Boater First Aid Kit

Before you even begin building a boater first aid kit ask yourself what the most likely types of injuries you’ll encounter are. Your answer to this question will determine what you pack in your first aid kit. Remember, you only have limited space – there’s not enough room for everything. Also, pack with others in mind. You may not be diabetic, but chances are somebody else on the river is, so cake icing would be a valuable addition to your kit.

The most common injuries we see are: sprained ankles, pulled muscles, head lacerations (remember to tuck), dislocated shoulders, and dehydration. With that in mind, here’s a very small, but effective, kit equipped to handle the aforementioned emergencies.

1.Sam splint: Great for stabilizing sprained ankles, or broken bones
2.Crevats: These triangular pieces of cloth can be used for slinging a dislocated shoulder, or wrapping a wound
3.Roller Gauze: Dip it in a little iodine water to create a wet dressing, or use it to wrap a wound
4.Gauze packets: to stop the bleeding
5.Band-aids and butterflies
6.Tape
7.Matches (to warm people up)
8.CPR mask
9.Gloves
10. Ace wrap
11. Ibuprofen/Aspirin, Benadryl (for those allergic to bee stings, etc), Cake Icing (for diabetics), Oral potassium/salt (for dehydrated people that can’t keep water down), iodine (for purifying water or cleaning wounds – when cleaning wounds dilute the iodine)

Having a first aid kit is only the first step. Knowing how to use it or administer aid is the second step. We offer advanced wilderness first aid courses as well as wilderness first responder courses here at NOC. Even if you don’t take a course with us, we strongly encourage all boaters to take a first aid course somewhere - preferablly a wilderness course.

Shoulder Safety

Imagine a basketball balanced on a golf tee. The basketball is the end of your humerus bone. The indented part of the tee the basketball is balancing on is your shoulder joint. It’s not very deep, and it’s not very big, considering the large ball that’s resting on it. And therein lies the problem. The shoulder socket is very small, while the humerus bone resting on that socket isn’t. The shoulder socket is designed for range of motion, and not designed to be a weight bearing joint (like how paddlers use it for bracing, turning, or rolling). In contrast, the hip socket is a weight bearing joint – the bone is set deep in the socket for stability and to prevent a large range of motion. (This explains why dislocating a hip is horribly painful)

The ratio of a basketball to a golf tee is actually pretty accurate when describing the shoulder joint. Now imagine how easy it is to knock that basketball off the tee and you can see why shoulder dislocations are fairly common. If not for the skin, muscles, tendons, and ligaments that surround the shoulder, humans would perpetually walk around in slings. As it stands though, it’s only kayakers that perpetually walk around in slings. Usually, the paddle is the culprit when a kayaker dislocates his shoulder. Archimedes once said, “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum to place it on and I’ll move the world”. Your paddle is that lever, and although it’s only 197 centimeters long, it’s plenty long enough to apply the minimum pressure required to knock that basketball off the tee. Keeping your shoulder in a strong position while paddling is therefore of utmost importance. A strong position is one in which the elbows stay below the hands and the hands stay in front of the torso. The easiest way to achieve this strong position is by rotating your torso with all your strokes – especially strokes done at the back of the boat.

Below are two pictures of a sweep stroke. In the first, the paddler has rotated his upper body with the stroke. His elbows are bent and below his hands, while his hands are in front of his torso. This is a strong position. In the second picture a paddler has not rotated his torso when doing the sweep stroke. You can see that the elbow is above the hand, and the hand is not in front of the torso. This is a weak position.

Strong and weak shoulder positions can also be applied to rolling. In the first picture below the paddler is executing a sweep roll. Notice how he has twisted his torso as he rolls to ensure that his hands stay in front of his body as his rights himself. (One of the easiest ways to achieve this is by following the lead paddle blade with your eyes). His left hand and elbow stay tucked close to the body to maintain a strong position. In the second picture the paddler is not rotating with the sweep. This puts a lot of pressure on the shoulder and is a weak position. The shoulder has become a weight-bearing joint – something it was never intended to be.

This concept also works with bracing. It is often said that a low brace is safer than a high brace. In actuality, a poor low brace and a poor high brace can dislocate your shoulder equally well. Both braces should be executed with the bracing blade planted in the water in front of the paddler. Bracing perpendicular to the paddler, or behind the paddler (even worse) places the shoulder at risk. The farther back you brace the more you load the blade with weight, and the more you’re depending on the shoulder alone, and not the other muscle groups, like abs, obliques, and pecs to stay upright. A high brace is perfectly acceptable so long as the hands aren’t rising above the head.

A low brace is acceptable as long as the elbows aren’t rising above the hands or head. Below are four pictures. The first and third pictures demonstrate a shoulder-safe high and low brace, respectively. The second and fourth pictures demonstrate an unsafe high and low brace, respectively.

A Better Boat to Boat Rescue?

Thanks for the help!

A traditional bow rescue calls for the paddler who is upside down to have their hands out of the water on either side of the kayak while also rubbing back and forth along the boat. This rubbing is advised for two reasons: first, so the rescuer who is paddling aggressively toward them will be less likely to hit his/her hand and second, as a means to search for the bow of the rescuers kayak that might have come in behind or in front of their hand.

While professional kayak instructors have the experience to approach upside down kayakers slowly and the precision boat control to ensure that their bow makes contact with the kayak at the right angle, many kayakers who have taken it upon themselves to teach their friends and loved ones do not.

Ouch!

I have seen it many times. . . someone in the group is upside down on the lake, hands rubbing patiently on the kayak while an intrepid rescuer accelerates toward him only to create an inadvertently painful kayak hand sandwich or to have the bow of their kayak veer off in the wrong direction at the last second, leaving the kayaker to pull his skirt and swim.

The traditional bow rescue does have the advantage of keeping the rescuer at boats length from the upside down paddler but it comes with some risk of possible injury to the hand of the person you are trying to rescue. There is also a slightly lower success rate if the person grabs the bow incorectly as illustrated in the photograph bellow.

