Fall 2013 - Hole in the Wall Paddling Club

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The Paddler
The Newsletter of the Hole-in-the-Wall Paddling Club
Fall 2013
“I Pity the Fool...”
In This Issue
3
From the Oval Cockpit
4
Hobuck Beach Extravaganza
9
Hobuck - Lessons Learned
13
The Mayne Event
15
San Juan Whales
16
Epic Trip Show Teaser
17
Photo Contest - Coming Soon
19
Hyperlink Page
20
Just for Grins
“...who missed the Hobuck Beach Extravaganza!” Mister T sums
it up perfectly. This trip
will surely be one of the
highlights of the year.
We dodged a spectacular
storm that battered the I5 corridor, surfed, paddled open ocean, hiked, visited
the Makah museum, took classes, practiced important
skills, laughed a lot and set perhaps an insurmountably
high standard with which to compare future campout
potlucks.
I find myself a pitiable fool for missing the Mayne
Event and the San Juan Island trips. Sarah Roberts
shares her whale shots from the San Juan trip. Beautiful paddling weather and location, gourmet camp
cooking, pubs, water fights and comaraderie abounded at Mayne as you’ll see in Susan Conrad’s photos.
There’s also a link there that will take you to many
more photos of this great club event.
“Mal de mer!” Ah, yes. We often fancify unpleasant topics by using their French monikers to make
them seem more appealing. But seasickness is at best
no fun. On an open coast paddle it can become hazardous. Fortunately, if it happens within a well trained &
equipped group, it can just be a skill cementing exercise for those unafflicted. Read Mac Carter’s account
of one such opportunity had during the Hobuck Extravaganza. Happily, after returning to camp, things
went from “Oh, my! Is Penny alright?” to the inevitable aftermath of endless ribbing. Penny was understandably quite hungry several hours after returning to
shore, but help was there too - it was the potluck night!
From us who have BTDTGTCSPJ1 we are glad Penny
is alright and grateful to her for being willing to share
the lessons learned that day.
- Bob Rock, Editor
Newsletter Submission Information
The Paddler is published quarterly on the solstices and equinoxes. Submissions for the next issue are welcome at any
time. Like with any volunteer effort, life has been known to
interfere with editing and publication during the crunch times
so submissions well before the deadline (at least 1 week prior
to the solstices and equinoxes) are highly recommended.
When submitting photos please be sure to send full resolution images as email attachments rather than tiny images
embedded in an email. Your photos are worth displaying in
the best possible quality! Please also provide credit for the
photos if they are not yours. Please send your submissions
and questions to:
bob@bobrockphoto.com
Photo Rights – By submitting photos to the Hole-in-the-Wall
Paddling club for use in the club website and/or newsletter
you agree to grant the club non-exclusive rights to use those
photographs in original or edited form in the club’s website
and/or newsletters. The photographer retains the copyright to
the photos and will be credited appropriately in the website or
newsletter in which it is used.
The Paddler
1 Been there, done that, got the “chum” spattered paddle jacket.
Fall 2013
From the Oval Cockpit
Welcome to September and back to business! It sure was a great summer for paddling!
Since the last newsletter we have had club trips to Sucia, San Juan, the Gulf islands, and
some super fun surf time at Hobuck. In addition we have had regular Thursday evening local paddles, and members helping members sessions. Thank you so much to all the trip
leaders who have made this happen, and who continue to put in the time to make this such
a great club!
Most of the time it has been just a blast, with a lot of laughs and companionship, and
shared purpose. There has also been a reminder that things can happen suddenly sometimes in conditions that require knowledge and teamwork: a sudden need for an medical
emergency radio call, or the need to tow a disabled kayaker in a large swell. And this is
where those hours spent in practice, and conversations and classes about technique suddenly really matter. And that is central to our mission: safe kayaking through training and
education.
So I hope you take advantage of the upcoming pool sessions, members helping members
sessions and the various classes we have planned. The monthly presentations are also a
great place to pick up critical nuggets of information, check out books and videos from our
library, and ask questions. Also consider signing up to the listserve, some great info comes
out through that. Check out the calendar and get signed up.
So, just because it’s raining, is no excuse! See you out on the water. And don’t forget the
QUAD CLUB PICNIC on September 29th!! Be there!!
