Many of us are seakayakers because we value freedom from the everyday demands of living in a complex, modern society. We do not, in our pursuit of personal freedom and responsibility on the sea, want to reproduce those restrictions that constrain our work-a-day lives.

We nevertheless recognize that in kayaking on the sea, we may encounter situations of stress or danger, and that in such situations we may have only ourselves or our immediate companions to depend on for help or rescue.

It is obvious that in such situations, it is important to know what we expect of ourselves and of others: a dangerous situation can be quickly changed by misunderstandings or disagreements into a tragic one.

Since we believe that rules and regulations can erode those very values for which be became sea paddlers in the first place, our club stresses the concept of freely chosen mutual responsibility.

All paddlers recognize that they should, neither through negligence or any other reason, increase the danger to other paddlers, nor fail to respond to the need of others for help if it is possible to do so.

The following notes were devised to help all members understand the nature of this dual responsibility. Keep in mind that good judgement and the common sense to avoid dangerous situations are our greatest safety assets - there are situations where the best paddling decision is to stay on shore.

The club has devised a trip classification system which is intended as a subsection of this material. The degree of strenuousness is delineated from A - not strenuous, to D - very strenuous, and in respect to degree of difficulty, from 1 - easy (requires minimal paddling skills) to 4, very difficult (requires advanced paddling and seamanship skills).

It will be noted that this scheme describes the characteristics of a trip without regard to unexpected dangers in ocean conditions, or the remoteness of the area. Clearly, standards of preparation, skill, and behaviour, not to mention the quality of equipment, become more critical as the demands of a trip become greater.

Bad weather on a remote trip, one with much more exposed water, may test these standards severely; bad weather on a class B1 trip in local waters is more likely to be inconvenient than dangerous. Obviously, minimal standards (for equipment skill & and behaviour) should apply on all trips.

1. Required:
- a sound, water-tight hull and deck
- a well-fitted spray skirt or spray-deck
- a sound paddle in good condition
- personal flotation device (PFD)
- flotation should be regularly tested
- bow and stern grab loops or (preferably) toggles
- a bailer or pump
- a noisemaker (e.g., a whistle)
- change of clothing in a waterproof bag
- spare paddle carried on deck

2. Strongly Recommended:
- emergency flares and smoke (some flares to be worn on your person )
- secure (tight) deck lines a sea-sock (for boats without bulkheads)
- duct tape for temporary repairs
- a waterproof flashlight (to meet Coast Guard regulations for avoiding collision at night )
- a wet-suit or equivalent
- self rescue aid that works for you and your boat (e.g., paddle float)
- first aid kit
- compass, charts, and tide tables
- provision for towing
- repair kit (fiberglass flotation bag, etc.)
- knife
- hypothermia treatment gear (a space blanket a sleeping bag with synthetic fill. provision for heating water)

Note:  There is a great deal of disagreement, even between experienced paddlers, about the right kind of equipment for a given trip. So gear (for example, VHF radios) may be considered by some a luxury, and by others a necessity. Some believe in the safety margin permitted by requiring the presence of a double kayak, others disagree. Notwithstanding this variety of opinion, we believe the following suggestions are reasonable.

1. On all trips at least some members of the group should carry flares. hypothermia treatment gear, first aid items, charts, tide tables, and compass. In very well known or protected waters or day paddles, the last three items might be omitted

2. On Class C3 trips and above, each paddler (or boat) should have hypothermia gear (i.e., wet-suits or equivalent), should carry flares, personal first aid items, and a sea-sock if appropriate. Spare paddles and boat and flotation repair kits should also be carried but not necessarily by all.

3. Where surf-landings are anticipated, safety helmets are recommended, and may well be required by trip co-ordinators

4. Where surfing activity is the major purpose of an outing, helmets are required.

Skill can be thought of as having two components:

1. Paddling skills (i.e., the ability to handle one's boat safely in a variety of conditions,

2. Rescuing skills (i.e., the ability to rescue yourself after a capsize, rescue others, or aid in the rescue of others).

There is again much disagreement about what are necessary paddling skills, since these are in part determined by the characteristics of one's boat, but since the rudiments of most paddle strokes can be learned in protected waters, it seems reasonable to ask every novice paddler to develop basic skills in their first outings.

