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 Gordon Laing shares some valuable lessons he learned the hard way, read about Gordon's ordeal in Miller's Run - without the fun...
You probably are aware that I was recently “lost” at sea – this
according to News reports. Whilst I always knew exactly where I was I
did come off and was unable to get back onto my ski in conditions that
weren’t the greatest while doing a late afternoon Millers Run. This resulted in a full search being initiated and a whole
lot of concern generated for my paddling friends and family. In the end
I managed to reach the shore after a 3 hour swim which went on into
full darkness. I thought that it would be useful to use this
“adventure” as a learning experience for others – hopefully it never
happens to you but here goes.
A brief background :
1. There was a group of 5 – all experienced paddlers and all of us had done a number of Millers Runs,
2. We all had PFD’s and leashes,
3. The conditions, although strong, were ok at the slipway but the
wind and chop were not great once we had got to outside of Bakoven Rock
and worsened while I was in the water,
4. Even if you are an experienced paddler things can go wrong very quickly. Plan for contingencies.
 Conditions worsened...
There were a number of things that helped me through this but
probably the most important is that the water temperature wasn’t too
bad and I was able to “Help Myself”.
Getting back onto your ski and getting going again is obviously the best thing to do – but that didn’t happen so here goes.
1. There is a difference between being excited and truly nervous
about doing a paddle - listen to your instincts – 99 times out of 100
they are right. I was excited and a little nervous about the paddle -
new ski (an Epic V10) and not having paddled on the sea for a while -
but on looking at the conditions felt that they would be ok given that
I had trained for the PE-EL in worse conditions on a V10.
2. In “biggish wind” conditions it is very difficult to stay
together especially if you separate at the start – have a quick chat
about the game plan before you start off (call it a briefing session if
you want) but make sure everybody is in the discussion together, decide
on rendezvous points and times as well as who will be paddling with
whom in the group if it likely that you will be paddling at different
speeds,
3. Dress appropriately – obviously always wear at least a PFD, a
thermal top and pants even if conditions seem warm and benign. A cap
also helps to keep your head warm. If you are paddling on the cold side
– consider taking a windbreaker with you – they weigh next to nothing
and will help keep you warm if needed,
4. Take flares with you – and be able to use the flares in bad
conditions – ideally you should be able to reach and fire the flares
with one hand – you may need the other to hold onto your ski – or even
worse what if you have dislocated a shoulder? Some of the flare packs
that I have seen would have been almost impossible to use in the
conditions that I was in. Tie the flare canister / holder onto your
PFD. Make sure the flares are in date. Practice loading the flare
holder out of the water with either hand. If you decide that you have
to fire your flares – spread this over a long period and always keep
one in reserve for when the rescue team arrives so that they can get a
bearing on you,
5. Make sure your PFD has a whistle tied to it and also consider
taking a small mirror with you. The mirror should not be made of glass
but metal – usually polished stainless steel,
6. Cellphone / radio – whilst I don’t think I would have been able
to use one under the conditions I could possibly have answered a call.
If you have one save the emergency number in it as the first speed dial,
7. Always have at least one leash and make sure that it is tied to
your ski and yourself or your paddle – having your paddle tied to you
doesn’t make any sense if your ski is gone,
8. If you are paddling towards evening make sure that you have
enough time to finish your paddle well before it gets dark but also
have a strobe light attached to your PFD,
9. Never paddle alone and always have prearranged times to let
people know that you have arrived safely – make sure someone ashore is
aware of this and has contact numbers – both yours and the emergency
services,
10. If you do happen to get into a situation don’t panic – consider
your situation and think about you need to do to help yourself get out
of trouble. “What is the next step for me here?” What may be useful
here is to think like your own buddy and if you were him / her what
would you advise yourself to do? If you sense that you are starting to
panic just breathe deeply a few times – and concentrate on getting the
breath in slowly – you will find that this settles you down very
quickly,
11. Rather than rushing do things at a measured pace – do this
deliberately as it helps in 2 aspects – it keeps you calm and whilst
keeping you warm it also conserves energy,
12. Unless the wind conditions are such that you are getting blown
offshore very quickly stay with your ski – it is much easier for
rescuers to spot than a head in the water and it gives a much bigger
profile for that dreaded taxman – you look less like a struggling seal.
Even if you are getting blown offshore stay with consider staying with
your ski – and if you are going to stay with your ski tie it to you,
13. If you cannot get back onto your ski to paddle it sitting up, it
is easier to lie on it lengthwise with your body over the cockpit area
and use your arms to paddle it. You can use your legs to balance if
needed but in order to move quicker you can cross your ankles on the
deck – this creates less drag in the water,
14. Keep your paddle with you during daylight hours so that you can
stick it in the air as a signal to rescuers. You can lie it skew across
the ski underneath yourself (fore & aft from your cheek on one side
under the armpit on your other side) to keep it out of the water and
limit its drag,
15. Don’t fight the conditions unless you absolutely have to –
rather edge across any drift (current or wind) i.e. paddle / swim
across the drift towards where you want to end up. This way you will
save energy for later,
16. Finally, if you have had an episode once you are ashore make
sure that you contact the emergency services to let them know that you
are safe. (That is, of course, if you haven’t been rescued by them!!)
I am sure that there are a number of other tips that people could
give and would appreciate any comments / suggestions that would help
somebody else in a situation like this.
See you on the water
Gordon
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