Pungo Rescues

[Wes]

Quite an interesting discussion about rec boats in respect of safety and rescue here (http://www.kayakforum.com/cgi-bin/Technique/index.cgi)

Might have to scroll down a bit to find the original thread "Rec Boat Scenario"

[JSeamans]

Here's a quote from a poster on that same board that seems a bit more level-headed, although the points elsewhere about throwing in flotation bags are well-taken:

Any kayak is hard to capsize if you know enough not to do anything stupid. Neophite kayakers capsize their boat when they do something an experienced kayaker would never consider doing. They stand up to pee, they lean over the side with both hands to lift a large fish out of the water. They do things that take physical effort which would never even occur to an experienced kayaker, unless of course they were trying to capsize.

[Wes]

They also mentioned you can do rescues with a partner, just not self rescues. I don't ever plan on a disaster occurring on any trip I take, nothing ever has, but you have to plan for the possibility and the consequences.

The author of the thread is interested in avoiding fatalities in paddle sports. I've posted the link for the ACA report he mentioned. As I recall the main factors associated with fatalities were little or no inexperience, no PFD worn, and a capsize. Fishing was associated with about 50 pct.

ACA Critical Judgement Reort (http://www.acanet.org/CJintro.htm)

[Birdman]

When I bought two Pungos last year the first thing I did was roll it in a pond to see how hard recovery (with a paddle float) is. It's hard! Even in ideal conditions it's hard.
I was pleased to see that at 50 I was able to do it on the 2nd or third try but my daughter's 17 year old boy friend couldn't get the hang of it. It's part strength and part technique and a half mile off shore in the middle of a bluefish blitz is no place to learn the technique!!!!

Just the experience of dumping instills a lot of respect for safety.
By the way, that secondary stability stuff is true of Pungos - once they get to a certain point they flip in a nanosecond!

Everyone who paddles should do this test. My daughters (now 18 & 14) know the rules:
- No one paddles alone if they can't self rescue.
- No one paddles alone without a paddle float and bailer.
- No one paddles across a puddle in the parking lot without a PFD
- Everyone behaves, has fun and comes back!
- Occaisionally I catch a fish.

Let's all be safe out there.