- paddling forward in a straight line, paddling backward in a straight line, emergency stopping

- turning the boat in its own length (forward and reverse sweep strokes)

- effective bracing

It seems very reasonable to expect all club members to know and practice a variety of rescues in a pool and the sea, and to know the strengths and limitations of each rescue:

- eskimo rescue a capsized paddler

- rescue an empty boat

- rescue a loaded boat

- muliple capsize rescue

It is strongly recommended that paddlers of narrower boats develop a reliable roll and that they and all others should be able to do a self rescue after a wet exit. The club and local pools offer pool sessions and regular evening paddles in local waters to help develop these skills before longer trips are undertaken.

Good preparation is of course mainly a question of common sense, so please do not be upset if we state the obvious. Good preparation minimally consists of:

- being in good enough physical condition

- having appropriate clothing, food, and sun protection, plus perhaps obvious first aid items (ASA, bandaids, mole-skin. salt tablets. etc.)

- books on mountaineering safety are a good source of information on more specific requirements

- ability to use compass, charts, and tide tables (novices can learn these skills on overnight club trips or day-trips)

We strongly recommend that all kayakers learn CHI (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and develop other first aid skills, including first aid treatment of hypothermia

1.All PaddIers

a) Paddlers are responsible for the soundness and appropriateness of their own gear for the proposed trip.

b) Paddlers will be watchful of the safety of others unless alternative arrangements are agreed upon (e.g., to split a large group into sub groups).

c) It is the responsibility of individual paddlers not to undertake excursions, or to place themselves in situations beyond their abilities - since by doing so, they may endanger others.

d) No one should force any paddler into actions beyond their abilities.

e) Any paddler intending to leave the group should be sure to inform the others.

f) Any paddler with a medical problem or physical handicap likely to affect them on a trip should alert the group leader or co-ordinator before embarkation.

g) Groups & sub-groups should stay together.

h) In each group or sub-group, the lead paddler is responsible for keeping the group togetber.

i) On trips, other than those specifically recognized as training sessions, all paddlers should know how to participate in group rescues.

j) On Class C and D trips, all paddlers should be able to either roll or to self-rescue and be able to participate in group rescues.

k) Paddlers should inform someone of their trip plan and estimated date of return. Include emergency contact telephone numbers.

a) Are the members of the group adequately prepared for the trip? Is their equipment sufficient?

b) Is there adequate first aid gear (including a sleeping bag for possible hypothermia situations)?

c) Are the weather, tide etc., suitable?

d) Has the group agreed upon safety and rescue procedures?

e) Are the schedules and rendezvous points within acceptable to, and understood by all?

f) Have specific hazards (e.g., log booms, heavy traffic, tidal rapids, unusual tide conditions) been identified and discussed by all?

g) Have experienced and inexperienced paddlers been identified?

In) Is the group too large to stay together easily? If subgroups are formed, are there experienced paddlers in each subgroup?

It is impossible from the relative safety of one's armchair to predict every hazard that could occur. However, over several years of club activity, individuals have experienced (and survived) a variety of hazards which would not at first seem easily predictab1e. The following examples are listed to give you a flavour of what can happen.

a) Hatches have popped open and admitted water in breaking seas. Make sure all hatches are doubly secure.

b) A boat with a rear-hatch and bulkhead was not carrying flotation in the bow. After capsizing in breaking seas the bow flooded and the kayak floated like a needle on-end. The paddler was alone(!) and had a long (and lucky) swim to safety.

c) A rescue helicopter had difficulty locating members of a neighbouring kayak club member who's boat (without flotation) had sunk. Reflective tape on the boat hulls might have made a lot of difference ( how? if it sank?)?

d) Loose deck lines have entangled the paddle when a kayaker was attempting a roll.

e) Rented boats (inadequately inspected or tested) have leaked or shown other problems. Check rental boats very carefully.

f) Hand bilge pumps have sunk. The solution is to duct tape or cement closed cell foam around the cylinder.

g) Paddles have broken.

i) Fibreglass seams have cracked.

i) Injury to hands has resulted from carrying loaded boats with the hand through the bow or stern loop. (Solution: insert a small Piece of driftwood and hold that or use a toggle-).

a

It is beyond the scope of these guidelines to discus the safety characteristics of individual boats, but it is a fact that boats vary widely in their ability to handle different sea conditions.

The best advice to give new paddlers is simply to recommend that they borrow or rent extensively before buying, or alternately, talk with other club members, then rent a boat for an evening or afternoon paddle, and swap boats briefly with other club members.

Swapping boats at a pool session is not really an adequate trial, since it is the handling in wind and waves which is important.