Trip Leader Workshop and Real Rescue

Sunday, June 8 2008

Sebago Canoe Club had its annual Trip Leader Workshop at our Brooklyn Clubhouse on Sunday. It also coincides with the sailors’ first sail of the season. Bonnie who is one of the more experience paddlers and trip leader is also an aspiring sailor so she went sailing instead of the workshop. We poked fun at her a bit as she prepare her sailboat while we sit around listening to pass trip experiences. I envy her. I really want to learn how to sail. Take a class but never really get into sailing. Require way too much people interaction to get a sailboat in the water.

We spend way too much time on land discussing passed events and going over what we should do differently. I hated the legal aspect of the discussion but unfortunately we do live in a litigious society. We end up in a drawn out discussion about filing a “official” incident report vs. unofficial send the kayak chair a email of any incident worth reporting. I hate reports of any kind.

As usual I did not brought lunch so I end up getting some bread and peanut butter from John for lunch. We get on the water after lunch. It started out badly. I thought we were going to simulate an actual group paddle but the group that launched first started to wander down the channel before everyone else get on the water. So it very much a free for all as we paddle out to the bay. I gave up on any pretense of simulating an actual trip so I find the disorderliness of it very entertaining – which is for the best because what happen next throw off our entire workshop.

I was in the lead with Phil and another kayaker when I spotted a sail near buoy 13 that look weird. It was definitely no under control. I assumed that who ever it is just let go of the line so I wasn’t thinking much of it but I was watching it since it was on our course. Before I know it the sail disappear, the boat had gone over. It could be one of the sailors. But I have a sneaking suspicion whose boat it was.

Andy was setting up his sailing canoe on the dock while we were having the workshop at the Picnic area this morning. He told me that he is taking his two little kids out for a sail. The sail was definitely not a Sunfish or Laser’s so that leave us with only one possibility. Phil comment to me that if it’s one of the sailor that it no problem. I told him that it is definitely Andy’s sailing canoe. We race off toward the submerge canoe as fast as we can. I did not get all the way to the submerge canoe. Pete was calling us on the radio asking us what we were doing. I decided to let Phil and one other paddler get to Andy and see if anything need to be done while I waited for everyone else to catch up.

All told half of the group were needed to rescue Andy and his kids. Two kayakers paddled back to shore with the kids to get them out of the water and the wind. At least 4 kayakers were needed to tow the submerge canoe to shore to be dump it out. I end up with Jerry and the rest of the group. We decided to go over the rescue with the newbies while were waited. I demonstrated a couple of rescues, towing and have some volunteers be the rescuer and some being the victim. The canoe rescuers finally joined us almost 2 hours later. I do not envy them the task of towing a fully submerge canoe back at least a mile to shores. I did it once for only 200 feet and don’t want to repeat it. We did some more rescue then call it a day.

I convince Mary to give me a tow back to the bridge but I end up paddling faster then her tow so it was rather counter productive.

I talked to Andy after we get back to the club. He did not think it is too big a deal. He keep one asking me if his “simulation” was good. After he started saying that to a few people I told me to ask his children if his "simulated incident" was good or not. The whole incident could have end badly if we were not in the right place at the right time and fortunately with enough experience people to get him, his canoe and his kids back to shore. Andy, his canoe, and kids was drifting further and further into the motorboat channel and further from land when Phil and the rest of the rescuers get to him. I am very disturbed that the dangerous nature of the accident did not have a bigger impact on Andy.