Wednesday 24th April.
Venue moved from Ullswater as the pass was closed. A sunny day with a cold but low wind.
Ian M, Lynne W, Conrad L and Ed R met with Rob G who was to lead the session developing solo paddling skills dealing with capsize, fatigue or incapacitation and dealing with challenging weather in deep water environments.
The day included lots of practice rescuing swamped canoes, fishing swimmers out the lake and workshopping different methods of towing and quickly rafting up. There was a lot of discussion around setting up a canoe for solo, tandem, sailing and expeditioning, how and when to lash baggage in vs when to let it float free and how to use what you’ve got to assist with a self rescue.
The day culminated in an all in rescue in the middle of the lake, with all canoes swamped and everyone in the water requiring a thorough demonstration of the skills we’d developed throughout the day. Even in favourable conditions it quickly became apparent that these skills need to be well rehearsed to avoid disaster. Thanks Rob for an excellent day on the water, we’ve all learned a lot
Ed R
Lakeland Canoe Club 