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BY DIMITRI VANDEPOELE
NORTHSEAKAYAK
In this series, we will share the first-hand experience, my NORTHSEAKAYAK team, and I gained while training together with the Coast Guard, search and rescue assets and other vessels that may come to aid when the need arises.
DIMITRI’S RESCUE TRAINING SERIES (PART 4)
In this series, we will share the first-hand experience, my NORTHSEAKAYAK team, and I gained while training together with the Coast Guard, search and rescue assets and other vessels that may come to aid when the need arises.
Before starting, it is of the utmost importance that every sea kayaker trains and prepares to avoid getting into trouble in the first place and learn to paddle self-reliant, responsible, and safe. How well prepared we are, things can get ugly, and therefore we need to know what to do when we cannot solve a problem ourselves. This is what the series goes about; things are going south, and this is what we can do when we need external help. Each article in this series will highlight a specific rescue together with some top tips! Remember, reading an article does not replace proper training.
Mayday-mayday-mayday!
In the first article, (https://paddlerezine.com/dimitris-rescue1), we talked about the means to call for help. In the second, (https://paddlerezine.com/dimitris-rescue-2), we talked about proper clothing and the PFD. and the rescue helicopter (https://paddlerezine.com/dimitris-rescue-3).
But what if you launch a distress call and rescue services aren’t the first to arrive at the scene?
During the past years, we gave this some thought. We heard and read stories about fellow kayakers in distress spotted and picked up by other vessels. Boats that aren’t equipped to perform rescues at sea, with crews that aren’t trained to rescue people out of the water. What can you do as a sea kayaker to aid to your rescue when it’s not the Coast Guard that arrives first? Let’s share some insight!
During our sea kayak adventures, we got to know many people. The North Sea is known as one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. So, we have many larger ships coming through. Also, every single year, our local harbour needs to be dredged. There is also a small hub for sand extraction in Nieuwpoort Harbour.
Hopper-dredgers extract sand from the seabed on the North Sea and then transport it to the harbour where the sand is loaded from ship to shore. We already surfed numerous times on the bow and wake waves of those big hopper-dredgers. It is also a fast way to get in or out of the harbour against the tidal stream when paddling close behind the ship in their wake. We don’t do this without knowing about the hydrodynamics of such ships.
Years ago, we talked to a few captains who told us that the main thing was to make visual contact with the crew before hanging in. There is no danger in paddling that close; the ship’s propellors are deep enough, and they will push you away from the ship when paddling behind in case of a capsize. We got the advice never to paddle in front of the ship itself for obvious reasons.
We got to know captain Ruben during those close encounters with bigger ships. Captain Ruben is in command of the hopper-dredger RIO, and he’s also keen on everything that has to do with safety at sea. We mostly met on open water, where our paths mostly crossed, waved to each other, took a picture, and that was it. On a fine day, I was invited onto the ship itself when moored in the harbour.
During a coffee on the bridge of the RIO, plans were made to conduct a rescue exercise. Like in previous chapters, it was a win-win situation. The RIO crew never conducted an offshore rescue exercise with a real person in the water. They conduct rescue drills now and then, but that’s not the same. And for us, it was an opportunity to see what was possible with such a big ship.
The hopper-dredger RIO
This ship is in no way comparable to a lifeboat; that is the least we can say! This motor hopper dredger measures 82.3m in length and is 16.3m in width. It was built in 1987, well maintained and still operational. The draught is at least 3.5m and 5.82m when fully loaded. The RIO has two propellers that can turn 360° and one bow thruster. The regular speed when fully loaded is about 9 knots, and its maximum speed is about 11 knots. The RIO has a small MOB (man overboard) boat on board that can be deployed on short notice. The onboard crew is the captain, helmsman, chief engineer, 2nd and 3rd engineer and two sailors. The RIO has its restrictions, but we mainly see opportunities!
Awaiting arrival SAR service
Due to circumstances, we had the luck of executing two different rescue scenarios within two weeks.
First scenario! Sylvie and I were about 2km offshore when starting up the scenario. The RIO was still out of visual range when we made the call by VHF radio. Sylvie had become unable to paddle any further for the rescue exercise and was hypothermic. We rafted up immediately; I supported the casualty with one hand and made the distress call using the VHF radio in the other hand. To perform this exercise as realistic as possible, the RIO was still out of visual range at the time of the distress call.
