KAYAK CAPSIZE - Solo Paddle P&H Virgo on French Atlantic Coast - Caught out by sea change..
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ก.ย. 2023
- Short film of my sea kayak trip along the Atlantic Coast in the Aven area of Brittany. I set off paddling from the small beach of Kerfany Les Pins, nr Moelan-sur-Mer, heading south to visit the small ports of Brigneau and Merrien. Turning at Merrien, the sea state roughened on the way back and I was rolled over in the waves where the sea depth shallowed over a rocky shelf that meant the breaker zone was further out to sea than I had expected. Not a pleasant end to the trip, bit of a panic at the time... but no injuries and gladly a relatively safe route back to the road.
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Not trying to offend, but if you can’t roll or otherwise self rescue, not sure I’d be paddling solo
No offence at all, its a personal choice and needs to be balanced with other safety measures, paddle location selection, equipment etc...
Not at sea, for sure !
You should definitely learn to self rescue. Paddle float method is easiest to learn. If there was a current you could have been swept out. Go to a local easy safe area and practice the technique, or do a course, so you have a chance of achieving IRL
Great video brilliant to see someone putting up a video where things didn't go great 👍 sick of kayakers who s ego s are bigger thsn the sea , one of the reasons i kayak solo most of the time
Well this dude's ego is immensely bigger than the sea. The Dunning Kruger theory right there on video. 😂
@@MartinMartin-yi9to lol someone with such an ego would not have posted the video
That's the video i've been using for 3 months to show to student "what not to do". Thanks for sharing.
Hey, well that's good to know. Don't scare them too much eh.. they'll never venture out anywhere!
Im currently taking roll lessons. Noted how valuable this training is
Very honest video; it's easy to point the finger. Don't be discouraged to go again but it's always safer in a group but I go solo often too. Always be prepared for cold water and swim and you were. Perhaps carry an inflatable paddle float to help get back in and I used that to learn to roll too. Also a VHF radio to call the coast guard if all else fails.
Hi there, thanks for the comment. Totally agree, and I do take a VHF just incase i end up stranded. Also have a paddle float and cockpit pump. Defiantly should have remembered the spare paddles.. so that's one to add to the list. I think the worse thing would really be not going paddling at all!!
If you can't roll & can't right, empty & re-enter your boat unassisted, I have to question your decision in going solo offshore. Enclosed waters are one thing, offshore is quite another. By enclosed waters I mean, if all else fails, the wind will fetch you & your boat up alive on a lee shore. Very pleased to see you got the shore safely though. I noticed a question below about leaving the boat inverted. That was a good decision IMO, it keeps the boat from flooding further & becoming more of a drag to for you to swim to shore. It is possible to mostly empty & right a sea kayak by yourself in deep water, but that is something that needs practise as all skills do.
You need to learn your support & brace strokes. If you can confidently get slap for support to the degree that you are getting your ear wet, then you will be ready to learn to roll, but not before then. With a coach, you should be able to roll in just 1 day, learn slap for support in the morning & pawlata roll in the afternoon. Pawlata gives the most support possible & is the easiest roll to begin with. In my case, I taught myself the other rolls from there. Learning to brace & playing in small surf will also develop your support skills & confidence while having fun.
Hi Ken, Thanks for the comment and advice, i think learning a strong roll must be partly dependent on having a good instructor. Since this was filmed I have learnt more about slap support, but what I need to do is practice in the sea, not alone!!.
@@fifteenthriver4129 Instructor? Not really. Just working at it will get you there. It helps having decent core strength and flexibility. And anyone that can roll on their first day is pretty exceptional. It took me 2 years to manage a storm roll. Here's the link that I used for learning the storm roll (it's short):
th-cam.com/video/4W0baBfucR8/w-d-xo.html
Probably have watched it several hundred times. The continuous roll makes me dizzy. Good luck!
Thanks for sharing the video. It looked like an enjoyable trip. Also nice to see some honest situations and experiences we all have to learn somewhere but important to be as safe as possible.
Yeah, I was pleased to be able to make a film of it. Share the experiences and i find its also good to see less experienced kayakers trying these things on video. So many skilled kayakers showing how they roll in the waves, but rest of us just trying to do some kayaking and gain some experience. Key safety is the decent buoyancy aid, dry suit, vhf radio and mobile phone plus some provisions to keep you going if a long wait. I should have had a spare paddle. But otherwise, you cant short cut learning to do a roll / re entry, so unless you decide you cant paddle along then you going to have to accept some risks involved.
Watching and understanding the weather, wind and clouds is an important one too.
Thanks for the honest video. I regularly paddle alone but always carry rescue equipment. Rolling is a good skill and there are many ways to get back in the boat, but if you have had enough getting back on dry land makes sense. Enjoy your paddling, I look forward to more views of that fabulous coastline.
Thanks for the comment David.. I'm wondering if i could learn to roll, I'm nearly 50 and not that flexible!! That day, if I'd not been able to walk to a road I'd have had to either pump out on the rocks and try again or wait for lower tide to try and walk out - but i had radio and phone if extra help needed.
I think the fact is many of us would miss out on a lot of great paddling if never went out alone. Key is knowing the risks, understanding the location and having a plan B, and C for that matter... we always learning!!