Sarah Roberts, President, Hole In The Wall Paddling Club
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This beautiful “Hobuck Sunset” was submitted by Heiko Miles.
Heiko submitted this as two separate images which were then stitched together,
edited, signed, matted and framed digitally by Bob Rock Photography.
(Shameless plug there)
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An Unexpected Paddle Trip Challenge
Actually, all seven of us had key roles to play. In addition
to our tow-team (Sarah, Jim & Heiko), Tom was our “Point”
paddler guiding the way and Marie played “Rover” to help
with communication and offer encouragement. We made
good progress like this for about 3 miles.
Mac Carter
During the big club campout at Hobuck earlier this month, seven of us thought it would
be great fun to paddle from Makah Bay north
to Cape Flattery and back (Mac, Penny, Sarah,
Jim, Heiko, Tom and Marie). I was the only one
who had done this paddle before (yellow line in
map). It’s about 6 miles one way with a rugged,
rocky shoreline, some pocket beaches, huge
rock outcroppings and some big caves. This
area has the potential to be very treacherous.
But if the currents, swells, wind and fog are reasonably friendly, it can be an outstanding 1-day
paddle trip.
As we approached the last mile into Makah Bay, I was nervously trying to figure out how we would get Penny through
the surf zone and safely onto shore. It is not something I
had ever practiced. I asked Tom to find a landing spot with
the least surf. Then, I asked Penny if she thought she could
paddle in. She said, “NO, I’d rather get out of my boat and
swim in”.
So, Tom and I brain stormed on how to make it work. We
decided to have two of our group (Tom and Jim) paddle
ashore and wade out into the surf zone in waist deep water
Our day started with calm water, comfortable temperature and almost no wind with high,
overcast clouds. The on-shore surf break was
minimal (1-2’) and the offshore swells appeared
almost flat (from shore). We checked NOAA
weather and it looked good all day -- high of
68º, wind SSW at 0-5 kts with 5-8’ swells and
mixed clouds. Everyone geared up in their dry
suits with plenty of water and food. We agreed
to use Ch 68 on our VHF radios if needed and
paddled out.
THE FIRST WAKE-UP CALL... As we approached the first turn out of Makah Bay before
heading north, we stopped to talk about the current, wind and swells. We estimated the current
at about 1+ knot heading North. It was warm
and very little wind. BUT, the swells were quite
a bit bigger than anticipated - roughly big, slow
10’ rollers. We felt the current was manageable
and we did not expect the light wind to generate
any wind driven waves. So, we moved ahead
paddling well outside the shore break. We talked about the risks and everyone enthusiastically
chose to continue.
THE 2nd WAKE-UP CALL... After about 2
miles, I stopped the group again to check-in. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the (open ocean)
paddle and doing “fine” with the rolling swells.
However, Penny reported she was “feeling a
bit uncomfortable with the swells, but felt OK
to proceed”. We double checked with her, and
then we moved on.
THE 3rd WAKE-UP CALL... We stopped again
after about 4 miles. We were now about two
miles from the tip of Cape Flattery and within
sight of the lighthouse on Tatoosh Island. It was
still warm (almost sunny) with big rolling swells
and a very light wind at our backs. What changed
was Penny’s condition - she reported she was
The Paddler
about 25’ from the beach to catch Penny’s boat
before it got dumped in the surf.
As we approached the surf zone, I had Sarah
detach her towline. Then, I paddled both boats
(mine and Penny’s) toward the beach while holding my breath. This was “crunch” time. When
I got to the surf zone (about 40’ from shore), I
let go of Penny’s boat and gave it a little push
toward the beach. Tom and Jim handled it perfectly - they quickly caught the bow and stern of
Penny’s boat, helped her out and through the
water up onto the beach. The process was fast
and worked extremely well. When I landed two
minutes later, Penny was sitting on the sand resting next to her boat.
That evening, as Penny recovered, we all sat around the fire talking about what we learned from the day:
not feeling well and had a severe headache. After talking with
her and the group a bit, I decided to end the paddle and asked
the group to head back to Makah Bay. Now the challenge began.
As we started to paddle back, Penny’s condition quickly deteriorated from “not feeling well” to “feeling REALLY seasick”.
