Thanks for the video with some useful tips. The American Canoe Association uses RETHROG - Reach, Throw, Row, Go. I like how you use Shout and will incorporate that it my sequence. As an open canoer, I avoid having anyone grab the center of my canoe. I move them toward bow or stern and paddle them to shore.
Hi Igboatin, thanks for the appreciation! It sounds like ACA and SCA / BC use very similar protocols, which is reassuring. If I were to go back to this in a way that was not constrained by existing protocols like SRTRG, or ACA's RETHROG, both of which I believe are based in 1970's public water safety messages, then I would go for a simple SRG - Shout / Reach / Go. The reason being SHOUTING a swimmer to the side gets their attention and in many situations is all you need. REACHING for a swimmer could be a stick, a length of tape OR a throwline. You're on the bank, they're in the water - the risk to rescuer is comparable. GO - any form of rescue where the rescuer is in a dynamic situation, be that swimming, tethered to a line, or even chase boating in a canoe or kayak - means that there is a lot going and the risk to the rescuer is at the top end of what is required by their decision making capacity. SRG. All it needs to be. I think we humans have a tendency to over complicate things that are easily distilled into something simple. All my best pal! Bruce *SCA = Scottish Canoe Association BC = British Canoeing 🙏
Lady and gentlemen thank you so much for giving me a clue . Thank you for your passion for safety and love of your brothers and sisters. Wishing great waters and exciting fun times.
Hi team, love your series! Regarding the "roving 4:1" system, it is fascinating that it works as there is no fixed attachment. Why is the loop not just circulating through the biners? Does this work with pulleys in the system? Cheers. Edit: Ah, have worked out the two lines at the anchor do not actually move ;) (effectively a fixed point with a biner for convenience). If even one pulley placed in system it loses friction and the loop just runs through! That'd be embarrassing... :) So, throw in a Munter/prusik at anchor pulley (line going directly to boat) to ensure no movement (although allowing re-set), and place pulleys on boat (if possible) and travelling biner, and this is really good :) Even just one pulley makes a big dif. Thanks for sharing.
Great question Fraser! The answer re: 4:1 pulleys is yes, and it is very beneficial to do so with larger loads like canoes stuck in the river - but how you do it, depends on what you wish to accomplish. Pop two pulleys on, one at each of the bends where you want the rope to travel (i.e. at the boat/object and at the bag end of the rope) and the point without a pulley (i.e. the anchor) will take the friction and the system works. However, it loses its roving / resetting capability under load because of the differences in friction. Pop three pulleys on, one at each of the karabiners/bends and when you pull the system will not work *UNLESS* you grip the rope at the pulley nearest the anchor, i.e. offer an increase in friction. This is easy enough to do even if operating it on your on, we're talking 'pinch it with two fingers' as an amount of force required to create the required grip. I've tested this with a canoe full of water stuck in a river (not wrapped and folded, that would be a waste of a canoe!). The beauty of this version is it is still resettable - even under load. Many folks still 'poo-poo' these ideas, however, I would urge any sceptics out there, or true believers, to get out and play with it. Don't be afraid to make mistakes and be willing to question why stuff does and doesn't perform - therein lies the quality learning.
Cheers for the response Bruce. Yes, trial and error is how we learn. This will be my go-to system! Fascinating how providing a small amount of tension sees it working under big loads! So, no need for Munter/prisik as I was thinking. Did you guys come up with this, or been around for a while?
This content is incredible. I am just getting started on my whitewater journey and this information is hugely beneficial so I can continue on in a safe manner. Thank you! I hope many more will take the time to watch this series.
I don't mind at all! I hope it encourages others to watch your content. My husband and I (don't kayak alone!) binged the entire series last night. It won't be the last time!
@@BruceJolliffe as I advance from beaterdom, it's become clear I need to actively develop and practice strategies for self rescue, scouting the potential need in any section of rapids. Swimming in whitewater is quite the challenging experience.
Great videos thank you producing these. I've been paddling a long time, with a long gap (LOL) and these are refreshing and updating my knowledge and allowing me to share and pass on to my daughter who has joined a club. Thanks, Rich
You're welcome Dan, thanks for taking the time to comment. We made the content nearly a decade ago and released it on DVD, and as successful as it was at the time, that format is no longer the most current. We still have hard copies if anyone would like one for the whole free playing movie. We re-released on youtube at the start of the pandemic to provide the global paddling community with a free high quality resource that could be tapped into when paddlers are locked down or looking for something to enhance their safety skillset. We have many ideas for additional content but it needs time, money and freedom to roam (the latter being the most challenging right now). The best thing you could do though, is share the link with like minded spirits and encourage them to subscribe, that way we'll know there is interest to warrant a bit more effort when we can.
I would add that the swimmer needs to place the rope on the shoulder the furthest away from the rescuer. This way, when pulling on the line, the swimmer will twist a little bit making it easier for the rescuer to pull the swimmer to shore.
Hi there Packrafting TV thanks for the comment. From an ideal world perspective you make a totally fair point. From a practical perspective folks often don't have the spare brain to do this. If folks want to perfect it, by all means give it a go. Teaching these courses we find time to be the enemy, and when pouring the content into the DVD we found the same problem. What do we really need to say? vs what would we like to say in all possible instances?
If you do have the wherewithal, after receiving the rope, tuck it _under_ your upstream armpit. It helps lift you head and shoulders out of the water and helps set your body into a ferry angle.
Great video; will comment on one little bit, the use of a full wetsuit. Wetsuits are designed to be wet! When not wet they risk chaffing the moving parts - in this case the shoulder and elbow joints. Also when in a kayak, the long legs risk restricting the blood flow in the legs. Thus we always recommend a "short-john" type wetsuit for kayaking, (along with the other wet gear shown) which keeps the torso warm in the event of a swim, but does not suffer from the above problems.
Hi, thanks for commenting Simmondp. And we agree in part with your points. This was filmed using real students who really were at different places in their kayaking development. Eilidh, the lady wearing the full wetsuit, was wearing her own kit. At that point in time she was more likely to end up out of her boat, wet and getting bashed in the river. That was her own kit, and what she preferred. We'd maybe disagree on the long john v short john argument for learners in Scotland where we are from as our season (if you could argue we have one) tends to be outside of the Northern Hemisphere summer. Additionally I've never had any circulation problems when using a long john wetsuit, but thats not to say others wouldn't. I know many very experienced freestylers who choose a 3/4 length wetsuit trouser for example, without suffering circulation issues. My choice in warmer climates is for a wet suit or surf skin short under a more flattering outer beach-type short. I guess we could take the contextual perspective and say, "it depends". Thanks again for Subscribing, there will be lots more and we thoroughly welcome the discussion.