@@fifteenthriver4129 for sure, I started at 44, overweight and very inflexible. Worth paying for rolling sessions, you really don’t need much flexibility to roll, and if you use an extended paddle roll (pawlata roll) you don’t need much flexibility at all. I take a paddle float as a back up just in case my roll fails. I definitely wouldn’t sea kayak solo without a bombproof roll though, and a spare breakdown paddle on the deck in easy reach.
@@sbaldwin21thanks, good advice and something to work on. In the UK I take the spare paddle too, but have not got into the habit of taking it to France, something to remember for the future.
Just a suggestion, attach the paddle leash to the boat. You run the risk of entangling yourself otherwise.
When you learn to self rescue say with a paddle float, use the spare. Once you’re in the boat, it acts as an outrigger for stability while you pump out water. You can then pull in your regular paddle using the leash. Once you’re all sorted, stow the spare again.
Always try to prepare for the worst, learning how to self rescue is a must really for any paddler especially solo paddlers. As others have said Cary a means of communication just in case it’s that time.
You got very lucky this time!
I've been sea kayaking 13 years now, and I still won't do a solo paddle on an exposed route. I practice my rolls every time I paddle. As fun as they are, I learned for the safety factor as I'm much safer if I never have to exit the boat while on the water.
I also use a paddle leash, but I have mine tethered to the boat. I don't paddle without one.
I'm also curious why you left the boat capsized while swimming? I imagine it would be much less fatiguing to tow it while it's upright.
Either way, thanks for sharing, getting practicing, and keep 'em comin'! 🤙🏻
Hi there, thanks for the comments.. Yes, I was lucky!! Could have been worse or certainly harder to recover if I'd been on a section of coast without an easy climb from the shore to the road.
I didn't think to turn the boat back over. I was panicking to get to the shore... since then I've done some training on recovery, so would do things differently now. But in any event, I'm sure I would not have been able to get back into the kayak in those waves.
Just as you say, solo paddling is really only for very predictable conditions or when you much better at rolls. I do carry a VHF radio and phone.. but you don't want to have to use them do you!!
@@fifteenthriver4129 Bet you love your dry suit. When I get on water where I can't see land on the other side, I carry a spare paddle. Also a cowboy reentry was doable in those conditions. Should be able to do it in less than 30 seconds. This winter find a pool and work on getting a roll. It will make playing in big waves fun and way safer. I always roll bunches when I go out and only time that's an issue is when there is ice on the water. I just can't handle freezing water, even with a dry suit. YMMV:)
@@fifteenthriver4129 How can it be harder at something (rescue) that you clearly have no clue about performing?
@@MartinMartin-yi9to If you capsize on a coast with no access inland (cliffs) and worsening sea state, then this is tougher situation. You can only wait for weather to improve.
Still better to be out there doing it than not. Dry suit, vhf, mobile phone, provisions all essential kit to limit risk of harm.
You really need to learn to self rescue, it's not that difficult just practise!
Yep. That's fair and practice is fun too... just need to make the time and ideally have some nice weather...
I am from Holland so pardon my English.
Very intresting video. But if you paddle at sea, please do it in a save and responseble way. For yourself, the people you leave ashore and the good reputation we seakayakkers still have.
Believe me, with proper skills and with good companie you will enjoy it far more. Speaking from experience. Best regards.
Totally agree, plenty of safety measures in place that make up for not being able to roll... and i'll keep trying to learn to roll too. The VHF and good dry suit type clothing are two of the key mitigations.
Sorry but to paddle at all with very little knowlege is irresponsible. If you die I guess you are ok with that but its unfortunate for your family and the kayaking community. If you want to continue paddling which I hope you do PLEASE TAKE LESSIONS. 🙏
EL TIMO DE LA ESTAMPITA, OTRO BUSCANDO HACER CAJA!!! TIO LAS VERDADES, PARA SER VERDADES, SE TIENEN QUE ENSEÑAR GRATIS, SI NO ES PORQUE NO SON VERDADES!!!!
This guy….lucky he didn’t die!
That was such a small wave. Just brace.
No solo paddling If you can Not perform the Roll!
Yes, in ideal world, but that would mean no paddling. So I make sure I have a number of plan B's / safety measures... radio, phone, good clothing, buoyancy, flairs etc... and maybe I'll be able to add rolling to that soon.
Everyone should make whatever decisions they want . You know the risks so make YOUR decisions based on that . Truly makes me sick how SO many in the kayaking community who talk about what you HAVE to . Nature doesn't need school teachers
So much errors from your part : paddle leash is a big NO, no back-up paddle, no rescue technique (had to swim)........and yet you go out at sea. Worst : solo. PS : how can you flip a Virgo in a 30cm wave? These Virgo are so stable. If you have to swim to the shore to get back in your boat than you better stay out of the sea. Thanks for the laughs.
Ha, thanks for the comment, but I was out there enjoying it, so cant stay out of the sea... would be great to be an experienced skilled kayaker, but that takes time, so have to make the best of what we can do. Certainly going to add the back up paddle to French kayaking trips in future, and use experience of the weather better, I've started more self rescue practicing, but its very difficult in wavy conditions, my high and low brace is improving, more sea practice needed. .So will continue to solo paddle at sea, otherwise no paddling!!.
Thanks for the laughs? You’ve got to be joking. Martin please humble yourself your not cool and your name is Martin. I don’t like people like you that are not helpful and your name is Martin.