She vomited several times and said she felt exhausted. We
stopped, gathered up and quickly organized into a towing formation with two paddlers (myself and Sarah) towing Penny’s
boat in a V-formation.
It became clear pretty fast that this towing method might
work on a flat lake, but did not work here. The movement of
big swells had us pulling more against each other instead of
effectively towing our disabled paddler. We hardly made any
progress as our seasick paddler was going through painful
dry-heaves and became unstable in her boat.
So, we stopped again and reorganized. This time we had
one person (me) assist Penny to keep her boat stable and two
people doing an “in-line” tow with the towline attached to my
boat. I put my body weight on her front deck to stabilize her
boat as the swells rolled underneath us. I attached my short
tow line to her boat and held on tight to keep the boats together
as they towed us. This 2-person towing method worked fairly
well for awhile, but it was too strenuous on Sarah and Jim. So,
we asked Heiko to join in as the 3rd inline “tow person”.
Fall 2013
1. If someone starts to feel “wonky” while paddling in swells, it will most likely get worse. So, as leader, consider options for changing the paddle plan early.
2. The group absolutely needs someone to play leader to ensure that everyone has a role and that effective
decisions are being made.
3. Do not let the group split up at the point you realize someone is disabled. It may very well turn out that
you will need everybody to make it back safely.
4. It was essential that one of our group assist our disabled paddler for the entire tow ride to stabilize her
boat. At one point, she was drifting in and out of full consciousness.
5. The non-towing paddlers need to stay closer to the group towing... within voice range at all times. Our
Point and Rover were out of voice range too often.
6. We should have turned our VHF radios ON and used them to talk to each other. Strangely, none of us
thought to do so.
7. We should have figured out a way to periodically rotate a fresh paddler into the 3 towing positions. Or, we
should have tried having 4 paddlers towing. Towing is a very energy draining activity.
8. The towing paddlers need to be especially aware that their towline carabiner is clipped correctly onto the deck line of the boat
being towed. The towline should go through the deckline of the
stabilizing boat and attach to the disabled kayak. Otherwise, the
towline carabiner can be jostled about by the motion of the water
and actually break loose. It happened to us when we were hit by
a breaking wave.
9. It really helps to have everyone cooperate and work together like
a team. We needed each other’s support.
10. It helps a lot to stay upbeat and maintain a “positive” mindset during the strenuous, challenging process like this.
11. Lastly, in retrospect, as the group leader on this paddle, I think
I should have put myself in the “Rover” role. By “locking” myself
down assisting our disabled paddler, I was at the tail end of our
chain of boats and not in a position where I could not communicate easily with my team nor could I see when they were tired
and needed a break.
Overall, it was a job well done. Everyone stepped up and did whatever was needed to get our disabled paddler back to shore safely. We worked exceptionally well together under pressure and adapted quickly to circumstances as we discovered what did and did not work.
Personally, I came away feeling happy, tired, relieved and very proud of everyone in our paddle group. This
experience is now a great club story with a good ending that we can all learn from. And lastly, Penny says,
“THANKS to my rescue team! I am eternally grateful to all of you!”
The Paddler
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Fall 2013
We are grateful to Coast & Kayak magazine for allowing us to reprint this article to help us hone our skills.
strings attached:
MaKing your toW
systeM WorK For you
Text and Photos by Neil Schulman
W
hen A.J. wet-exits, he somehow gets
separated from his boat. So I track
it down and go to attach my towline. But with my thick neoprene gloves I have
trouble freeing the small clip at the end of the
line from the bag around my waist. A.J.’s kayak
and I drift farther toward the rocks…
Fortunately, we’re just practicing, and there
are other people around. A.J. is reunited with
his boat with ease. But it was obvious: I couldn’t
deploy my towline quickly enough.
Of all the kit sea kayakers lug around, tow
systems are perhaps the most befuddling. Second only to the skeg-versus-rudder holy wars,
tow systems generate the most ongoing debates
among experienced paddlers. The reason is that
there’s no perfect system, and they all take tinkering to make them work for you.
tHe Big Questions:
WHy? anD WHat KinD?
Why?
Before we analyze how you can carry a
bunch of rope around, let’s remind ourselves
why we carry a tow system anyway. There are
two main reasons you’ll be towing someone.
