Safety training sets paddlers on course

Perhaps you read the short story in last Thursday’s paper about New Hampshire officials warning boaters, canoeists and kayakers to be cautious when using the state’s waterways in light of three boating-related deaths.

No one wants to read about someone dying from a boating accident. Last year in Maine, we had three paddle-sport fatalities and two the previous year, according to U.S. Coast Guard statistics. The kayaking community has been fortunate in recent years not to have recorded a fatality. I hope we can keep it that way, and that this newspaper won’t have to write another story about someone’s misfortune while they were boating.

Statistics kept by the Coast Guard tell of 26 recreational boating fatalities in Maine during the past three years. Of these, 22 people were not wearing personal flotation devices, said Al Johnson, recreational boating safety specialist for the Northeast’s First Coast Guard District.

“Uninformed perspectives on safety, lack of preparation and poor judgment can lead to tragedy when crisis occurs,” Johnson said.

In the Coast Guard’s Northeast District (from Maine to Shrewsbury River, N.J.) there were 12 canoeing fatalities last year, 13 in 1999, and 18 each in 1997 and 1998. There were five kayaking fatalities each year from 1997 to 2000, according to Johnson.

After a sudden capsize, it is not the time to be looking around for your life jacket. Cold water immersion takes your breath away, can make you confused and you will lose your coordination in minutes. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you’ll be able to don your PFD and rescue yourself.

I told you a couple of weeks ago that several friends of mine are organizing a free symposium to help spread the word about paddling safely. Plans are set. It will take place on May 18 at the YMCA on Hammond Street in Bangor. If you paddle a kayak or canoe, or if you plan to spend any time on the water this season, you owe it to yourself and your family to drop by for the evening.

Coordinating the Paddle Smart from the Start symposium are the U.S. Coast Guard, Castine Kayak Adventures, Cadillac Mountain Sports and the Bangor YMCA.

The seminar runs from 6 to 10 p.m. and you will have the opportunity to attend several half-hour talks and demonstrations on paddling-related topics including: selecting a kayak, communicating from your boat, essential equipment, effective rescue techniques and the basics of navigation. There will be a number of kayaks (and maybe even a canoe or two), paddles, PFDs and information available from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, the Map Store in Old Town, the Maine Island Trail Association, the Maine Outdoor Adventure Club and other organizations.

The Y’s swim team will have a food concession running so you won’t starve, and there will be a drawing for several PFDs, a kayak paddle, a half-day guided kayak trip with Castine Kayak Adventures and a three-month Y membership.

Remember this: Most safety problems on the water can be prevented by planning ahead. “If folks are not prepared with knowledge of proper equipment and potential conditions, they can get themselves into dangerous situations. Many folks seek out rescue instruction after encountering a kayaking mishap,” said Karen Francoeur, owner of Castine Kayak Adventures, a Maine Guide and American Canoe Association kayaking instructor. “We’d like to provide a forum that provides them with a basis of what they need to know and information about learning opportunities so they can paddle smart from the start.” She’ll be doing the pool rescue demonstrations.

A big part of paddling safely is selecting the proper equipment, from boat to paddle to safety gear. Scott Anchors, a guide at Castine Kayak Adventures and vice president of Maine Sea Kayak Guides and Instructors and avid white-water and sea kayaker, will give an illustrated presentation on boat selection, with boats provided by Cadillac Mountain Sports in Bangor. He will help you formulate the right questions to ask when you begin a search for just the right boat.

When you’re out on the water, you should know how to summon help. Another presentation will focus on communication: what forms of communication are effective; how well you can expect them to work. VHF radios, paddles, whistles and cellphones are your tools for communication. By the end of this Coast Guard Auxiliary and Marine Patrol-led session, you should understand how best to reach help if you need it.

As important as the proper boat is your selection of related gear such as spray skirt, paddle, PFD and other essential equipment. There will be experienced paddlers and staff from Cadillac Mountain Sports on hand to answer questions.

Francoeur will be in the pool during three concurrent sessions to demonstrate and explain rescue techniques and when to use them. She’ll show you the Eskimo roll, the paddle float rescue and T-rescue, and others as time permits.

Yours truly will explain basic navigation and what topics you should study to be safe on the ocean and where to seek the training.

So I hope to see you there on Friday night, May 18. There’s no better show in town at this price. You may even walk away with a new paddle, Y membership, PFD or guided sea kayak trip. You will walk away with a better understanding of how to paddle smarter.

For more information, call Castine Kayak Adventures at 866-3506, or Lydia Morgan or Donna Cowan at the YMCA at 941-2815.

If you’re in the mood to try out a kayak, Cadillac Mountain Sports is resuming its seasonal boat demonstrations at Pushaw Lake, The Bar in Bar Harbor and at the Ellsworth Town Dock. Here’s a chance to paddle different boats and see how each compares to your specific needs. Here are the times and dates for the near future: 9-11 a.m. May 12, Gould’s Landing, Pushaw Lake; 1-3 p.m. May 19, Bar Harbor; noon-2 p.m. May 26,Ellsworth; 9-11 a.m. June 2, Pushaw Lake; throughout the day June 9 at the Festival of the Kayak, Southwest Harbor; 9-11 a.m. June 16, Ellsworth; 9-11 a.m. June 23, Pushaw Lake; 11 a.m.-1 p.m. June 30, Bar Harbor. I’ll give you more as the season progresses. Call your local store for more information.

Jeff Strout’s column is published Thursdays. He can be reached at 990-8202 or by e-mail at jstrout@bangordailynews.net.