River rescue recommendation?

[redoleary]

I'd be interested in reading up on how to remove a pinned canoe and things of that nature. I'm not a white water paddler, nor do I plan on being one, but even on the fairly benign rivers I paddle strainers are still a possible threat. Or if I cam upon someone hung up I'd like to be able to help, short of taking a class on the subject I'm sure my "experience" would be purely academic, but a book may further enlighten me on what NOT to do.
So if anyone has a book or two they'd recommend on the subject I'd much appreciate it.

Good luck,
RED

 

[Philtrum]

Here are a couple of YouTube vids about Z-drags.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1X5JAz5QONA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLKOSND4IJI
This goes into more detail, but no video: http://borealriver.com/en/learn/whitewater-rescue/unwrapping-pinned-canoes/

Theres another method that involves wrapping a rope around the boat amidships, using the center thwart, so the boat is rotated upward and upstream so it lands upright, but I can't find anything on it. This approach requires at least one person to be at or on top of the boat. Maybe someone else can find a reference?

 

[madmike]

When a boat pins, and all people are safe, here are some things to try. Center piont pins involve unbalenced forces of current on each side of the pin, with friction making up the difference. When you consider working on a pin, check for danger below, (strainers etc.) and watch out for other boats coming down on you. Often the pinned boat will form an eddy, I like to work it from there. Get a line on that boat, when it comes off, you will need it. Try to lift one end, or push it down. Unbalance the pin. The wrap technique is good. From upstream, get a rope over amidships. Wrap it around once (use the end, and work the wrap to the middle.) Tie it off to the center thwart. Use a team, or z drag to pull. Done right the boat can roll up almost empty. All of this is harder when the boat is wrapped.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

This book has been the bible of river safety and rescue since 1985. I still have my first edition.

One of the original authors, Slim Ray, was himself rendered a paraplegic below the waist in kayak pin in Sunshine Rapid on the Green River, North Carolina, in 1991. He ran the falls but his boat pinned vertically in the rocks at bottom. The force of the water bent him and his boat forward and broke his back. He was was eventually rescued by his highly trained companions before he drowned, and a helicopter made a very dangerous air lift of him in the narrow gorge. Slim still paddles and teaches river rescue.

 

[redoleary]

All good stuff. Thanks guys.

RED

 

[Canotrouge]

Ok, I think I figure out what is the problem... I was trying to post a link....
So here what I have to say... R3 Rescue for River Runner, Jim Coffey, is kind of the bench mark in river rescue world wide now. Have a look at his web site!!

A good book that approach the subject w/o talking only about rafts and kayaks, is, Canoeing Safety & Rescue by Doug McKown.... A lot of book on swift water rescue focus on Kayaks and rafts, and IMO, they are quite different beast to deal with.

 

[ppine]

Glenn has zeroed in on the most important rescue book around. Practicing canoe rescue techniques ahead of time is very important. For rafts and drift boats and river kayaks it is essential. I have run rivers once with plenty of people that are clueless. they can not be depended on in a tight spot. I feel safer going solo and not having to worry about the people with no idea of what to do when the rivers get angry.

Some of the recent videos have been great learning tools.

 

[JagDaddy]

This book[/URL] has been the bible of river safety and rescue since 1985. I still have my first edition.

One of the original authors, Slim Ray, was himself rendered a paraplegic below the waist in kayak pin in Sunshine Rapid on the Green River, North Carolina, in 1991. He ran the falls but his boat pinned vertically in the rocks at bottom. The force of the water bent him and his boat forward and broke his back. He was was eventually rescued by his highly trained companions before he drowned, and a helicopter made a very dangerous air lift of him in the narrow gorge. Slim still paddles and teaches river rescue.

This was the 'text book' for the river rescue course I took, Good book IMO

A handy pin kit/pfd reference book is:
'Swift Water Rescue Field Guide' by Slim Ray

My solo canoe pin kit is 2 prusik mini pullys, three locking biners, 2 pre-tied prusik loops and a web sling water knotted and worn around the waist.

Sounds like a lot but not really, I snap the biners and pullys together and snap them to my throw bag. No one to throw to anyway when I'm alone. Then secure to the top of my boat. If I'm doing something sketchy I snap it on the back of my pfd. I'm probably going to need the line to get to the boat.

When I was younger we turned knot tying contest into a drinking game :- ) and on lay over days do some Z Drag rigging.

The rest of it is really just common sense and working angles. Rigging drags, anchors deciding how to bridle the boat is almost never the same twice.

Good topic and much better to train to now than on the rio with a stuck boat haha

 

[Bothwell Voyageur]

At a risk of going against the group I think this book is better
http://www.amazon.ca/Whitewater-Safety-Rescue-Essential-Knowledge/dp/0762750871

I think it is a more complete guide to safe paddling and rescue and is essentially the course book for the BCU whitewater safety and rescue course. Plus the photos are much better!