Uhh....

There is another way to execute a boat to boat rescue that is friendlier, reliable and more controlled. It consists of paddling up along side the upside down kayaker and physically guiding their hand to your boat. This results in a much more controlled rescue and has two big advantages. The physical contact with the person generally has a calming affect and also allows for excellent communication when the kayaker's head is resting on your kayak.

While this type of boat to boat rescue has a high success rate, it does have one draw back in that it puts the rescuer at risk of being capsized by the person pushing with their arms, hence lifting their head and not hip snapping. This can be mitigated by leaning slightly away from the side of the kayak that is being used to help the person rolling up.

The technique for this rescue works as follows:

1. Paddle up along side of the kayaker.
2. Grab the wrist of the their closest hand (this is important)
   
3. Guide their hand to the side of your kayak.
4. Have the kayaker proceed with placing the other hand on the boat laying their head on the boat than a hip snap as usual with a bow rescue.

Grabbing the wrist and not the hand allows you to take control of their hand as you guide it to your boat. It is important to be aware that you are exposing part of your body to someone who is upside down in the water. Generally paddlers who are calm enough underwater to be asking for a rescue are much less likely to be in a panic when they feel your hand. As a general rule though, if you are approaching an arm and hand that appears like some sort of possessed periscope, it is best to just let that hand reach for their grab loop.

So next time you are on the lake and one of your friends is upside down asking for a rescue, this is just one more option to choose from. Which one will depend on your commfort level, ability, situation and understainding of the limitations of each type of rescue.

Stay tuned for some tips on how to use this on the river.


Chris

A Glossary of Whitewater Terminology

We have been asked multiple times by guests to produce a glossary of common whitewater terms so that paddlers can communicate more effectively and understand the sport better. The beauty of having an online glossary is that we can add terminology as the sport grows and link to more detailed explanations of the terms with video and pictures as this blog grows in content. We plan on adding more terms to this post as we get time,

A Glossary

•Awareness- having a broader scope of vision that encompasses not just one self but the surroundings and other paddlers on the river. See our previous post on river awareness.

•Back Face – the convex side of the paddle blade

•Back Ferry- going from one side of the river to the other without moving downsteam as in a ferry but in this case with the bow facing down stream. A "backferry" can also be used to maintain a stationary position in the the river, as the bow faces downstream this allows the paddler to look at what is coming up.

•Backband – An adjustable brace that provides support in the lower lumbar region that encourages a neutral to aggressive posture. Helps encourage a better posture by rolling the hips forward.

•Beatdown-If you have to ask, you have not seen one and definitely not experienced one. A beatdown typically describes any situation when the river exerts supreme power over puny paddlers. This is usually accomplished through large hydraulics but can apply to many situations when thing do not go according to plan. Examples include getting pinned, randomly flipped, trashed in holes, dragged over rocks and other events of such nature. River Gnomes are usually the instruments of beatdowns though they recent these duties.

•Belay- In climbing refers to when a rope is used to prevent or arrest a fall. In paddling it can be used to lower boats, gear or a paddler in a controlled fashion down river.

•Big Water-usually refers to rivers that are flooding or that have large volumes of water that produce very large river features. Typically flows in excess of 5000cfs are considered Big Water.

•Blade – The end of a paddle (either canoe or kayak) that provides the "catch" in a paddle stroke. The Blade has a back face (convex) and power face (concave). Blade shapes for kayak paddles are typically asymmetrical or symmetrical, though most modern blade shapes are asymmetrical. Asymmetrical blades catch the water near the end of the blade early in stroke placement, whereas symmetrical catches along the entire length of the blade throughout the entire stroke. Canoe paddles are symmetrical and utilize only one blade with a t-grip on an opposing end.

•Blunt-see our previous post on the Blunt

•Boat Angle- boat angle is the angle, as viewed from above, between the imaginary line formed between the bow and stern of the boat, and the primary direction of the current flow of the river. Boat angle is sometimes designated by numbers (one o'clock) but more often in less precise terms (slight left boat angle, or strong boat angle). Two boats can be following the same line of travel but have completely different boat angles.

•Boil- this is a water feature created when water churns upward and creates an elevated region in the river. In big water a boils can elevate and move kayaks several feet in random directions.

•Boil Line- this is the line that delineates the water going down stream from the water that is flowing back toward a hydraulic. The further downstream a boil line is from the hydraulic, the more hazardous the feature.

•Boof- a boof is a maneuver where a kayaker uses his paddle, rock or water feature to lift the bow of the kayak over a drop, usually performed to avoid a piton or getting stuck in a hydraulic. There are many reasons to perform a boof and this maneuver is the staple of advanced kayaking. See our earlier post on Boofing

•Bow – The front of the kayak

•Bow Draw- a correction stroke used to pull the front of the kayak or canoe to the side toward the paddle blade.

•Bracing: Any paddle stroke that helps the paddler maintain his/her balance. The high and low brace are the most common bracing strokes but forward and turning strokes also work as bracing strokes in many situations.


•High Brace - in a high brace the paddle is positioned perpendicular to the kayak, the power face is facing the water and the elbows are positioned bellow the hands.

•Low Brace -in a low brace the paddle is positioned perpendicular to the kayak or canoe, the backside of the blade is facing the water and the elbows are positioned above the hands.

•Bulkhead Brace – A plate mounted by aluminum bars in the hull that your feet rest on to help provide desired leverage and posture in the kayak

• C to C Roll-A roll technique that has the paddler extend the paddle out perpendicular to the boat. The C to C describes the curled body position when the hip snap is executed and when the roll is finished. The first C (turn this C on its side so it looks like a U) is when the paddler extends his body upwards underwater from the side of the boat . The second C refers to the shape of the body in the finished position when the boat is upright.

