Book Review: Sea Kayak Rescue: The definitive guide to modern
re-entry
and recovery techniques, by Roger Schumann and Jan Shriner, 2001
by Steve Cramer
I should begin this review with a bit of a disclaimer. I know Roger and
have recommended him as an outfitter and instructor on this list in the
past. More to the point, Roger once rescued me in the mouth of Tomales
Bay (near, as I learned later, the great white shark rookery) after I
got slammed by a boomer, so I come to any discussion of his rescue
skills with some preconceptions.
Anyway, I was very impressed by this book, for several reasons. One is
its completeness (well, almost; more about that later). This book talks
about more kinds of rescues than I have ever seen collected in one
place. More importantly, every rescue mentioned is dissected to a high
level of detail, including step-by-step instructions for each, and
occasional comments based on the authors' experience with that
particular rescue.
Rescue. Let me say a word about that word. Schumann and Shriner begin
the book by suggesting that it might be better, especially with less
experienced students, to avoid the word "rescue" altogether. Many of us
have seen paddlers who consider a class successful if they stayed
upright, not whether they learned anything. Above all else, do not swim!
This is partly because they are afraid of being in the water, or of
being cold, but perhaps also because they want to avoid being "rescued,"
and all the emotional and personal baggage that entails. Better,
perhaps, RS suggest, to talk about "reentries" instead, a much less
loaded word (They also suggest "recovery," but anyone with a wilderness
first aid background will prefer to avoid that one).
I was pleased to see that the organization of the book follows my own
plan in teaching rescues (Yes, "rescues." Schumann and Shriner give up
on the "reentries" idea early on, in a bow to common usage). That is, to
begin by teaching braces so that a re-whatever will not be necessary,
then to move on to wet exits, basic solo and assisted reentries (OK, I'm
going to use both terms), and more complex moves like reenter and roll,
Eskimo rescues and rolls, and special circumstances and tricks like
sling assists, rescuing loaded sea kayaks, and double re-entries.
I think this learning sequence is essential. Practicing bracing moves
easily into practicing snapping up off a partner's bow, because the two
movements are dynamically identical. This prepares students well for the
Eskimo rescue. I know that students have trouble learning Eskimo rescues
directly if they haven't learned to hip snap yet.
The last two chapters deal with towing in a good amount of detail, and a
Consumers' Digest review of three commercial products for rescue: the
Back-Up, the Sea Seat, and, yes sp...spo... don't make me say it...all
right, sponsons. Hmm, my WordPerfect spell checker just flagged
"sponson" as a misspelled word. They were fair towards, but not
enthusiastic about any of these products.
There are also a couple of chapters about preparation and prevention and
basic safety gear. These say basically the same things that we all know
about PFDs and signalling devices (no, they don't identify the ultimate
handheld VHF) and float plans, but are useful reading nonetheless,
especially if you keep asking yourself "Do I always do that?"
The book is profusely illustrated with black and white photos, usually
at least one per page. These are occasionally a bit foggy, but as
Schumann and Shriner do most of their paddling in Northern California,
it may just been that the light really did look like that.
As an added bonus, there are several stories interspersed among the
procedures, with compelling titles like "Re-entry at Punta Diablo" and
"Counting in Dog Years Tale of a Rock Garden Bow Rescue." The stories
generally avoid the "No shit, there I was..." tenor of most paddling
tales, while still maintaining a high level of realism and providing a
lesson for the wise to heed.
A few particular techniques merit comment. Schumann and Shriner mention
the deck rigged paddle float re-entry as a useful ploy, but are not
wholeheartedly enthusiastic about it unless you always paddle your own
kayak (with the same paddle) and never flip in borrowed boats. They are
also a bit disparaging about such Brit standbys as the All In rescue and
the HI (aka, Ipswich) rescue, although they do refrain from Roger's
earlier claim that "Ipswich" is an Olde English term meaning "a good way
to break a paddle, dude."
A couple of ideas caught my fancy and I tried them out at the 2nd annual
sea kayak rescue clinic this summer. For example, incorporating a sling
into a paddle float rescue adds a few seconds to the setup time and
shaves much more than that from the re-entry time, while adding a ton of
stability. Some students who were struggling to keep the paddle in
position hopped right back in the boat when we added the sling. As soon
as I get the pictures developed, I'll post shots of me re-entering from a
standing position. I'll see if I can duplicate that move in some waves.
Another of Roger's tricks that most of us use is the rough water
simulator for bracing and re-entry practice, which consists of someone
yanking the kayak back and forth and up and down, grinning maniacally
while the victim tries to stay upright or get out of the water. The RWS
is a big improvement over the standard "edge 'til you start to fall"
bracing drills. I've hurt myself being the RWS, though, so I've started
using a pair of ropes tied to the deck bungees and crossing under the
kayak. It requires two people to be the RWS, but you can get a boat
really on edge with a brisk pull on the rope. Keep the ropes short,
though, so you can be close by to offer a hand up if needed. Wayne
Hodorowitz has a variant on this rope trick that simulates a broached
surf; he's written about it in Sea Kayaker.
I wouldn't feel like I was giving good value in a review unless I had a
few quibbles, so let me get into those now. I was interested to find
that one of the rescues that I use and teach that didn't make it into
the book. This is the parallel Eskimo rescue, in which the rescuer
approaches the upside down boat parallel (what else?) and lays the
paddle across her lap and the upturned hull. The victim reaches up,
grabs the paddle between the boats, and snaps up. I taught this one to
Meg so we could demo it, and she really likes it, as the rescuer is very
stable. It may be necessary to place the victim's hands correctly on the
paddle. Put their thumbs together, Meg informs me, which is a trick I
hadn't come up with.
A second departure for me is in the starting position of the paddle float
rescue. I really don't like to start aft of the paddle, which
necessitates a usually graceless pirouette over the shaft (Schumann and
Shriner call this the sea star move, which sounds exotic, but I've never
found sea stars to be very graceful), when you could start on the bow
side, and in your first move stick your leg into the cockpit. Schumann
and Shriner say that this only works for shorter paddlers, but I've got
a 33" inseam and size 12 feet, and it works fine for me. Of course,
Roger is an ACA ITE and Jan is an IT, so perhaps I'm risking my
certification by saying that, considering how rigid and dogmatic the ACA is.
(Note to the humor-impaired: I'm joking).
I can't quibble much, though. This book is a solid resource, pulling
together most of what there is to be known about sea kayak safety and
rescues, and doing it in a readable, occasionally even witty, style.
It's definitely worth the $14.95.