If you are thinking of taking a course I think you are better taking a paddlers oriented course than the Swiftwater Rescue Tech program. I felt the latter was better if you were a first responder dealing with the public or a raft guide leading complete novices but paddlers specific courses are likely to be more benefit if you are paddling in a peer group.

 

[Canotrouge]

Like I said above, lots of these books are great, but don't talk much if at all about canoes and I think it is a problem since canoes are not the same as raft and kayaks!! So I still think that if you can put your hand on this book, Canoeing Safety & Rescue by Doug McKown, you would be happy!! And the R3 Rescue for river runners series of videos made by Jim Coffey. Go look at them, they are free and really well done!

 

[JagDaddy]

I've unstuck rafts, kayaks and canoes and it all boils down to the basics of applying good anchors, mechanical advantage, proper angles and not hurting anybody every single recovery is different and at the end of the day it's simply smart application of the basics. The books are great to go with a class or self study, but what brings home the bacon on the rio are the handy pfd size waterproof 'cheat guides' to keep on your person and of course owning the knots and hitches in your head.

The second thing that happens is the superduper awesome pin kit is safely in the boat when you make shore haha and lots of the time you need some rope work to get to the boat to rig it for extraction. No problem with bro's along, a throw rope gets rigged and your in business, solo you are boned and doing some kind of sketchy swim or wade to the boat and back to shore.

NRS makes a handy 'kayaker' pin kit for $200 that would be fine for most canoe trippers, I pieced mine together because I had most of the stuff floating around anyway. At some point I should buy one of those kayaker waist worn throw bag carriers worn below the pfd, but now I just clip my throw rope with hardware to the back of my pfd when I'm alone and get scared :- )

 

[redoleary]

Thank you all, glad this came up again. Canotrouge, I just ordered the book you recommended (thank you Amazon Prime) and I'll have it thrusday.

 

[Canotrouge]

Good to hear! I would really encourage you to watch Jim Coffey videos at R3 Rescue for river runners!!

 

[redoleary]

I'll check those videos out too. Thanks.

 

[Bothwell Voyageur]

For info, most of the images from Franco's book are available to download for free. As I mentioned, the book is one of the main resources for the BCU WWSR course that canoeists must take if they want to progress through the BCU paddling qualifications, so Franco makes the images available to be used by course instructors.

You can find them here: http://www.pesdapress.com/pages.php?cID=6&pID=19

lots of good pictures including the technique to roll the canoe as it is puled from a pin.

 

[JagDaddy]

For info, most of the images from Franco's book are available to download for free. As I mentioned, the book is one of the main resources for the BCU WWSR course that canoeists must take if they want to progress through the BCU paddling qualifications, so Franco makes the images available to be used by course instructors.

You can find them here: http://www.pesdapress.com/pages.php?cID=6&pID=19

lots of good pictures including the technique to roll the canoe as it is puled from a pin.

That's an excellent link, thanks

 

[JagDaddy]

........lots of good pictures including the technique to roll the canoe as it is puled from a pin.

That's the 'Steve Thomas Rope Trick' another good reason to double bolt thwarts and maybe even replace a middle one with one more beefy :- )
You'll also get some fun gouges and scrapes on your boat that will have the flatwater crowd scratching their heads haha

 

[redoleary]

For info, most of the images from Franco's book are available to download for free. As I mentioned, the book is one of the main resources for the BCU WWSR course that canoeists must take if they want to progress through the BCU paddling qualifications, so Franco makes the images available to be used by course instructors.

You can find them here: http://www.pesdapress.com/pages.php?cID=6&pID=19 [/URL]

lots of good pictures including the technique to roll the canoe as it is puled from a pin.

Great link, thank you.

 

[pblanc]

I am not familiar with the Franco book. River Rescue by Les Bechdel is a classic. But if you are really interested in the subject the best book I have come across is "Swiftwater Rescue: A Manual for the Rescue Professional". This book provides a wealth of detail regarding equipment, rigging, shore-based rescues, boat based rescues, in-water rescues, and vertical rescues.

Regardless of how good a book or video is, there is nothing as good as taking a swiftwater rescue course. Jim Coffey has been mentioned a couple of times and he is superb. I have had the good fortune to participate in in-water swiftwater rescue clinics with Jim twice. The American Canoe Association has held a Swiftwater rescue conference in western North Carolina twice. I went to the first one and it was great. It is good to read about Telfer lowers in Les Bechdel and Slim Rays' book, but it is not quite the same as setting up and carrying out a Telfer lower under Les Bechdel's supervision, which I had the opportunity to do at the ACA Swiftwater Rescue Conference. The ACA seems to be having the conference only every other year and the last one was this past fall, so you would probably have to wait a bit for that one.

It is important to realize that every different rescue or extraction is different and what worked once probably won't work the next time. Also realize that you can make things worse by slinging ropes across or in the water. Don't forget to set upstream and preferably also downstream safeties when attempting to unpin a boat.