by: Joseph J. Breunig 3rd
Maneuvering a canoe does take a certain level of skill. Although one can easily maintain a sense of balance, a canoeist consciously needs to be aware of his surroundings at all time. On occasion, other boaters have been known to (either intentionally or unintentionally) create sets of waves that can topple the most experienced paddlers, in addition to the challenges that Mother Nature contributes.
Developing that experience of oaring proficiency can only occur when taking to the water. As a suggestion, plan your canoe outing with other canoeists. Besides the camaraderie of quality time spent with friends, traveling in small groups provides you with opportunities to perfect the "Cane-Over-Canoe" Rescue Technique. This technique is best performed when on any body of water. Once having mastered this procedure, an experienced canoe veteran not only has greater confidence in his environment, but has the added advantage of being able assist others with a capsized canoe.
So you're enjoying a wonderful day on the lake; suddenly and unexpectedly, you find yourself in the water with a swamped canoe. What do you do next?
1. Hopefully you've kept your composure - you make sure your companions (that were) sharing your canoe are okay - no one is drowning and no one is hurt.
2. Retrieve your paddles and other floating items. (For the sake of this discussion, I am assuming that the occupants know how to swim and that they are wearing their life jackets (PFDs) and not watching them drift away, aided by the wind and water currents.)
3. Transfer the contents of your submerged boat to a nearby and upright canoe. During this time, either a former passenger or the rescuing boat is hanging onto the overturned canoe (so that it doesn't also drift away).
4. Position the upside-down, swamped canoe so that one end is perpendicular (at right angles) to the center of the rescuing canoe (forming a "T"). The rescuing canoeists will need to slide towards the center of their watercraft.
5. Once they are ready to receive the upset canoe, the people in the water will push down the end of the canoe (located at the bottom of the "T"). This motion forces the opposite end of the canoe to lift, enabling the rescuers to pull and drag the (upside-down) canoe across its gunnels and maintain the right angles.
6. After both ends of the overturned canoe are above the water, the rescuers wait for gravity to drain the water from the capsized vessel.
7. Once sufficient water has been emptied, the rescuers will then turn the canoe right-side-up and carefully slide the back into the water and return to their seats.
8. Align and hold the two canoes aide-by-side, allowing the swimmers an opportunity to climb back into their watercraft. (Special Note: Do not transfer the retrieved items back into the righted canoe until everyone is re-positioned within their original boat. Sometimes people swamp the canoe when attempting to re-enter it.)
9. Once the swimmers are seated, the rescuers may hand over the paddles and belongings to the soaking, wet canoeists.
Practicing the aforementioned directions is an excellent method to re-enforce the lesson presented. Please feel free to share this information with others. If there is enough of an interest (at Bunganut Lake), then during my stay at the lake I could provide a "hands on" demonstration of this procedure with others having a canoe.
Special Note: In July 2004, my brother-in-law Mike Stunes and his brother Kevin, assisted me in the creation of a small video. The clip can be viewed by clicking on any of the graphics below. The video, (taken by my wife Joyce) demonstrates the crucial steps, starting at instruction #4. Enjoy! See the video at the bottom of the following page: http://www.bunganutlake.org/canoes.htm and click on one of the canoe graphics.
P.S. Special thanks go out to Karen, for the use of her yellow canoe. For without it, no rescue was possible.
P.P.S. No humans or wildlife were harmed in the making of this video!
;-D
About The Author
Joseph J. Breunig 3rd is the webmaster of Bunganut Lake Online. Visit Bunganut Lake Online at: http://www.bunganutlake.org
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Things To Do On Your Trip to Milwaukee
Things To Do On Your Trip to Milwaukee
by: Heather Potts
What Makes Milwaukee A Fun Place To Visit
Are you making vacation plans? If so, you are probably taking a look at common destinations like Las Vegas, Disneryworld, and California. These are typical choices because you have pretty good idea ahead of time of what you are getting yourself into. The only problem with chosing these vacation spots is that everyone else does as well. Therefore you will be spending your time in crowded areas.
You have much better things to do during your vacation then wasting your time and energy fighting the crowds. Why would you want to be around thousands of other tourists? When there is a higher demand from tourists, the costs of the hotel and rental car increase and can become quite expensive.
Why not save you and your family from dealing with the large crowds? Why not spend your vacation days relaxing by on a nice beach overlooking a pristin...
Things To Do On Your Trip to Milwaukee
Lake tahoe > Things To Do On Your Trip to Milwaukee
Water Sports For Physical And Mental Health
Water Sports For Physical And Mental Health
by: Dakota Caudilla
Sailing or boating may seem a little overwhelming, what with the high level of technical elements involved in the sport. For example, there are things like "charts", "mainsails" and "tillers" to learn about. Whether you choose a small boat or a catamaran, whether you choose lake or ocean sailing, there are a number of things you need to master before you can start enjoying the pure pleasure of being on the water.
Getting the sailing skills you need to start sailing your own boat is easy if you just sign up with a sailing school. You can learn to sail at any age. There are no restrictions. The best schools and instructors will teach you all you need to know about sailing in a friendly and non-threatening manner.
