Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Trip Planning Forum :: Canoe Recovery
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mfl1776 |
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jwartman59 |
I have never heard of tethering yourself to a boat. That sounds very risky. Running rapids is a blast, and not nearly as scary as some may think. Even the swim part can be enjoyable. Also, it is good advice to never run wilderness whitewater in a group of less than two canoes. If you wrap your canoe around a rock, unsticking the canoe can be a major effort. I bring pulleys and really good quality rope just in case. |
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andym |
But that's pretty far removed from what we do on a lake. |
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golanibutch |
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arm2008 |
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RiverRatz |
SYOTR |
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smoke11 |
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andym |
I sort of think it was more a question of wind, even slight wind, than current. You were in the water and in the current. The canoe, however, being upright and empty, was more subject to being pushed by the wind. And yes on the knife. A critical lifesaver when something gets tangled up. In the BW, I feel ok with it in my pocket but I know exactly where it is. |
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BuckFlicks |
I'm always in the stern seat because I'm bigger than my partner, so I'm rarely downstream of the canoe. |
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boonie |
I'm sure your friend will be wearing his PFD in the future. When you go whitewater rafting, the guides will make sure it is on tight enough that it doesn't float up around your head. You should make sure it tight and fastened securely. I don't know what kind of canoe you were paddling, but most canoes except for the very flat-bottomed ones have good "final stability" as long as you keep yourself vertical and between the gunwales. So try to learn not to get out over the gunwale. And practice your "braces" - high and low. I'm sure you will be more aware next time; experience is a good teacher as long as you survive. I'm glad you both came out OK. |
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emptynest56 |
Just let it go. Worst case, you would be out up to $4K, but infinitely cheaper than a funeral or extended hospital stay. Yeah, PFD's. Saw a family in pontoon boat this weekend in front of our place in No. MN bouncing in the whitecaps and no one with PFDs, with two little kids on board with no PFDs. |
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mfl1776 |
This is a little embarrassing so bare with me while I recount my tale: I went canoeing in Western NC with my friend this past weekend and we capsized. Being inexperienced (only our second overnight trip - the first being in the BWCA last year), we had never capsized before. I was wearing my PFD; my friend - for reasons that are unknown to me - was not wearing his. Believe me when I say he learned his lesson. When we fell out, we went one direction and the canoe went another (somehow, the canoe did not flip). We couldn't get back to the canoe. I wasn't able to move very well in the water b/c of the PFD and since he wasn't wearing one, he attempted to swim to the canoe/shore. Luckily he and the canoe made it to shore but not before he nearly drowned trying to recover it. I eventually made it to the opposite shore with the paddles and picked my way over the rocks and timber to go around the inlet to get to him. We dried off, recuperated, made camp and paddled back very carefully the next day. I should add that although we were on a lake, there was some kind of current at work that we were not expecting. It was a fairly large reservoir and we weren't far from the dam. Perhaps that had something to do with it. We were also in the middle of an inlet. There was a little wind but we didn't expect it to make for a difficult swim. I've heard/read stories of people drowning in still bodies of water and always wondered how that happens. Now I know. So my question is, what's the best practice in this situation? How can you avoid losing your canoe in moving water? I know the first priority is your safety, so PFDs are imperative. But what if the canoe goes one direction and you go another? I know some whitewater kayakers use a tether. Is there such a thing for a canoe? Tying yourself to a boat doesn't sound safe to me. Any thoughts on this? Also, please reserve your finger-wagging for my friend's stupidity in not wearing his PFD. I know this is the golden rule of boating and he broke it. He nearly paid for it with his life and it will never happen again. Thanks for any advice. |
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golanibutch |
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boonie |
quote golanibutch: "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a5xTX-OBfQ" Link |