• C-1 – Single-person closed deck canoe

• C-2 – Two-person closed deck canoe

• Carabiner – an oval metal ring with a spring gate; typically used in mountaineering but used in river rescue as well

• Catch- the first part of any paddle stroke is referred to the catch, a properly executed catch seats the blade in the water effectively and will have minimal aeration when the stroke is executed.

• Channel- a division in the river, stream or flow that can created by an island, set of rocks or river feature.

•Clean- executing a play boating move without using the paddle.

•Cockpit-the area of the kayak where one gets into and out of the kayak. The size of the cockpit can vary depending on manufacturer.

•Compound Stroke- when two or more different paddle strokes are executed in successions

•Control Hand- refers to the hand that controls the angle of the paddle blade. For example in a "right hand control paddle," the right hand controls the angle or twist of the left blade. Hence you have to twist the right hand back to get the left blade perpendicular to the water.

•Correction Stroke- any paddle stroke taken to adjust the angle or veer of the kayak, any number of different strokes can be used as corrective strokes: forward sweeps, back sweeps, forward strokes, bow draw, side draw, stern draw,

•Deflection Current- the deflection current is one component of eddy lines. Technically this is the current that is flowing off either side of the rock or other obstacle in the stream. This current is typically faster than the current in the middle of the river, hence when a kayak approaches this current there is a greater deflection force toward downstream.

•Displacement Hull- a displacement hull describes a kayak or canoe with a rounded bottom with no defined edge on the hull.

•Downstream- direction of the current.

•Downstream “V”- describes the shape of the current when it passes between two obstacles. The V points downstream and could be further delineated by wave trains.

•Eddy- a river feature formed by an obstacle in the downstream flow. A well formed eddy will have a defined eddy line and a calm pool behind the obstacle. Being able to "catch" or stop in these calm pools is one of the keystones of whitewater paddling.

•Eddy Fence-this very powerful eddy line feature lives in large volume or fast flowing rivers. The "fence" describes the area of the eddy line very close to the obstacle creating it, that is raised from the eddy pool. On the Grand Canyon River in Colorado there exists an eddy fence that can be two to three feet higher than the eddy pool. Usually an eddy with an "eddy fence" can very diffilcult to get out of.

•Eddy Hopping-describes a boating style in which a kayaker works his way downriver or down an individual rapid by catching eddies. The paddler uses these eddies to scout, to set up moves, and to break up long stretches of whitewater into manageable segments.

•Eddy Line-delineates the downstream flow of water from the upstream flow found in an eddy behind an obstruction. Eddy lines in faster water or created by above-water obstructions tend to be narrow and more well defined than those in slower water or those created by underwater obstructions. Eddy lines in slower water or created by underwater obstructions or by the banks of the river tend to be wider and "muddy" or unclear.

•Eddy Turn-the act of catching an eddy. When a paddler crosses the eddy line the turn within the eddy is aptly named the eddy turn.

•Ender-usually considerd an "old school" playboating move, though sometimes done by accident. Can be done on the stern or the bow, more often when done on the stern it is by accident. An ender is done when a paddler get's a vertical ejection from a hole, when done with grace the paddler will stand on their foot bracing system with the paddle high in the air and a grin from ear to ear. This move is best done in a boat with length.

•Feather-refers to the off-set of your paddle blades, most common is a 45 degree although paddlers now are using a wide variety of feather now. It can also refer to feathering your blade in the water, which are minor adjustments you might make on your blade while it is still in the water to make a more effective stroke.

•Ferry-the act of crossing a section of river without going downstream. While usually thought of as crossing the entire river, a ferry may simply involve moving out into the current a certain distance before allowing the boat to move downstream.

•Flotation- inflatable airbags that displace water in swamped boats, usually placed in the rear of the kayak, canoes usually have bow and stern flotation.

•Foam Pile- foam pile is usually reserved for the white frothy water washing back into a hole.

•Forward Stroke-while the kayaker may be able to move his boat in a straight line with a wide range of paddle maneuvers, the Forward Stroke may best be thought of as an efficient way of accelerating the kayak in a direct path. Efficient acceleration or forward strokes tend to be close to the boat with a vertical or nearly vertical paddle shaft. Powerful strokes enter the water far towards the front of the boat, at or past the toes, with the entire paddle blade anchored firmly in the water. Unless linked to another stroke (such as a stern draw), recovery takes place somewhere between the knees and the hips. The paddler may consider that a firm and constant "grip" or anchor in the water with the paddle lends much more power than simply focusing on a fast stroke rate. As with any strokes, many variables come into play to affect actual execution: water depth, obstructions, speed required, and necessity of linking or combining strokes. However, all strokes can gain efficiency if the paddler focuses on engaging core muscles to move the boat itslelf rather than just moving the paddle.

•Freestyle-the commonly used name for modern playboating.

•Gauge-measures river volume in feet (physical height of the water in the river), cubic feet per second (CFS) which is the amount of water passing that particular spot on the river. A visual representation of this is to imagine that the water in the river is made up of basketballs thus the CFS in this case would be the number of basketballs passing a given spot in a second. A higher CFS means more water in the river. Can also be measured in meters per second (MTS).

•Gradient- the amount of vertical feet a river drops over the course of its length. Rivers that loose a lot of vertical feet in a short distance are said to have a steep Gradient.

•Grab Loop-loops placed in the front and back of the kayak typically used to carry the boat or tie it down to a vehicle. Grab loops can also be utilized to rescue swimmers by giving them a place to hold onto while you tow them to shore.

•Green Wave-a wave feature that does not break at the top.

•Horizon Line- when looking downstream this is a line where the river drops off. The steeper the vertical drop, the less visible the bottom of the drop will be. This is the proverbial waterfall line.

•Hull- the bottom side of the kayak

•Hydraulic- also known as a hole, is a river feature where water drops over a obstruction (rock ledge or a rock) into deeper water on the downstream side. This causes water on the surface to be drawn back toward the rock or ledge. This can be a potentially hazardous feature but it could aslo be a feature used for playboating. Low head dam's are the most dangerous example of a hydraulic.