As with all sports, sailing will get you into contact with new friends. There's a closeness that develops out at sea, however, that not many other sports have. You...
Water Sports For Physical And Mental Health
Lake tahoe > Water Sports For Physical And Mental Health
2007 Chevrolet Tahoe: Leaning Towards Safety
2007 Chevrolet Tahoe: Leaning Towards Safety
by: Joe Thompson
The 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe has been designed and crafted by Chevrolet the automobile manufacturer with family safety in mind. Just like any other vehicle from Chevrolet, the 2007 Tahoe has made it a point to be able to perform well as well as provide safety before a crash, during a crash, as well as after a crash. This vehicle comes in three trim levels that comprise of the LS, the LT, and the LTZ.
The 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe is one of the first creations of General Motors as per new full size sport utility vehicles. The interior layout of this vehicle is quite symmetrical and very engaging. It also incorporates a build quality that is vastly superior to any other previous vehicles crafted by the company. The vehicle had dropped off the hard plastic trim framing controls and put in its place modern and cohesive construction that provides and exudes a more European look. The new interior...
2007 Chevrolet Tahoe: Leaning Towards Safety
Lake tahoe > 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe: Leaning Towards Safety
Hello from Rochester: The CAT - An Awesome Beast
Hello from Rochester: The CAT - An Awesome Beast
by: Susanne Pacher
For a while now I have been dreaming of taking the recently re-introduced high-speed ferry service from Toronto to Rochester. The ferry service briefly ran last year, introduced by a group of private investors, but stopped running after a few weeks due to financial difficulties. It was reintroduced this year after the City of Rochester purchased the ferry at an auction and contracted an experienced ferry service based out of Nova Scotia to run it.
North America's newest CAT fast ferry is an amazing vessel. Built in Australia in 2003, it made its way around the globe to its new home on Lake Ontario in 2005. It's as long as a football field and can also reach speeds of up to 80 kilometers or 52 miles an hour. The CAT can carry up to 774 passengers and 220 cars, and is one of the fastest and largest car ferries in North America.
It's a sharp-looking ship and its aerodynamic...
Hello from Rochester: The CAT - An Awesome Beast
Lake tahoe > Hello from Rochester: The CAT - An Awesome Beast
For the Performance-Minded Angler the Humminbird 931 GPS/Sonar is a Must
For the Performance-Minded Angler the Humminbird 931 GPS/Sonar is a Must
by: NS Kennedy
Imagine being able to cast your lines into the water knowing for sure that there is a host of fish under the boat just waiting to snap up your bait? Well imagine no longer ? with the Humminbird 931 you?ll be catching the big one, over and over again.
Let me tell you about the technology that allows you to find even the remotest fish hiding well below the surface.
First off, the high performance sonar on this fishfinder comes with an ultra wide display that has extraordinary resolution.
What does this mean for you?
It delivers for you a clear view of the bottom of the lake.
You get a clear image of what is below you and therefore can arrange your attacks on those fish better.
This is great because it allows you to see more of the bed at one time.
The more enhanced the image is, the more details you will have...
Lake tahoe > For the Performance-Minded Angler the Humminbird 931 GPS/Sonar is a Must
Water Sports For Physical And Mental Health
Water Sports For Physical And Mental Health
by: Dakota Caudilla
Sailing or boating may seem a little overwhelming, what with the high level of technical elements involved in the sport. For example, there are things like "charts", "mainsails" and "tillers" to learn about. Whether you choose a small boat or a catamaran, whether you choose lake or ocean sailing, there are a number of things you need to master before you can start enjoying the pure pleasure of being on the water.
Getting the sailing skills you need to start sailing your own boat is easy if you just sign up with a sailing school. You can learn to sail at any age. There are no restrictions. The best schools and instructors will teach you all you need to know about sailing in a friendly and non-threatening manner.
As with all sports, sailing will get you into contact with new friends. There's a closeness that develops out at sea, however, that not many other sports have. You...
Water Sports For Physical And Mental Health
Lake tahoe > Water Sports For Physical And Mental Health
Fall Foliage Scenic Drive ? Lakes and Leaves Maine
Fall Foliage Scenic Drive ? Lakes and Leaves Maine
by: Clif Calderwood
Maine is one of the most heavily forested states in the nation, containing over 17 million acres of natural beauty, hikes, and magnificent summer and fall foliage scenic drives.
This scenic drive is through Maine backcountry. A rugged environment of thick forests and impressive mountain terrain.
The drive is magnificent in summer but not-to-be-missed in fall foliage season.
The route follows a 218-mile loop through central west Maine along the lower western shore of Moosehead Lake, and then runs parallel with the tree-lined banks of the Kennebec River. It?s best experienced over a few days rather than a one-day excursion trip, and lodging reservations are recommended during the popular fall foliage season.
Let?s get you started?
In the first part of the tour you?ll wind your way towards the town of Greenville on the southern tip of Moosehead Lake. Begin...
Fall Foliage Scenic Drive ? Lakes and Leaves Maine
Lake tahoe > Fall Foliage Scenic Drive ? Lakes and Leaves Maine
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