Paddlers always should be prepared for worst while on water

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Just because the days are getting shorter and the temperatures cooler doesn’t mean you have to hang up your boat, stow your paddle, and call it quits. There are still some beautiful days ahead and the fall foliage has extended its invitation to get outside and enjoy.

Remember to dress appropriately. The water temperatures are running around 52-53 degrees in the ocean now, according to the Rockland GOMOOS buoy.

I realize some folks are not comfortable out on the water now, so it’s a good time for them to keep their eyes open for pool sessions where they can hone their paddling and rescue skills. I don’t know about you, but when it comes to getting water in my nose and ears, I much prefer it to be filtered and treated water. It’s one less thing to worry about when you’re trying to teach yourself new skills.

Last Tuesday evening I had a chance to sample the water in Old Town High School’s pool for a couple of hours. A few of us had half the pool to play in while our mutual friend and instructor, Karen Francoeur, ran a rescue clinic for four other paddlers.

Joining me were: fellow guide Scott Anchors, paddling buddy Robert Causey, and Ben Easley, a young man from Castine who has great aspirations for whitewater and sea kayaking. We stirred up the water practicing our various skill levels. While I wrestled with the rudimentary rolling skills (I’m gaining slowly), I watched as Causey continually flopped over and upright without a paddle. I think he was showing off. It was his 43rd birthday and he was feeling chipper in his rubber suit and goggles.

I, on the other hand, am still using an extended paddle to get myself back to the surface and a paddle float to try to drill my body to remember just what it needs to do. It’s a long, slow process, but I think I’ve noticed some progress.

Pool sessions provide good opportunities to practice your self-rescue skills or assisted rescues with a partner. Without these basic skills, you shouldn’t be out on the ocean where cold water can incapacitate you quickly.

When friends and I head for deep water, we go with all sorts of gear that at times seems extraneous. I’ve caught myself thinking I could leave this dry bag behind or that space blanket in the car. After all, we’re only going across the bay or down the lake. But you never know what might happen to ruin your day and threaten your life.

That point was driven home Wednesday when “Paddlenews: The Weekly Newsletter of Paddling.net” showed up in the inbox on my computer. If you paddle, Paddling.net is one Web site you should visit. Sign up for the free weekly newsletter. You’ll find information on new products, reviews of gear and boats, classified advertisements from folks selling their boats, and a growing list of paddling-related articles.

The latest newsletter featured a great eye-opener article by Tom Watson, a sea kayaker with 15 years’ experience in the North Pacific waters of Kodiak Island, Alaska. He is also a freelance writer whose articles have appeared in most of the popular kayaking publications.

In his article about surviving the unexpected, Watson raises a few scary questions: “How prepared are you to deal with the situation if you lose your boat? How competent are you to survive a night in the maritime environment without a tent, sleeping bag, or even food and water? Could you survive the elements? Would you know what to do and when or how to perform the right tasks to survive such an ordeal?”

Whoa! Now there’s something I haven’t dwelled on much. I’ve always thought that I’d have my boat, with all that safety gear stuffed inside, right under me or at least nearby. Watson’s scenario for losing your boat begins with a botched beach landing or an incoming tide that floats your boat off the beach unexpectedly.

Until recently, I’d thought about such an event only a few times. A friend had several of her boats floated off the beach by the rising tide, but they were within easy reach. I’d heard of a couple of other similar instances.

Then something similar happened to me recently. I related it in a previous column. I’d beached my kayak on a steep, round-stone beach and was standing nearby when a wave broke below the stern and slapped it gently. It was enough to set the kayak in motion (backwards) down the beach and into the water with me in hot pursuit. I caught the bow toggle just as the water was touching the bottom of my lifejacket. Another foot or so and I’d have been swimming and might not have caught up with the boat.

Thankfully the wind was not up or I’d have found myself alone on an island with nothing but my paddle and some safety items on my lifejacket.

Watson says the Alaska Maritime Safety Institute has pondered the scenario and came up with a protocol for commercial fishermen they call the “Seven Steps to Survival” and Watson in turn has modified them to fit the paddling community. It’s a sequential checklist of what to do in an emergency survival situation.

I’ll give you the basics from Watson’s article, but you should do yourself a favor and check out the whole piece on Paddling.net. His seven steps can be remembered by the acronym KISSWEP.

First off, KNOW you are in a critical situation. After your initial reaction that could the gamut from tantrum to tears, start thinking like a survivor. Take command of the situation.

Next, take an INVENTORY of any injuries you may have suffered and deal with them. Then assess the surrounding area and determine whether you’ll be able to build a shelter, how you can collect water or whether there are things around you might use as tools.

Then think SHELTER. Is there anything that will protect you from the elements?

Next is SIGNALING for help. Are there commercial carriers or fishing boats in the area. You’ll need a visual or audible means to attract attention. On my PFD I carry a knife, small first aid kit, a compass, a strobe light, a signal mirror, a flashlight, a Storm whistle, and a Laser signaling light. A small waterproof container of matches or waterproof lighter would be a smart addition. And I’m thinking that I should figure out how to carry my VHF radio as well, now that I’ve read Watson’s piece.

Watson says ground signals, such as the letters SOS that are meant to be seen from the air should be at least 3 feet wide and 15 feet tall.

Then comes WATER. “Water sources can be free-standing or flowing as found in lakes and streams or by collecting rainwater, either as it falls or by retrieving it from natural depressions. Water can even be collected by wiping the dew off of plant leaves, grasses, even that which forms on your gear – and then wringing that saturated cloth into a container and repeating the process. I collected over 250 ml (a cup) of morning dew in less than five minutes using just a bandana in a small patch of grass,” Watson explains.

After water comes EAT/FOOD. “There are two things to remember about survival eating: Rule 1: If you don’t know what it is, don’t eat it! Rule 2: Just because something is listed as ‘edible,’ doesn’t mean it’s going to taste good! Most of the Coast Guard personnel I know carry a bottle of Tabasco Sauce(tm) in their survival kit for this very reason,” Watson writes. And, he says, when the tide’s out, there’s a whole new selection of edibles available.

And finally there’s PLAY. By keeping a positive mental attitude you’ll be able to keep your spirits up and help thwart the negatives that challenge your survival.

For all you happy hikers out there, we’ve included a map today of the new Traveler Mountain Trail loop in the northern reaches of Baxter State Park that I wrote about last week. Check it out and put it on your list for next season’s conquests.

The loop is 10.6 miles and was created when park trail crews built a new 4.3-mile-long trail connecting the 3,541-foot Traveler Mountain to the Center Ridge and North Traveler trails. Hikers can now leave the South Branch Pond Campground, hike to The Traveler via the Center Ridge Trail, and return to the campground via the North Traveler Trail. The loop includes three separate mountain summits and has a vertical rise of more than 3,700 feet. The average round-trip hiking time for fit hikers is 9-10 hours, park officials say.

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