•J-lean-A way to tilt a kayak by keeping the head centered and raising one knee while slightly shifting bodyweight slightly to one side. A properly executed J-lean allows the kayak to be tilted without losing stability and balance.

•K-I- a solo kayak

•Line-a path through a rapid

•Low Brace Roll: this is the roll used to right an open boat.

•OC-2-Open canoe for 2 people, also known as a tandem canoe

•Offside-In rolling, offside usually refers to a roll in which the kayaker initiates the paddle sweep with the left hand. The setup position puts the left hand at the right foot and the right hand near the right hip. Offside can also refer to a roll in which the kayaker initiates the paddle sweep with the non-dominant hand. Outside the context of rolling, offside may be used to refer to a paddler's weaker side.

•Onside- In rolling, onside usually refers to a roll in which the kayaker initiates the paddle sweep with the right hand. The setup position puts the right hand at the left foot and the left hand near the left hip. Onside can also refer to a roll in which the paddler initiates the paddle sweep with the dominant hand. Outside the context of rolling, onside may be used to refer to a paddler's stronger side. Canoeist also have an onside and offside.

•Outfitting - outfitting can be the factory pieces that came with your boat; seat, thigh hooks, foot brace, backband. It can also be custom fit pieces of foam you have placed in the boat to make it fit you.

•Peel Out- the act of leaving an eddy and entering the current. A paddler exits the eddy with an angle slightly toward the current, paddling until the boat is fully into the current then leans to the inside of the turn until the boat is pointed downstream.

•PFD- Personal Flotation Device, also known as a life jacket.

•Pillow - is the water that builds up on the upstream side of an obstruction.

•Pivot Turn- a pivot turn is a quick turn done on the stern of the kayak when a paddler drops one edge of the boat and performs a back sweep on the opposite side of the boat. This turn is done most often in slalom kayaking.

•Planing Hull- is the flat bottom design of most modern day kayaks.

•Playboating- a type of kayaking where kayakers get onto a river feature such as a wave or hole and perform tricks. It can also be done while going downriver using a varity of river features. Also referred to as freestyle kayaking.

•Pool- a section of river that is calm in between or after a rapid.

•Portage- the act of walking around a rapid because it is not safe to run. Sometimes mandatory and sometimes by a paddlers personal discretion.

•Pothole- a geological feature on a river where water has eroded out a hole in a rock.

•Pour Over - when water goes over an obstacle like a ledge or other feature. Large steep pour overs or will generally have a hydraulic on the downstream side.

•Power Face- the scooped side of the paddle blade.

•Power Ferry - also called a "jet ferry" is a ferry done in very fast moving, irregular water.

•Pulley- a pulley is a simple mechanical device that is used sometimes in a kayakers "pin kit". A pulley will give a rescuer a mechanical advantage when trying to free a pinned boat.

•Recovery- regaining control after after running a rapid. It could also be the act of regaining control after performing a roll or another manuver such as a freestyle move.

•River Etiquette: is the curtsey and respect shown to other paddlers on the river. Basic River etiquette says that paddlers with Down Stream momentum or paddlers going downstream have the right away. This means that if you are in an eddy you must look upstream before pulling out to avoid possibly getting in some paddlers way. These rules are largely un written but are essential to regulating traffic on the river. This is also related to River Awareness.

•River left- the orientation of the bank in relation to the downstream current.

•River ratings-

Class I: Easy. Fast moving water with riffles and small waves. Few obstructions, all obvious and easily missed with little training. Risk to swimmers is slight; self-rescue is easy.

Class II: Novice. Straightforward rapids with wide, clear channels which are evident without scouting. Occasional maneuvering may be required, but rocks and medium- sized waves are easily missed by trained paddlers. Swimmers are seldom injured and group assistance, while helpful, is seldom needed. Rapids that are at the upper end of this difficulty range are designated "Class II+".

Class III: Intermediate. Rapids with moderate, irregular waves which may be difficult to avoid and which can swamp an open canoe. Complex maneuvers in fast current and good boat control in tight passages or around ledges are often required; large waves or strainers may be present but are easily avoided. Strong eddies and powerful current effects can be found, particularly on large-volume rivers. scouting is advisable for inexperienced parties. Injuries while swimming are rare; self-rescue is usually easy but group assistance may be required to avoid long swims. Rapids that are at the lower or upper end of this difficulty range are designated "Class III-" or "Class III+" respectively.

Class IV: Advanced. Intense, powerful but predictable rapids requiring precise boat handling in turbulent water. Depending on the character of the river, it may feature large, unavoidable waves and holes or constricted passages demanding fast maneuvers under pressure. A fast, reliable eddy turn may be needed to initiate maneuvers, scout rapids, or rest. Rapids may require "must" moves above dangerous hazards. Scouting may be necessary the first time down. Risk of injury to swimmers is moderate to high, and water conditions may make self-rescue difficult. Group assistance for rescue is often essential but requires practiced skills. A strong eskimo roll is highly recommended. Rapids that are at the upper end of this difficulty range are designated "Class IV-" or "Class IV+" respectively.

Class 5: Expert. Extremely long, obstructed, or very violent rapids which expose a paddler to added risk. Drops may contain large, unavoidable waves and holes or steep, congested chutes with complex, demanding routes. Rapids may continue for long distances between pools, demanding a high level of fitness. What eddies exist may be small, turbulent, or difficult to reach. At the high end of the scale, several of these factors may be combined. Scouting is recommended but may be difficult. Swims are dangerous, and rescue is often difficult even for experts. A very reliable eskimo roll, proper equipment, extensive experience, and practiced rescue skills are essential. Because of the large range of difficulty that exists beyond Class IV, Class 5 is an open-ended, multiple-level scale designated by class 5.0, 5.1, 5.2, etc... each of these levels is an order of magnitude more difficult than the last. Example: increasing difficulty from Class 5.0 to Class 5.1 is a similar order of magnitude as increasing from Class IV to Class 5.0.

