As members of the Port Washington-based North Shore Kayak Club will quickly attest, calm waters do not always prevail. This became apparent when the club did a group paddle at summer’s end; from the Port Washington Town Dock to New Rochelle in Westchester County, almost directly across the Long Island Sound.
One club member, paddling a self-built kayak, became aware of a leak in his hull, which caused the boat to start filling with water. This, combined with stronger-than-predicted wind gusts and increasingly rougher seas, eventually culminated in a capsize about one mile off the New Rochelle coast. Calm heads prevailed, and another kayak club member was able to successfully perform an assisted at-sea rescue. Luckily, the capsized kayaker was a strong swimmer, and the club member who came to his rescue had previously taken rescue training. Both were following club protocol and wearing personal flotation devices (PFDs) as well.
The incident was impetus enough for the club to contact Mike Matty, a Long Island resident who is a certified American Canoe Association (ACA) Level 3 Coastal Kayaking instructor with 15 years of paddling experience. Matty recruited a fellow instructor, and together they ran a five-hour program for the club on lower Manhasset Bay in Plandome, focusing on self- and assisted-rescues.
“There are certain inherent risks associated with kayaking, capsize being one of them, Matty explained. “We all accept this every time we leave a dock or beach and acknowledge that it is always a possibility.”
He continued, “When we capsize, we need to know how to get ourselves back in the kayak if paddling alone, or assist someone else back in the boat if paddling in a group. Additionally, rescues need to be practiced on a regular basis so when a capsize occurs, we instinctively know what to do and it becomes [a] nonevent.”
The 12 North Shore Kayak Club members who participated in the program spent as much time in the water as on the water. The instruction commenced with “wet exits,” exercises in which the kayakers flipped their boats upside down, removed their neoprene spray skirts (which affix the kayakers to their kayaks) while under water, and then resurfaced next to their boats. After practicing these wet exits several times, the group then proceeded to learn self- and assisted-rescues. Both types of rescues require a calm, calculated and strategic response to the situation at hand.
While the five-hour program was physically exhausting, the group came away with more knowledge and confidence in dealing with rescue scenarios. Experienced kayakers know to always expect the unexpected when out on the water. Equipment problems, sudden inclement weather or health issues can occur at any time. Rescue classes, such as this one, can only facilitate safer boating.
Closing out its 11th season, the North Shore Kayak Club is open to all adults, experienced flat-water kayakers who appreciate the beauty of the local waterways and enjoy the camaraderie of paddling with others.
For more information, please see the club’s Facebook page or contact 917-400-7041.
