Emptying the kayak

If a paddler capsizes a K1 and it’s either some way from the bank or getting out and emptying the boat is difficult, it may be a better bet to carry out a deep water rescue. Here, we’ll look at the first part; emptying the boat.

Because most K1s and K2s don’t have bulkheads, emptying the boat is more challenging than with a sea kayak which can simply be lifted bow first to empty the water. It can all be a lot easier if the boat is fitted with bouyancy bow and stern. As well as helping the kayak to float, buoyancy (bags or blocks) reduces the amount of water taken on and makes it much easier to empty. Worth checking before you take a boat out.

There are a number of strategies for emptying a kayak in deep water. If you’re with another paddler, it’s helpful to raft up for stability. One person can then empty the boat. This can be done in a similar way to emptying the boat at the shore, by pushing down on the bow with the kayak the right way up and then simultaneously lifting and rotating the bow to empty the boat. If the kayak is really swamped, it may be easier to lift it slowly by the cockpit rim to let the bulk of the water out and then pull it over your kayak to finish the job. This approach is shown in the video below.

If there are only two paddlers, one swimmer and one rescuer, the swimmer can hold onto the rescuer’s boat at the cockpit (on the opposite side to the capsized boat) to provide stability.

Rescuing the swimmer

The video below explains what I think is the most effective method better than I can in words.

Key points are:

• Boats are bow to stern
• Get your legs in first
• Keep your centre of gravity (including your head) low
• Don’t pull up with your arms until the end of the movement
• The rescuer should hold onto the boat being rescued until the paddler has their paddle back (the correct way around) and is ready to paddle away.

This does take practice so be sure to attend one of the K1 rescue sessions in the summer