Class VI: Extreme and Exploratory. These runs have almost never been attempted and often exemplify the extremes of difficulty, unpredictability and danger. The consequences of errors are very severe and rescue may be impossible. For teams of experts only, at favorable water levels, after close personal inspection and taking all precautions. After a Class VI rapids has been run many times, its rating may be changed to an appropriate Class 5.x rating.

See also American Whitewater Safety Code

•River Right- the oreintation of the bank in relation to the downstream current.

•River Signals- a set of designated signals that gives paddlers a the ability to comminicate at a distance while on the river.

•Rock Garden: usually describes a rapid with many, many boulders. Usually good for eddy hopping but bad for swimming.

•Roll- a maneuver that will right a kayak after it has been turned upside down. There are many types of rolls, most of which were developed for sea kayaking, (see Greenland Rolls) The most common rolls used in whitewater kayaking are the C to C, the Sweep Roll, Hands Roll and the Back Deck Roll. The open boat or canoe roll is typically done with a Low Brace Roll.

•Scout- the act of looking ahead at a rapid either in the boat or on foot to find the line.

•Self Rescue: when a paddler swims and gets him/herself to shore with or without their boat and gear, it is called a self rescue.

•Shaft- the area of the paddle in between blades on a kayak paddle, and between the t-grip and the blade on a canoe paddle.

•Shore- the bank of the river.

•Sidewall- this term refers the side of the kayak between the deck and the hull.

•Sieve- a very dangerous feature on the river usually caused by two rocks where water passes through, but a boat or paddler my not pass through.

•Slalom- a type of kayak and canoe racing where paddlers must pass through a series of designated upstream and downstream gates in a timed format. Slalom is currently the only kayakink event in the olympic games.

•Spin- could refer to a playboating move where a paddler does a 360 degree turn on a wave or in a hole. Also could refer to how a boat reacts when a paddler uses a wide sweeping stroke.

•Spray Skirt- the neoprene deck that a paddler wears on their waist that attaches to the cockpit rim of the kayak in order to keep water out of the boat.

•Squirt Boat- a specially designed boat for a specific type of kayaking where paddlers do manuvers such as "mystery moves" a manuver where the paddler travels below the surface of the river into the narthex.

•Stern- the back of a whitewater kayak.

•Stern Draw- a stroke in which a paddler uses a wide sweeping stroke placed into the water at the hip then sweeps water toward the stern of the boat. A very effective stroke for quick turns when done correctly.

•Suckhole- a very powerful hydraulic.

•Surf- a surf is a manuver in which a paddler stays on a wave or in a hole. Can be done on purpose or by accident.

•Sweep Roll- in a sweep roll the paddler rolls the kayak while the paddle sweeps an arc on the surface of the water.

•Sweep Stroke-a wide arcing stroke that when done correctly is very effective for initiating turns.

•Take Out – Where the river-journey ends.

•T-Draw – a stroke utilized to move the boat sideways. The blade is planted with a vertical paddle shaft and power face directing torwards the side of the boat and pulled torwards the boat. The blade is then turned, power face facing stern, and sliced back out to the original position.

•Throat – Where the paddle blade and shaft meet on a kayak paddle.

•Throw Bag – A rope made out of either poly or spectra rope that is flaked into a stuff sack that makes it easily stored.

•Throw Rope – A rope coil made out of a high flotation rope preferred by raft guides for its ease to throw and recoil quickly

•Trim – How a boat sits in the water based upon where the paddlers weight is focused. A balanced trim would be if the bow and stern are the equidistant in the water.

•Undercut Rock – A rock with a void on the underside. There are many types of undercuts varying in danger. The most dangerous of these being an undercut with an upstream face having a void and the flow leading into it.

•Upstream – Where the flow comes from

•Upstream “V” – found on either side of a downstream “V” which represents the shape an eddy makes. Obstacles on both right and left will create downstream “V’s” and those obstacles create eddies.

•Veer – A kayaks natural tendency to want to turn, this due in large part to a kayaks length, width, rocker and shape of hull. Hence, a long narrow boat with very little rocker has less veer i.e. sea kayak. The shorter fatter boats with lots of rocker veer much more i.e. creek boat.

•Wave Hole – A wave that has a breaking foam pile

•Standing Waves – or wave trains are associated with constricted areas of water most commonly called Downstream V’s. Water can only be pushed out downstream so fast so the water pushes upward into waves.

•Wet Exit – The most fundamental skill of self rescue. The Wet-Exit includes four basic steps in case of a capsize, this would include tucking forward onto the deck of the kayak, tapping on the hull of the boat to call attention, pulling the skirt off the cockpit and pushing yourself out of the boat while staying in a tucked and safe position.

•Wildwater – A discipline of downriver racing which utilizes a specialized assymetrical kayak typically made of a composite material.

•Z-Drag – A mechanical advantage system involving carabiners, rope, prussiks, and pulleys to aid in removal of a pinned object. A typical Z-drag gives a 3:1 ratio, meaning for every pound you enter the system it multiplies the force by 3. For a more detailed description and its practical uses reference River Rescue by Slim Ray and Les Bechdel. See our previous post on the Z Drag.

Building a Better Bulkhead

Bulkhead footbraces have become standard issue on most river running and all of the creeks boats on the market. The reason is for their strength, durability and adjustability. It’s hard to have all of those things in one package that works on all boats. Most of the manufacturers offer different sized foot plates to allow longer legged paddlers use of the boat. If the small bulkhead is used by a shorter paddler, often there is a large gap between the bulkhead and the deck and hull of the boat. This can not only be uncomfortable, it can be dangerous in a piton situation.

