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Discussion Robert capsized unintentionally in cold water. He was not mentally prepared for the unexpected capsize, and he panicked. At the moment he capsized, about three hours after doing the wet-exit drill on shore, he was unable to compose himself, release his spray skirt and exit his boat. When he went over, there was no one near enough to his boat to lift him up immediately. In his panic, he inhaled water to a degree that could not be reversed by subsequent rescue efforts. Leslie capsized at about 11:00 A.M. , some 15-20 minutes after launching. Although she had just reviewed the wet-exit drill on shore, Leslie did not immediately remember what to do. The cold water on her head and up her nose made her want to gasp. She composed herself after two false starts and finally succeeded in getting the spray skirt off and herself out of the boat. After doing an actual wet exit, the lesson stuck with her: When she capsized later in the day, she had no further difficulty bailing out of her boat. The fiberglass kayaks provided to Leslie and Robert had keyhole cockpits that required them to follow a specific routine to exit their boats if they capsized. Once over, they had to tuck forward, grab the spray skirt grab loop, and push it forward, up, and away from the deck to get it off the cockpit coaming. Then, with legs straight, they had to push off the cockpit rim at their hips and somersault forward out of their boats. The British Canoe Union Handbook, Second Edition, which was current at the time of the accident, had various recommendations for wet-exit practice, and conceded the following: “To capsize your group, especially at the beginning of the session, puts people off and creates other problems. We therefore have to content ourselves with an explanation, or perhaps a dry land demonstration, and then be prepared to come quickly to the assistance of a capsized person.” At later points in this edition, the BCU authors recommend the use of large-cockpit boats without spray skirts to assure an easy exit in the event of capsizes. Although the spray skirts used by Robert and Leslie had plastic balls attached to the grab loops and were one size larger than recommended for the boats, their capsizes demonstrated that these skirts would not slip off of the coaming if the paddlers just came out of their seats. The abrupt edge of the cockpit rim on the composite boats combined with the design of the neoprene spray skirts prevents them from coming off the rim by accident. This can provide a measure of safety by keeping the skirt in place in rough sea conditions. The consequence, however, is that the paddler must be trained to remove the skirt in order to do a wet exit. The mastery of this skill requires practice in the water. The British Canoe Union Handbook, Third Edition , published after this incident, addresses the issue of novices doing their first wet-exit drills with a more consistent recommendation that the drills be carried out in a swimming pool with an instructor or informed friend standing in the pool adjacent to the boat. The first try should be carried out without the spray skirt in place on the cockpit rim. For comfort, the student should use nose clips. They even recommend that students practice somersaulting into and out of the cockpit of the capsized boat several times before trying the drill with a loose-fitting nylon spray skirt in place. The student’s first wet exit is discussed in this more recent edition as follows: “When people are practicing [the] capsize drill for the first time, particularly if it is the first time with the spray deck, they should be closely supervised. Stand next to the kayak and when they go upside down watch the boater carefully. Problems are rare but to be on the safe side you are looking for: 1.) Signs of panic (undirected, futile movements), or 2.) Signs of counter panic (no movement), i.e., the paddler freezing.” In such cases, the instructor is told to immediately turn the capsized boat upright. Many of the introductory paddling courses I have taught for the American Canoe Association (ACA) or private groups have been in situations not satisfactory for working on wet exits. These included insufficient time for the specific program, as well as cold water, high river levels and dirty water. In such situations, I have given the students or guests stable, large-cockpit boats without spray skirts. It is the practice of other instructors I know not to provide spray skirts to students who haven’t demonstrated skill at doing the wet-exit drill. Students or guests were always required to wear PFDs. Although I instructed them on how to get out if they capsized and how to do a deep-water assisted rescue, I had a high level of confidence that they would not be trapped in their boats even if they panicked after capsizing. On one occasion, a student in one of my classes was attempting a low brace for the first time and threw all his weight onto the paddle and instantly capsized. He leaped from the boat even as it was going over and ran for the shoreline through the waist-deep water. After a few minutes, he agreed that he had totally panicked. He was more cautious after that, but his momentary panic was something that can happen to any novice. In the lowest level BCU assessment for paddlers, the One-Star Performance test, candidates must successfully perform the capsize-and-wet-exit drill along with other paddling skills. Even though candidates are supposed to be well practiced and entirely comfortable doing the wet exit before taking the performance test, they are allowed to release the spray skirt from the cockpit coaming before capsizing. What alternatives are available to sea-kayaking instructors? If it is impossible to start a class with the wet exit drills, the students should be given kayaks with medium to large cockpits that will assure an effortless exit in the event of a capsize. The students should not be given spray skirts. The BCU recommends that introductory classes be held on calm waters where spray skirts aren’t really necessary. If an instructor thinks that spray skirts must be used, they should be ones that will fall off easily if a capsized student simply pushes out of the cockpit. Many of the plastic boats on the market work well for beginning paddlers because their coamings do not grip spray skirts as tightly as do those of composite kayaks. It is not possible to predict whether a student will panic on a first wet-exit attempt. Some may panic even if they’re prepared for the capsize, are wearing nose clips and have practiced getting in and out of the boat under the water. Even in instructor-supervised situations where the student has reviewed exactly what to do after capsizing, has taken a full breath and capsized when ready with no paddle in hand, some students still require immediate assistance by the instructor. Instructors must accept that any student might become confused, disoriented or panicked on their first try at the capsize drill. The instructor must be prepared to act immediately to get that student upright or out of the boat. Afterword Robert Beauvais is survived by his wife and two teenage daughters. The house he bought in Mattapoisett , Massachusetts , had a backyard opening onto a saltwater cove and marsh. He thought paddling a double kayak with his wife, Diane, through the marshes, coves and bays bordering Buzzards Bay would be a great way to get some exercise and enjoy the marine environment available from his backyard. I greatly appreciate the interest of Mrs. Beauvais in putting this unfortunate incident into the public record. Charles A. Sutherland is a medical writer, biochemist and coastal kayaker living in Green Lane, Pennsylvania. He is an expert in respiratory and cardiovascular systems and has been studying cold-water physiology for 20 years. As editor of ANorAK (the member journal of the Association of North Atlantic Kayakers) he researched many sea-kayaking accidents. He has been a member of the ACA for 20 years and was largely responsible for creating a sea-kayaking program for the association. With Brian Price, he co-wrote the first manual for the program. He served as chairman of the sea kayaking committee on the ACA’s national board and initiated and taught a sea kayaking instructor certification program. He can be contacted via email at: skimmer@enter.net
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