Hence the need for float bags in the rear. I've towed boats many times and it can be a frightening experience. You should be VERY aware of the risks before you clip into somebody else's boat. Don't risk yourself unless you are sure of the situation and what is downstream. I've had to release the harness only once and for good reason.

My worst experience towing a boat was towing my mates boat back to shore in some very big surf. It took me half an hour to get back to the shore as there were some very bad rip currents. He had to be rescued by life guards and ended up floating around in the sea for more than an hour... If I hadn't towed his boat he would have probably lost it.

Each to his own. Just my two cents. I would recommend everyone to take a swift water rescue course to get to grips with various situation and to open your eyes as to what can go wrong. It certainly helped me. On my recent trip a kayaker (far better and has been paddling more than double than what I have) asked me how I would release the 'cows tail'. If you're asking that question, go on a course.

If you haven't learned from experience running whitewater already, how to set up a z-drag line, how to set up position to throw and how to throw safety lines accurately, signeling, and other basic rescue techiques, definately take a Swift Water Rescue course. Only downside I know is that your river kit gets larger and heavier as you start to include more rope, pulleys, webbing, and prussic cords, but mine was large already with my own first aid/survival gearand spare paddle. Realize it costs to take one these days from a certifying agency, but wouldn't you wish you had if it could have saved your buddy's life?

Would also recommend a sea survival / sea rescue course for sea kayakers. I took mine from the USCG at Elizabeth City, NC, as part of air crew qualifications with the Civil Air Patrol, since we did sundowner patrols and disaster assessment flights before and after the hurricanes. While they teach you how to be rescued, they also empasize how not to need rescueing.

I credit that course with my NOT having to be rescued, when over 100 others were one day off Nantucket and in the inner harbor. Harbormaster came by my table that night at the restaurant to tell my step-father (whom he had rescued in the past, more than once) that he never had to even think about stopping to offer assistance to me or my son as he could see that we were handling the conditions just fine and that from our voluntary inspection and check-in that morning, he knew we were prepared for anything and could call on our marine VHF radio or signel if we couldn't and we had both compasses and GPS. I told him it was reassuring to know he was there, as we saw him pass us with folks in tow over 60 times. Wasn't just sail boats and wind surfers, as he towed in over 30 power boats. Weather had changed from forecast 5-14kts to 36kts(G48) winds, just about the time we had gotten to the far end of the harbor and were hiking down around great point and Cotoe. All sorts of sailing schools, jet skis, and fishermen were out in the harbor. Much slower 7 hour trip back also meant strong tidal bore, seas to 8 feet, and strong rips at each point for us. Son was 12 at time and we were in Perception Carolinas. Tiring trip, particularly with 37 pounds of shells in my boat, but we had proper foul weather gear, bright Dive lights for position markers, and very stable boats with rudders, in addition to all our first aid/rescue/survival gear. Took son in tow for last mile to nearest house where I caught ride to car for last mile so we wouldn't be late for our dinner reservations with family. Our hands and faces were wind burned and salt stung for a few days despite the protective creams we had used, but other than that we were just fine. Never had to break out the neprene vests and hoods we had carried as the goretex jackets made things bearable, but it was good to know we had them if things had gone longer as the 20 degree air temperature drop was noticable.

Being prepared, having the knowledge and skills in advance, and recognizing changing conditions is most of the battle. Don't take safety for granted - think about it and then act.

Well I think that it's fantastic that people view their's and other paddlers safety as a real issue. Some people do not even carry a basic first aid kit down here or any rescue equipment. I am not the best paddler but I still take the basic's.
Rescuing a boat, I totally think that is up to each individual, I am thankful beyond words for having my boat rescued, but would think twice and assess the situation and water before trying.

cheers
Hippostan

kernel wrote:

That would be an absolutely terrible idea. Supposing for example you were paddling a large Pyranha Burn… it's volume is about 300 litres. 300 litres of water is about 300kg weight. Imagine trying to swim to safety with a ~.3 tonne anchor attached to your torso…

better than that... think of it as a sail with 300 kg (660 lbs) of pulling force! On the other hand, that might work to pull you clear of a retentive hole... new escape technique
just pull your skirt and hang on baby

HIPPOSTAN wrote:

I took a freezing cold swim........

You live in Australia and you had a freezing cold swim?

If that's Ranelagh in Tasmania it can get VERY cold!

Thusler
if you haven't paddled Tasmania in winter snow melt, come down to Tassie and stay and paddle with me.

cheers
Hippostan

HIPPOSTAN wrote:

Thusler
if you haven't paddled Tasmania in winter snow melt, come down to Tassie and stay and paddle with me.

cheers
Hippostan

Do you know Colin Furmston and Leon Bedford, from Tassie?

Hi Adrian,
more great articles and photos, NO I don't know those guys but I know of Colins photography.
Hope your trip is going well
cheers
Wylie (Hippostan)

HIPPOSTAN wrote:

Hi Adrian,
more great articles and photos, NO I don't know those guys but I know of Colins photography.
Hope your trip is going well
cheers
Wylie (Hippostan)

Ok, cool. Thought you might because I assume the paddling community is quite small there.

I'm back already since the morning of 16 July. Just busy doing the articles and what not now. Glad you're enjoying still. You'll see some action from Colin and Leon later on. Cheers