If you hit something hard enough, especially when creeking and running waterfalls, with a bulkhead that is too small, your feet can slide past the foot brace and trap your feet between the brace and the hull of the boat. Some people have broken various leg bones from the impact of a piton (hitting a rock with your boat and immediately coming to a complete stop…like hitting a brick wall with your car) in a waterfall.

You are not likely to generate the force to cause any serious injury while running class III drops and below but you might consider beefing up your bulkhead if you’re running anything harder. Here are some tips to help you make your bulkhead footbrace more bomber than the bulkheads on the supercarrier USS Kitty Hawk.

Stabilizing the Bulkhead
This is useful for everyone using a bulkhead. It will help keep the footbrace from moving around while you are paddling. It is amazing how much more balance and power you will have by reducing the movement of your bulkhead.

Move the footbrace to the place this is right for your foot and comfortably holds your knees into the thighbraces. Measure a 2 inch or thicker piece of foam and trim it to completely fill the area in the hull when pushed against the footbrace. Cut U-shaped notches in the foot foam that allows the adjustment rails to fit where they need to be to reach the footplate part of the bulkhead. This usually is about an inch or two away from the side of the boat. You want to foam to be against the sides of the boat. Glue the foam to the footplate with contact cement. For additional lateral stability, add a foam shim to take up the space between the side of the boat and the rail.

Waffle House Special
In our area there are a lot of technical creeks with good drop and sometimes a hard rock landing. If you’re going vertical, and need an extra cushy shock absorber, order up a Waffle House Special. This type of bulkhead got its name from looking like a waffle and our tendency to stop at a Waffle House on our way to and from the river.

The concept is simple and effective. Glue several small blocks of foam onto your bulkhead. Make sure you leave plenty of space between the small foam blocks before gluing them in place. Glue on another large piece of foam shaped like your bulkhead, (don’t steal your buddies bulkhead foam!) so that it looks similar to this one.

If you are in a crunch and don’t have small pieces of foam, order a couple of extra waffles on your way to the river. Duct tape them into place. The waffles serve double duty, working almost as good as the foam and are a great backup in case your day trip turns into an over nighter. Mmmm, tasty.

Joys, Aggravations, Lessons and Chinese Buffet

When our “Kid’s Weeks” camps were approaching this year I quickly reminisced on last years adventures and thought about how big of a smile it put on my face at the end of the week. First, for the great times I had just experienced, and second, handing the children back over to their parents with a new perspective on life. Many of the newbie instructors received advice from me on what to expect, “It is a constant test in patience and humility, as well as a contest for the kids to find out how many different ways they can ask the same question.”

The premise of our “Youth Kayak Adventures” is to build confidence in a special week of “camp” packed with fun, adventure and kayaking all in a supportive environment. This could not be closer to the truth. Our core instruction programs from novice to advanced focus on skill progressions to become better paddlers, whereas “Kids Weeks” focus primarily on group awareness, support and fun. In my typical clinic format I have a tendency to focus on skills and drilling, where everything is focused and goal oriented. This is a common quality of an adult world. Kid’s just wanna have fun, and if they learn something… cool! I do find however if you brief children on daily expectations, what to anticipate, group awareness and group safety, they will have more fun and they will learn their lessons from the river as they go along. This aspect of “Kids Weeks” has taught me the virtue of play in my daily instruction.

The coolest thing about working with children is their raw emotion and their ability to express their feelings, as opposed to adults who for the most part are largely guarded with their emotions on the water. This requires us as instructors to do a lot more talking to either feel out, encourage or reinforce particular skills or emotions on the water for adults. Simply stated, with children you just do not have that. I am not saying that it does not happen, but in large part the majority of children and teens wear what they are feeling on their sleeves. They will let you know when they are not happy, if they are bored, hungry, scared, ecstatic or tired. They do not need the constant reinforcement of what they are doing right or wrong (on the water). To them, if they are smiling, they are doing something right. And if they are not, something is wrong. Our biggest job during these weeks is to facilitate a positive experience and reinforce this positive experience with some hard skills and soft skills that they have unknowingly learned.

Initially I had a hard time coping with all of these ideas, especially when my kids decided that they would rather swim in the rapids as opposed to ferry, peel out or eddy out. Afterall, if this was any other clinic these basic skills would be the primary focus of the first day for a novice. It personally frustrated me that they would be so immature as to jump in the river and play instead of learn. Then it hit me like a brick wall. The children were actually learning to become comfortable with their new environment and were learning the most fundamental self-rescue skill. Maybe if I jumped in the river a little more often I would not be so petrified to swim! An opportunity had suddenly presented itself and a teachable moment arose from the ashes like a phoenix. Before too long I had the kids doing aggressive swimming techniques and understanding how their “play” is useful as a tool. This is also where I realized I cannot control the entropy of the group dynamic, but instead have to find a way to fit into it.

Let me clarify some things before I lead people to thinking that these weeks are some scary, disorganized blob of children screaming, kicking and biting their way downstream. We focus tremendously on group responsibility and awareness. On the first night of a clinic we spend some time establishing group goals as well as individual goals and how the group will have to work together to achieve them. As Jon Clark so succinctly puts it, “you have to have the respect talk.” In my past experience with team-building we would have called this a “Full Value Contract.” Though I never do anything as structured as a “ Full Value Contract,” It is always good to have a verbal agreement with the group to bring those individual and group goals back into focus.

The most important aspect of our “Kids Week” is simply, play. We as adults get so wrapped up in our “real world” that we have forgot the virtue of play and how much it teaches us. When an adult begins to play like a child there is some level of embarassment or immaturity associated with that person. However my personal experiences learning and teaching, the student always learns best when smiling, laughing, or playing. Children typically will listen when they are ready for a lesson, and we as adults can take a lesson from our children.

