Larry’s Tips: Up the Creek….

Up the Creek… Without a Paddle

a Carolina Paddler article

by Larry Ausley

Much of the mental game that goes along with paddling is the planning (both in advance of the trip and as in-the-moment of the water right in front of you) of playing the “What if…?” game. What if I choose the left line versus the right line? If I choose the left line and people follow me, is that the best line for them? What happens if someone dislocates their shoulder? What if that’s right now and right here? What happens if I have an “out of boat experience”? Am I dressed well enough to be stranded on the bank, wet, for hours? Can I find my way back to civilization?

Do you get the idea? Do you get the part of the idea that implies that it would be nice/helpful/crucial/maybe life-or-death to have an answer to those kinds of questions in advance?

Today we’re going to think about one of those questions. What happens if I lose or break my paddle?

On open water/lake/ocean: If I’m still in my boat, can I stay in it and hand-paddle to shore, reach a spare paddle or summon a tow? (Drop your paddle on a windy day in your seakayak someday and see if you can even get back to your dropped paddle).  If I need a tow, can I keep myself upright during the tow or will I need yet a third boat simply to keep me upright? Am I so far offshore, in such a limited group or in such conditions (seas and/or wind) that a tow is even feasible? Will the delay of hand-paddling or towing get me to shore during daylight or will night lighting and precautions be necessary? If I can’t remain in the boat can I swim to shore or be towed in the water to shore? Am I dressed well enough to endure and/or survive that duration of exposure to cold? In relatively benign conditions, a paddle leash, connected to the boat, may help prevent paddle loss in the first place. I will emphasize though, to NEVER use a paddle leash in dynamic conditions, including surf and  especially in moving water/whitewater due to the snag hazard it creates.

On a river, that train of thought might subsequently lead to: If I’m still in my boat, can I stay there considering the conditions or paddlesnakes that relieved me of my paddle to begin with? Can I retrieve or repair my paddle (if I can even find it)? If I don’t have one, how do I get myself and/or my gear and/or my group to the takeout? If it’s late in the day, will this calamity and delay keep me out after dark?  Overnight?

Can you see how a very possible problem can lead to cascading sets of circumstances, not only for yourself, but for your entire paddling group? What are some measures we can take to break this cascade or even prevent it?

A spare paddle in/on your boat (as appropriate), also known as take-apart or breakdown paddle (if multi-piece), is a great addition to both your personal and group gear. In some circumstances, even more compact hand paddles may serve a temporary role in getting through the problem (Some people even hand-paddle exclusively).

Breakdown paddles are most commonly available in 2-piece configuration and most commonly in the recreational/seasakyaking markets where they are usually the models sold as the primary paddle and easily exchangeable between primary and secondary roles. The length of these sections are generally not a storage problem for the longer decks of the typically longer boats. For whitewater boats where on-deck storage is not a viable (or even safe) option, shorter paddle section length is requisite and therefore most commonly configured as 4-piece kayak paddles or 3-piece canoe paddles. Sections of these can fit in the stern of many whitewater kayaks or the bow of C1 decked canoes.

Over my years of paddling, I’ve learned a couple of things about breakdown paddles. First, expect to use them occasionally. I’ve needed one a few times after temporarily losing and/or breaking my own paddle in whitewater. More often, though, I’ve handed my breakdown over to a student or a member of my group who have lost or broken theirs. There seems to be a mixed bag of people in our populace who have, or don’t have their own backup, but I promise that that person who is left without a paddle becomes a burden to the group and a burden I feel at least some need to share with the group. Being able to get them down and off the river is to me (at least that once) easier and worth the cost of toting a little extra weight on my part (Call me a sucker for caring).

Second, I’ve found (again, the hard way) you really want to have a breakdown paddle that is familiar to you when you have to jump right back into the conditions that relieved you of your primary paddle in the first place. The big deal to me is having a paddle with the same offset/twist as my primary. Long ago, I had a backup with a 45º offset (versus my primary 30º offset) because that was the cheapest breakdown on the market. The first time I had to throw a brace with that new paddle in the next rapid, expecting it to give me the support I needed, it returned a big NOPE! If your breakdown is significantly different than your primary paddle, practice with it occasionally.

Third, I’ve learned that the ferrules of breakdown paddles require a bit more respect than just jamming them in the stern of your boat and leaving them there in wet and sand and grime for a year. My first breakdown, somehow, tended to swell to a diameter that would no longer fit back together. Any amount of sandiness or dirt on the ferrule will make it more difficult (if not impossible) to reassemble in the field. Having learned all this, I now carry my 4-piece breakdown (I use a Werner 4-piece Powerhouse) in the sheltered protection of a Watershed Futa stowfloat (one of the best investments any kayaker can make). It keeps it dry and clean. I’ve seen people carefully tape up the ferrules of their breakdown and tape the sections together to keep them from rubbing against themselves while stowed for similar benefits. Take your breakdown out occasionally and inspect its condition and performance. Take care of them and they will take care of you.

Lastly, if you opt for hand paddles as backup paddles, which may even be your best available option in a playboat so short that even a 4-piece breakdown won’t fit, you really need to practice with them occasionally and be confident that you can use them to effect to get you out of the run you’re on. If not, try to coerce another member of your group with a bigger boat to cover your needs with a loaner breakdown (and ensure that’s available on that trip).