Intelligent Seal!

CoVianna said:
Saves having to catch them yourself!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-23364657#

PS I know it is only a brief resume and may lack some details but why did he need the RNLI? When I was taught to canoe/kayak at school the first lesson was how to get back in! Having said that I doubt I'd be able to do it now I'm middle aged and out of practice!
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Maybe the rescuee was middle aged and out of practice. :)
 
vyv_cox said:
I don't know any way that a solo canoeist can self-rescue. Please explain how it can be done.
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It depends on the type of boat. A sit- on boat is not a problem, flip it back and climb on. In a boat with a spray deck self rescue is more difficult but not impossible.

If it is a high volume boat like a sea boat, the kayaker can right the boat then climb on the rear deck , straddle it and then put one leg at a time in, once seated back in the boat reattaching the spray deck. Quite a balancing act but can be done, but much more difficult in rough water. Many sea-boats have bulkheads, which limits the flooding in the hull, and have hand pumps to empty the cockpit once the spray deck is on.

The other way takes a cool head and an excellent ability to roll the boat upright. The kayaker leaves the boat upside down, in this position there is normally a lot of air in the boat. If not the kayaker can sometimes lift one end off the water enough to drain some the water out of a swamped boat. He or she then takes a deep breath, turns upside down in the water and slides into the normal sitting position in the boat. The really cool of head refits the spray deck whilst upside down, gets the paddle into the right position and rolls upright. Simples!
 
I would love to see it. Having competed in slalom and surfing for many years, done a fair bit of sea kayaking, taught hundreds of people canoeing and many to roll, I have never once seen anybody rescue themselves. I take your point about bulkheads in sea kayaks but it would take pretty remarkable balance and luck.
 
I have managed both techniques but only in the most benign conditions. The trick of getting into the cockpit from the straddle position is to do it quickly so your weight gets low as soon as possible As you say, you need good balance and luck. I have managed to roll a boat back up after attaching the spray deck but it was in a pool, it was 35 years ago and pride was at stake! I would probably have difficulties in finding the pool nowadays

I think this is why the sit- on boats are so popular with the anglers. It is so much easier to self rescue than on a boat that needs a spray deck.
 
vyv_cox said:
I would love to see it. Having competed in slalom and surfing for many years, done a fair bit of sea kayaking, taught hundreds of people canoeing and many to roll, I have never once seen anybody rescue themselves. I take your point about bulkheads in sea kayaks but it would take pretty remarkable balance and luck.
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We used to practice self rescue regularly.

Plan A was, of course, staying in the boat.
 
vyv_cox said:
I don't know any way that a solo canoeist can self-rescue. Please explain how it can be done.
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What us anglers call kayaks are more like sit on top surf boards. All you have to do is reach across to the far side and pull yourself back on. These things are way more stable than real kayaks and obviously there is no water to empty out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10H-X5tWPRY
 
You may call them kayaks but I'm afraid they are not. You sit inside a kayak, with a spray deck to keep the water out. My surf kayak had a seat belt to keep me inside it when being chucked about by waves. Eskimos who hunt seal in them are sewn in to their spray decks. If they could not roll, they drowned.
 
You didn't ask for a justification of the name, you would have to argue with Ocean Kayaks or Perception about that, you asked for an explanation of how he could have self rescued. Anglers use sit on tops BECAUSE they are easy, they are fishing platforms, not white water boats!
 
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