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If you are the capsized kayaker and you’ve bailed out before your rescuer can assist with an Eskimo rescue, there are a number of assisted rescues you could use when your rescuer arrives. One of the quickest I’ve found is a variation on the Eskimo rescue. It begins like a reentry and roll: Have your rescuer stand by, then put your legs into your cockpit—you might set the kayak on edge to do this—then take a deep breath. With your hands at the cockpit coaming, scoot into the cockpit and get locked into the seat, thigh braces and foot braces. Your head will go under as you get seated. Your rescue partner should then bring the bow of her kayak close to your cockpit. Bring your hand to the surface and reach for the rescuer’s bow. Take hold, hip-snap your kayak upright and bring your head up last to complete the rescue.
This reentry Eskimo rescue has the benefits of being quick and of minimizing the risk of jamming hands or smashing boats, as there is little or no contact between the kayaks during the rescue. It’s most effective if the cockpit volume of the capsized kayak leaves little room for water. Extra space in the cockpit allows for more flooding, making the kayak sluggish, and for more instability caused by water sloshing from side to side. A kayak with minimum floodable volume can be paddled safely even without the spray skirt in place, making it possible to leave a dangerous area -without having to pump out.
Even if the capsized kayak takes on a lot of water, the reentry Eskimo rescue gets a kayaker back in his boat quickly without requiring as much strength and agility as demanded by other rescues that require the swimmer to lunge up onto the deck of a kayak. Although the technique requires the swimmer to submerge to get seated, the speed of the rescue reduces exposure to cold water.
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Some years ago, I was taking a group of kayakers through a sea gate between two East Friesian islands in Germany, when one of them capsized accidentally in the strong current. He failed two attempts to roll, remained seated, then started to swim and breathe as he waited for a rescuer to reach him. When his rescuer approached, the two of them performed a perfect Eskimo rescue. Afterward, we paid them compliments on their skills and asked the victim how he had managed to be so relaxed while he waited for help. “Well,” he said, “maybe it’s because I don’t cling to life as desperately as I used to.” Both he and his rescuer were over 60 years old.
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Bernhard Hillejan lives in Cologne, Germany. He is an instructor with the Salzwasser Union (a German sea kayaking association) and has a BCU 5-Star Sea Kayaking award.The author would like to thank Freya Hoffmeister and Tanja Ohlsen for their assistance with photography. |
Using Eskimo rescues in deep water calls for good cooperation of both the capsized paddler and the rescuer. The first step in the Eskimo rescue is for the capsized kayaker to pound on the hull of her kayak to attract attention. Sounds get lost in winds and waves and, in my experience, no one really knows there’s been a capsize until they see the upturned hull. The capsized paddler who stays in the cockpit can pound on the hull and might also try to attract attention by waving her arms and shifting her attention to sculling or swimming for air.
Ultimately the likelihood of getting a rescuer to come depends upon how well and how often your paddling partners check on you as a matter of their normal group paddling habit. When you come up for air, you’ll be able to see only in one direction and won’t be able to see far if the water is rough. In a real capsize situation, you’ll have to decide if you can rely on your rescuer to sprint to rescue you. If you think there’s a chance that no one in your group has seen you capsize, you may have to wet exit and take aggressive action to signal your partners.
Now let’s turn to the rescuer who has just sighted a capsized kayak. The rescuer should keep his wits and anticipate how to approach the capsized kayak for a fast and safe rescue. In this context, fast means choosing an appropriate course toward the capsized kayak. A course slightly off to the side will be safer—it avoids ramming the capsized kayak—and sets you up to make a braking turn to kill speed and bring the kayaks together at an acute angle, minimizing the chance and severity of injury or damage.
If the rescuer doesn’t see the capsized kayaker sculling up on the side he’s approached, he may have to pound sharply on the hull to make his presence known and to indicate the capsized paddler can switch sides for the Eskimo rescue. (If the capsized paddler hasn’t surfaced, then a Hand-of-God rescue [see “The Hand-of-God Rescue,” SK, June ’00] is in order.) |
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