I recently had an experience where I huli'd in very challeging circumstances (big wind, big waves coming from 2 directions, near shallow rocks). I had trouble getting back onto my canoe (Huki) without letting go of my paddle. At one point it got away from the boat and I had to go after it. (A good argument for having a spare paddle aboard).
I was wondering what others do with their paddles while they are getting back on their boats in these types of situations. Any suggestions?
Mahalo from Toronto
Dan
Submitted by Dano on Wed, 09/13/2006 - 5:45am
Aloha!
I think the best bit of advise for you is to practice, practice, practice. This would mean that you would intentionally go to a calm body of water and huli yourself to figure out what works for you. Personally, I hold my paddle in my left hand the entire time I am remounting my surfski. I put my left hand on the left side of my boat (with my blade between my hand and the boat surface) near the foot wells and my right on the right side of the boat. I then kick and pull myself onto the boat. I then sit in the boat leaving my legs out of the footwells for stability. You need the paddle for bracing right away, once your in your boat, so putting your paddle anywhere but in your hands would not work. I am not familiar with the Huki, is it a oneman or surfski? If you have an 'ama, this whole thing will be WAY easier! I would suggest practicing huli-ing in calm water to figure this stuff out so you feel comfortable in the rough stuff. Also, a leash would help you keep your stuff with you. Either tethering yourself to the boat by your foot or tethering your paddle to the boat. The leash gets in the way while your paddling but it is a good safety device. And again, you would need to practice with the leash in calm water because you may get tangled in the leash and you would need to be familiar with how to deal with that problem too.
I hope this helps. Paddle hard!
Mikala
O'ahu, Hawai'i
#1 Wed, 09/13/2006 - 8:14am
Sheesh! That's a tough one. I don't know what else to say except "don't let go of your paddle."
Of course, it's easier said than done. If you lose your paddle, the only thing you can do is swim after it. I would only suggest doing it if you are tethered to your canoe, however. If you don't have a leash, its probably better to stay with the canoe. At least the canoe will keep you afloat while you wait for someone to come along and lend a hand. If you are not tethered to your canoe and you let it go to chase after the paddle, the canoe my drift away faster than you can swim and then you'll be out in the water until someone comes along or you decide to make a swim for the beach. Frankly, I don't know what's worse; sitting in the surfzone with your canoe without a paddle or trying to make a run for the paddle by letting go of the canoe.
I was playing the surf once with my canoe when I flipped. Needless to say, I lost my blade in the surf but was tethered to the canoe. Luckily, my friend was with me and made a run for the blade in the surf. I got pounded a couple of times while wating for him but the surf was relatively small. That was the first and only time I let go of my paddle.
Carrying an extra blade is the safest way to go. The same thing can be said about safety gear, too. Notwithstanding the fact that these are no-brainer suggestions, paddlers, including myself, will often forego gear and safety equipment in order to shed the extra weight.
#2 Wed, 09/13/2006 - 9:42am
If you huli you ALWAY ALWAYS stay with your boat. The wind can take your boat away faster than you can swim. Once on your boat your can always hand paddle to your paddle, which does not drift as fast. Plus your paddle is not going to help you float like your boat. Its alos always a good idea to leash yourself to your boat.
As for your paddle, slide it under your boat perpendicular to it. It usually will stay stuck long enough to get back on your boat.
#3 Wed, 09/13/2006 - 3:23pm
Thanks for the input so far.
I should have made it clear in my original post that I did, in fact have a leash on, so there was no concern about my boat getting away from me. I basically swam the boat over to the paddle. Hand paddling over to the floating paddle was not an option in this particular case due to the extreme conditions.
The idea of placing the paddle under the boat while getting back on is interesting and I'll definitely try it out.
I was also interested in knowing if anyone has rigged anything to hold the paddle secure, which would allow the paddler to use have full use of both hands to get back on board quickly in really rough conditions.
mahalo, dan
#4 Thu, 09/14/2006 - 5:09am
Most current boats have bungees or lashes on the foredeck and rear deck. If not, strap a small bungee around one of your Iakos before going out paddling, preferably the rear one which is closer. When you Huli, slide your paddle shaft through the lash or bungee on the boat or Iako to hold the paddle temporarily for you to get on the OC. Then reach back to grab it later once seated.
#5 Thu, 09/14/2006 - 11:51am
If you become seperated from your boat and have to swim, take your tee top and stick it down your shorts with the blade face angled up. This will act like a foil and allow you to swim with both hands.
#6 Fri, 09/15/2006 - 11:52am
I like to stick my T-top down my shorts BEFORE I huli. Sometimes I even stick them both down there...
kisskiss* Bang! Bang!
#7 Sat, 09/16/2006 - 11:41am
haha thats a situation all of us must deal with, unless you dont huli like myself, just kidding. i personally like to hold the paddle with my left hand after i huli cause being stuck out in the ocean without your paddle would be a horrible situation, though you should always have a second attached to your iako. but losing a paddle sucks anyways, so just hold on to it or attach it to yourself somehow. i hope this is helpful in anyway haha
#8 Mon, 09/18/2006 - 10:24am