10
WaveLength Magazine
The Paddler
1. To quickly move a person,
rescue or boat out of a dangerous situation. Think of a rescue
operation drifting towards the
rocks or breaking surf. Your
tow needs to be fast, simple, and
something you can get out of
quickly so you don’t become
another victim.
2. To get someone from A to B.
It could be someone who can’t
keep up, can’t control his kayak
in the wind, gets injured or seasick. In this
case, you may find yourself towing for miles,
through varied conditions. The towee will
need both propulsion and, if he's exhausted,
injured, or seasick, another paddler to raft up
and help him stay upright.
It’s not all about which tow system you use.
The easiest way to move another boat is often a
short push or contact tow, with no futzing with
lines and clips—just someone rafting up and
pushing the other kayak where it needs to go.
But sometimes you need to use a tow system.
Whatever your tow rig, you’ll need to practice
with it until you can get that line unclipped
with heavy gloves on without looking or losing
your paddle.
What Kind?
Most systems fall into two categories: tow
belts and boat-mounted tows.
Tow Belts
There are a wide variety of tow belts available,
made by Northwater, Expedition Essentials,
and Valley, among others. They are worn loosely around the waist and have a quick-release
buckle and floating line.
The main advantage of a waist tow is quick
deployment and re-stuffing. And since it will
swing around your waist when you change direction, you can tow backward easily, without
becoming wrapped in line. This can be key in
rough water, where you want to be able to go in,
get someone out of trouble, and get out as fast as
possible—which often means in reverse. And
you can use a waist tow with any kayak you happen to be paddling.
The Northwater waist tow with my preferred setup:
carabiner and quickdraw, and a float and clip-on
loop added to the belt.
The downsides are that towing from the
body can exert a lot of force on your back and
torso, especially if you’re a relatively small person. And the added bulk of wearing a tow belt in
addition to spray skirt, double-tunnel drysuit,
and PFD can restrict freedom of motion.
Deck Tows
Towing from a fitting attached to the rear
deck of the kayak is very popular among British kayakers. A towline runs through a bullseye
and cleat on the deck behind the cockpit, with
the line held in a bag (but not attached to it). To
release the line in an emergency, the paddler
just pulls the line free of the cleat.
April–june 2008
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More Photos
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Fall 2013
The First Hole-in-the-Wall Paddling Club Photo Contest
Start Shooting Now for Your Chance at Photographic Fame (and/or Infamy) !
The Rules
The Categories...
The January 2014 meeting will be the first Hole-in-the-Wall
Paddling Club photo contest.
Here’s how it will work…
Club Members may submit up to a total of 6 photos that have
been shot between 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2013.
Of those 6 total photos, a maximum of 3 may be submitted
in any one of the categories. The six categories will be Paddling, Informal Portraits of Club Members, Scenics, Flora,
Fauna and Photo Software Unleashed. The images will be
organized into a slideshow to be shown at the January 2014
club meeting. Members in attendance will vote to determine the winners. The images will be shown in randomized
order within each category and the audience will be blind to
the photographer’s identity until all voting is complete.
All entries must be submitted to bob@bobrockphoto.com no
later than midnight on Friday, 3 January 2014. You are free,
and encouraged, to submit them at any time sooner than
the deadline. Submitted files must be JPEG images with a
resolution of at least 1920 pixels in the shortest direction
to allow full HD display for the show.
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Hole-in-the-Wall
Paddling Club
Hyperlinks of Interest
Website:
http://holeinthewallpaddlingclub.org
Library Catalog:
http://holeinthewallpaddlingclub.org/files/Library_Inventory.pdf
Release Form:
http://holeinthewallpaddlingclub.org/files/WaiverSarahP.pdf
Email webmaster Ron Frederick here…
mailto:PapaOtter@SeaOtters.US
Email pool session coordinator Jill Mitchell here...
mailto: Jill.Mitchell2012@comcast.net
Email newsletter editor Bob Rock here...
mailto:bob@bobrockphoto.com
Club Email List Announcement details…
http://holeinthewallpaddlingclub.org/files/HITW_Club_Email_List_Announcment.pdf
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Fall 2013
If George said he saw this guy we’d know he went too deep and fell victim
to nitrogen narcosis. If we knew who posted this image on the internet we’d
invite their participation in the upcoming club photo contest with this worthy
entry in the “Photo Software Unleashed” category!
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