“Family Fun Day” is where the kids are reunited with their families after five days and the fun and chaos takes a float down the Nantahala River. This has to be one of the most spectacular sites on the “Nanty” as a group of fifty kids, parents and instructors start moving downstream. This becomes a great time for the kids to showcase their newly acquired kayaking skills to their parents. However, what stands out above all to me is that despite their families being there, they pay more attention to their new friends in their respective groups and make sure that everyone is together and safe. This makes me beam like a proud parent because I feel this is the effect we have as instructors here at NOC. This demonstrates that our instruction with the kids not only showcases kayaking skills, but life skills such as self-reliance, group responsibility and awareness. Not too mention social skills that they utilize to make new friends throughout the week. In conlusion and after all of this being said, “Kids Week” is on the top of my list for best times on and off the river. Head Instructor Rob Barham sums it up pretty well, “Woohoo! Kid’s Week… Chinese Buffet! Woohoo!”

All photos courtesy of Jon Clark

Tucking Forward, Chilling out and waiting for the "Hands of God"

A couple of weeks ago Jon Clark was given a special assignment, Harry Hurt the 3rd, writer of the Executive Pursuits column in the New York Times Business Section, was coming to NOC for a crash course in whitewater kayaking. Jon's mission was to get Harry through Nantahala Falls with only two days worth of lessons. While not our usual speed for getting rank beginners Class III skills, check out how successful Jon's efforts were in this story and video on the New York Times web site, click here.

Surf's up!

This Fall, NOC is teaming up with two of the nation’s top kayak surfers to offer a first of its kind instructional program - The NOC Outer Banks Kayak Surfing Class. Two-time National Surf Kayak Champion, Spencer Cooke, and Two-time US Surf Kayak Team qualifier, Philip Aschliman, will be teaching beginner-advanced kayak surfing skills at Cape Hatteras North Carolina on October 19-21. North Carolina’s Outer Banks are known for their favorable surfing conditions and have been the site of multiple surf kayak national championships.

Basic skills such as how to paddle out through the surf zone and catching a wave will be part of the curriculum. Intermediate and advanced skills will include using the power pocket, cutbacks, bottom turns, top turns, floaters and aerials. Any paddler is welcome so come join us for a fun weekend at the coast and hopefully some good surfing conditions.

Requirements:

Participants are required to have a competent whitewater kayak roll. We welcome any skill level from novice to expert to join the class. Basic whitewater skills are a good start for surf kayaking though you will learn surf specific skills that are not encountered in a river environment. Paddling in the surf is great fun and will make you a better overall paddler .

Boats:

Any whitewater boat is possible to surf in though some are better than others. For starters, bring a boat that you are comfortable in. If you have multiple boats bring your fastest boat with carving rail. If you have one lying around, older play boat models may excel as surfing kayaks. Some examples are: Riot Glide or Booster, Necky Switch, Zip, Jive or Rip, Perception Shock or Amp, Liquidlogic Session+, etc… If you are a competent paddler on difficult whitewater or a high intermediate to advanced play boater you may consider renting or buying a surf specific kayak. A great starter surf kayak is a Riot Boogie, affordable and an excellent performer. Contact Spencer at johnspencercooke@earthlink.net for more information about boats.

*The class will be capped at twelve students so sign up now to secure your spot.

Dates: Oct 19-21

Cost: $600

Includes: Lodging, Lunch, Transportation to local venue

More details here.

Kids rule Family Fun Day

The first kids week ended this past Friday with Family Fun Day, a special day when parents join their kids on a paddling trip down the mighty Nantahala River. It was fun to watch the kids show off all their new kayaking skills to their parents as they went down the river. I asked some parents what they liked most about sending their kids to a week long kayaking camp and the resounding answer was that they see an amazing amount of character growth during this week of kayaking. The kids are easily sold on how much fun kayaking is but hidden in the kayaking secessions are many lessons about life that they do not get at other camps. Kids learn an amazing amount judgment, self awareness, self reliance, responsibly for oneself and others, and that feeling of personal achievement when they complete a rapid upright is priceless. Well for the parents anyway, kids love swimming just as much, so coming out of the boat is just as fun for them.

Jon.Clark's Family Fun Day photoset

Kid Kayakers

It's that time of year again here at NOC; the time when we batten down the hatches, move the instruction crew to DEFCON 2, and remove the sugar packets from the dining room tables. Yes, it's time for our bi-yearly Kid's/Teen Week. For many instructors, the two summer weeks in which we close instruction to adults and just focus on teaching kids is our favorite time of the year. Many of the kids come back year after year and we've had the privilege of watching them progress from tentative beginners to class 5 creekers. If you've got kids and are looking to get them into boating then here's a few suggestions we've picked up over the years:

1. Kids rarely place the same pressure on themselves that adults do. I've seen many novice adults disappointed in themselves after flipping at Nantahala Falls their first time running it. I have never met a kid who was disappointed about flipping at Nantahala Falls. They get the same satisfaction (if not more) from doing a successful wet-exit when they flip as they do from running the Falls upright. I cannot count the amount of times I've seen a kid do a wet-exit on the river and come up smiling. Which brings us to the next point...

2. Kids love swimming. And we encourage it. Our first few days are spent doing wet exits and swimming rapids. Sometimes we'll spend a couple hours swimming rapids just to get them comfortable in that environment. (This is particularly important for the younger kids) I've even had kids that wanted to swim Nantahala Falls before they kayaked it. Adults view swimming a rapid as a consequence for their mistake - kids view it as just a fun part of kayaking. Their comfort out of the boat, and in the water, increases their learning curve exponentially.

3. Kayaking is one of the best sports I've seen for teaching responsibility. It never ceases to amaze me the amount of responsibility and good decision making I see from 9-15 year old kids in regards to kayaking. Sure, we put them in safe environments in which they can succeed, but we also allow them to make many of their own decisions on the river - which rapids they run, which lines they'll take, which rapids they'll lead, etc. The results are often amazing. For example, when we ask the kids to choose their own line at Nantahala Falls very few of them actually choose the standard left to right line, eddying-out in Truckstop Eddy, like 95% of boaters do. They often choose completely different lines going down the right side of the Falls which they correctly deduce will give them a greater chance of success than the standard line.

