Wisconsin Forums

[AlumniClub]

For Your Safety---lightning, storms, unstable weather and large boats are obvious dangers to avoid.

Strainer---fallen trees, log jams, pilings, willow thickets, and anything water can run through or under, but where you and your canoe/kayak cannot, are called strainers. If you get caught against a fallen tree or other strainer, immediately lean downstream, and work the boat free. If against a fallen tree, everyone should grab the branches and lean downstream, and, if the boat should swamp, pull yourself into the tree. If you follow the instinct to lean away from the tree, the boat is certain to swamp, spilling you into the water. You and the boat will be swept under the tree where you could be caught on a branch and drown.

Cold Water---it numbs you quickly, both the body and the mind. In 40-degree water you become too numb to help yourself in a few minutes and may become unconscious in only 12 minutes. Hypothermia kills! Water below 60 degrees is dangerously cold. A cold water dunking in a small shallow stream, which you can walk out of, could be only uncomfortable if the air is not cold, but in rapids or on a deep river it could be fatal. A wet or dry suit provides the only practical protection from cold water. Good paddling sense to remember is if the air and water temperature do not add up to 100 degrees, then wet suits should be worn.

Flood Water---the current may be as fast as in a rapid but it may be too deep and smooth bottomed to develop the turbulence of whitewater. It provides no shallows to recover in and may be complicated by cold water, fallen trees, current flowing through standing tree limbs, floating debris and log jams. High waters also bring on weirs, ledges, reversals, holes and hydraulics.

Whitewater---rapids are exciting but dangerous. Until you’ve developed sufficient skill, go only with experienced whitewater paddlers. PFD’s are mandatory on the paddler, and in cold water, a wet suit can save your life. If it’s never called on to do that, it increases your comfort amazingly. Add extra flotation to your canoe (even an inner tube will do if it is securely tied in) and carry a bailer. A sponge or scoop cut from a plastic bleach bottle will do nicely. When in doubt, SCOUT! If you don’t know what’s ahead, pull out and scout the river from the bank. Finally, don’t hesitate to carry your canoe/kayak around a rapid that is beyond your capability.

Dams and Falls---even low ones with little drop can be dangerous. Below a low head dam there is a horizontal eddy which can grab and circulate you. You will be pulled down at the face of the dam, dragged along the bottom, surface at the boil and be pulled along the surface back to the face of the dam. There the cycle will begin again. Whether you wash over the dam or are sucked into the boil from downstream, the results are the same: entrapment and, too often, death. Portage around dams.

Current---strong moving current can cause difficult eddies, volume and wave conditions even on still days due to adverse weather conditions. A most familiar set of rapids that has given you great times in the past may all of a sudden become explosive when water conditions change. Broaching may occur when your canoe/kayak is pushed sideways against a rock by strong current and it collapses and wraps itself around the rock. To avoid pinning, throw your weight downstream toward the rock. This permits the current to slide harmlessly underneath the hull of your boat.

Fog---can cause total disorientation. You should carry a compass.

Alcohol---when it comes to canoeing/kayaking, alcohol and water don’t mix. Drinking endangers you.. .and your companions. Coast Guard statistics show that alcohol is a factor in more than 50% of all boating accidents. In many cases, drinkers are sinkers. Unable to practice even basic self-rescue, they often go under once and fail to surface.

Upsets

Learn to swim before you step into a canoe/kayak and wear your lifejacket as the manufacturer intended it to be worn. You can be upset by hitting a submerged log or rock, by a motorboat wake, or other causes. Stay with your canoe/kayak! It should have sufficient flotation built into it to support the occupants by hanging on to the gunwale of the canoe. With the kayak, the air bags placed in the bow and stern should keep you and the kayak afloat. If you are in fast moving water, stay upstream of your canoe/kayak hanging on to an end rope or the gunwale (kayak cockpit, upstream grab loops) . You will be able to keep the canoe/kayak parallel to the current, and get through rocks safely. If you are downstream, a canoe/kayak filled with water in a fast stream can pin you against a rock or obstruction with a six ton force. If your canoe/kayak has turned over in quiet water, roll it back upright, flutter kick your way into it, and bail or splash out the water. An easier way is to shake the canoe/kayak dry. Grab the gunwale close to amidships (amidships if you are alone), and push it below the water. As the water in the canoe comes rushing out, push the canoe quickly away from you, so that it rights itself before the water has a chance to flow back. When you become detached from your kayak quickly get upstream of the overturned boat and guide it toward shore while hanging on to the upstream grab loop. Never get downstream. A pleasant afternoon spent learning these skills in the shallow part of a warm lake will pay big dividends. Wear your PFD when you do it. The moves feel different with the added buoyancy.

Loading Capacity

There is a definite carrying capacity for each canoe, usually printed on a tag affixed to the canoe. Never load any canoe so heavily that you have less than six inches of freeboard; in other words, six inches of ‘side’ between the water and the top of the gunwales. That load includes the paddlers, of course. The load should be kept as low as possible to keep the center of gravity low. It should also be placed such a way that the boat maintains level fore-and-aft trim.

The kayak is different from the canoe. Cargo space is at a premium in a kayak. You should only take the minimum amount of safety equipment, food, clothing, shoes, water, camera, lightweight backpacking gear and other portable equipment in stern bag(s) to give yourself more room behind the cockpit.

Wind and Waves

Avoid paddling when whitecaps are visible-they can upset a canoe/kayak, and make it difficult to control. Get a weather forecast each day you are out. Bucking a strong head wind and wind blown waves can be brutal work, and can blow you upstream. If you are bow light, wind can blow your canoe around or cause control difficulties with your kayak. When heading into a strong wind, trim the canoe bow down. This will enable the stern, while setting high in the water, to weathervane and align itself with the wind. The simplest way to do this is for both paddlers to kneel in front of their seats, or move cargo forward. In a strong back wind, trim the bow light. When paddling on large waves, without heavy wind, trim the bow light; this will help the canoe rise on the waves. Waves created by a motor boat can best be parried by taking them at a 90 degree into the waves so that its force strikes the bottom of the canoe/kayak.

Instruction

Before you begin paddling be honest about your abilities and always prepare yourself to understand the environment you’re going into or be prepared to accept the additional risks that it presents. A little instruction can offer a lot of insurance. Many canoe/kayak clubs, American Red Cross chapters, canoe/kayak dealers, YMCA’s, and some liveries offer instructional programs. As little as one hour of competent instruction significantly reduces your chance of a serious accident.

GB2