For more information on our Kids/Teen week programs click here

Photos courtesy of Jon Clark: Advanced Kids Week

35 Years of Instruction Excellence: A brief interview with Jimmy Holcombe

New 2007 Instruction T shirt

2007 marks NOC’s 35th anniversary. We’ve seen a lot of boaters pass through our doors in that time, many of which we still call friends. Of course, if you’ve ever spent any time here at NOC, whether that be sleeping in the parking lot at GAF, browsing around the store, swapping stories over a Sherpa Rice at River’s End, swimming Nanty Falls, or warming up with a hot chocolate from Slow Joe’s, then you know you’re more than just a friend – you’re part of the family.

As part of our 35th anniversary festivities we thought we’d interview one of the patriarchs of our family, and the first employee hired by NOC, – the legendary Jimmy Holcombe. Jimmy has been an instructor here for three decades and pioneered many of the classic southeastern runs. He has numerous first descents to his name, and is an expert in C-1, open boats, and kayaks. Being the encyclopedia of knowledge that he is, we thought it would be interesting to find out from his insider perspective how kayak/canoe instruction has changed since 1972.

First though, I had to satisfy my curiosity on a few points. I asked Jimmy what his favorite all time boat was. He responded that he liked the Hahn C-1, a 13’2” fiberglass boat which he used to bag first descents on Stekoa Creek and Slick Rock Creek, plus early descents on the Green Narrows and the Cullasaja. With all the rivers Jimmy’s paddled though his favorite river is still “the river I’m on”. After pressing him a little bit though he said that if he only had one more day to paddle he would choose the Santeelah, hike to its very headwaters, and paddle down with his son Andrew. Jimmy laughs and says that Andrew is “good at getting me out of stuff”.

Jimmy said instruction at NOC started in the summer of 1973. “We were teaching three day courses for Outward Bound in 17 foot Grumman canoes. The first two days were spent on the Little Tennessee and the last day on the Nantahala. We taught our first kayak course in the summer of 1975.”

I interrupted Jimmy here to ask a question in regards to a rumor I’d long heard surrounding Nantahala Falls. I had heard that this benchmark class 3 rapid used to be rated class 4/5. Jimmy remarked that the original whitewater guidebook written in 1955 by Randy Carter had indeed listed Nantahala Falls as a class 4 rapid, not so much because it truly was class 4, but because the author had purposely rated rapids one scale higher than what they were to dissuade the inexperienced from getting into trouble.

I then asked Jimmy what he thought the biggest change has been between our early whitewater clinics and our current ones, besides the gear/equipment. The biggest change according to Jimmy is “the clinic guests” themselves. Kayaking today has entered the mainstream but in its infancy, whitewater boating was a sport viewed as something “on the edge” and a “little wilder”. People that signed up for whitewater instruction reflected this sentiment. “Skirts leaked, boats leaked, and you were always a little cold, but that’s what was expected.” Back then, our whitewater instruction clinics were catering to the adventurous souls that were attracted to a new sport surrounded by a sense of the unknown. While undoubtedly we still draw some of those same types of people, kayaking itself has become “a little more comfortable” and a little more well known, and hence we also draw families, camps, and retirees looking for a new medium to experience the outdoors or stay in shape.

I was curious as to the reasons for the shift from teaching mostly canoe courses in the 1970’s to teaching mostly kayak courses in this decade. The obvious answer relates to the gear. During the early NOC years, kayaks just weren’t as readily available, and the plastic boats were still a few years away from rolling off the assembly lines in Easley, SC. Canoes had been something that was recognizable for the layman wanting to get into the sport – they’d probably been in one at some point in their life, either at summer camp, or fishing on a lake, or perhaps even had an old one sitting in their back yard. The same could not be said for kayaks.

A kayaker in the 1970’s probably didn’t start their whitewater career in a kayak – they started in a canoe. Jimmy interestingly remarked that he thought that rafting was an equally important factor in the switch of popularity from canoeing to kayaking. People began to have their first river experience in rafts, and not canoes. It seems that rafting now is the gateway to getting in a kayak, and not canoeing as it used to be. Furthermore, Jimmy believes, the change in canoe design (making them shorter/smaller) alienated a large portion of the canoeing population that wanted to paddle the larger, faster, more stable canoes.

Lastly, Jimmy remarked that are simply more good kayakers today than ever, and the progression from beginner to expert is much quicker. In short, more people are becoming better paddlers in a shorter amount of time. He credits this phenomenon to the change in boat design and the introduction of the playboats. The skills learned in playboats are transferring over to the river-running/creeking realm. As an example, Jimmy stated that back then, people tended to avoid playing in holes, not because they didn’t have the competence, but because it was boring side surfing a 13 foot boat. Nowadays, side surfing is a stepping-stone to a variety of other tricks, and more paddlers are spending more time in holes. This has led to an increase in comfort level and confidence which has transfered to the downriver realm of boating.

Obviously, the pure number of boaters has increased exponentially as well. Through a smile Jimmy remarks, “I used to know every paddler on the East Coast, now I don’t even know every paddler in the county”. Nonetheless, he repeatedly refers to paddlers as a family, an idea which has been a foundation of the NOC vision for 35 years.

While I get the sense that part of Jimmy misses certain aspects of the early years of whitewater boating, he undoubtedly still loves boating just as much as he did in 1972 when he cashed his first NOC paycheck. When asked how long he plans on teaching, Jimmy responds, “Till my body breaks down”. Looking at Jimmy sitting on the couch next to me, I can honestly say that thankfully that won’t be for a very long time.

Spring Splash Nanty Falls Race

On a cold Spring Splash weekend this year, LVM hosted a fun sprint race at Nanthala Falls with help from our good friend Woody Calaway from Liquid Logic. A big thanks to Huge Experiences for participating and to LVM for hosting this awesome event.