The captain of the RIO called in the rescue training with the local authorities, just so the Coast Guard would be aware of this. There was a bit of wind and waves, and it was raining a bit. Visibility was moderate. Like any other training we did with the rescue services, we were the first to spot the RIO before they saw us. I had given through our position, and they spotted us very fast and at a long distance. The captain used his binoculars, and the bridge of the RIO is high and provides a good view around the ship.
Top tip: an electronic distress flare (like the ODEO we are carrying) proves extremely useful to pinpoint your location to other vessels. Use it!
During the exercise, we kept in mind that the RIO crew are professional sailors, but they are not a professional rescue crew. I stated clearly what the situation was and that the casualty could not climb on board the RIO herself. We were dead in the water, with no means of coming closer to the RIO ourselves. We noticed that we had to communicate even better than with the rescue services. It is imperative to state your intentions to the vessel that comes to aid and listen to their do and don’ts. In this case, we asked for the ship to provide shelter against the wind and waves.
It is unbelievable what a difference this makes for a sea kayaker, certainly when rafted up. Since the casualty needs extraction, the captain lets me know that the RIO will launch a small lifeboat. This happens in a few minutes. The small lifeboat is winched alongside the mothership and is manned by the ship’s helmsman (a volunteer lifesaver with the KNRM rescue services) and a sailor. Once within reach, I immediately stated that Sylvie was the casualty and needed to be extracted first. Just for the exercise, we wanted to see what was possible. Both Sylvie and her sea kayak were extracted out of the water. I waited upon their return, and within less than 15 minutes, I also stood on the RIO myself… my sea kayak included.
Top tip: don’t be afraid to ask! There are absolutely no stupid questions since you don’t know the capabilities and restrictions of such a vessel. The same counts for inter-ship comms; be precise! State your intentions and say clearly what your emergency is. Even if they cannot extract you, those big ships can provide shelter upon the arrival of rescue services, pinpointing your location even more.
A few weeks later, we had the pleasure of conducting a second rescue training with the RIO crew! We were about 5kms offshore this time, but the weather was sunny, and there were no wind or waves. Before starting, we discussed our options as we didn’t want to conduct the same scenario as before. Captain Ruben agreed upon a ‘solo-kayaker/loss of sea kayak-scenario’ in open water. The RIO and Sylvie moved away from my position with my sea kayak – it doesn’t get more realistic than this. I called in the RIO, stating that I was alone and had just lost my sea kayak after a capsize. I stated that I was ambulatory and not hypothermic.
I needed to stay put; the hopper dredger RIO was making its final approach at the lowest speed possible. They approached me sideways, so the crew kept an excellent overview of my position. This is possible due to the rotatable propellors and the bow thruster. We agreed that I wouldn’t swim towards them until they had thrown the lifebuoy. Since I was uninjured and not hypothermic, we agreed upon extraction via rope ladder along the ship’s freeboard.
Top tip: keep calm! This might sound logical, but I cannot describe the feeling of being in the water with a big ship manoeuvring around me. The crew will keep visual contact. Important: props are turned down when close, and you cannot be sucked underneath the ship as the hull goes vertical underneath the surface for some meters. As always: a PFD is mandatory!
The RIO crew threw a lifebuoy towards me to close the gap for the last metres. After I grabbed it, the crew pulled me towards the rope ladder. I boarded the ship on my own and greeted the willingly, enthusiast crew once again!
After sharing a few tips and some small talk, it was time to leave again. We jumped right off the ship in both exercises ourselves, NORTHSEAKAYAK style! As said in the previous chapter, we keep things as fun as possible but always in a safe way.
We love to share our experiences with as many other paddlers as possible. The more knowledge is passed on, the safer we will be on the water.
If you want to see how we conduct those exercises with the hopper dredger RIO, have a look at the videos on the NORTHSEAKAYAK YouTube channel:
We have reached the end of this RESCUE TRAINING series. Over the years, we had other kayakers asking how we managed to do all this interesting stuff. Well, we reached out to the Coast Guard, the Coastal Rescue Services, the rescue helicopter crew, and the dredger RIO crew ourselves. We showed interest in their activities, procedures, and work in general. We also wanted that those services got to know us better and develop a better understanding of how our procedures work when we are involved in an incident. Most of the people we spoke to were pleasantly surprised when they heard that rescue training has a part to play in our sport. We conduct rescue training almost every time we go on the water, primarily self-rescues, assisted rescues and sometimes whole scenarios.
We also shared this knowledge, so the rescue services are aware that we’re no lost tourists but that we try to avoid incidents in the first place. And if we get ourselves involved in an incident, we know how to act. We get a lot of positive reactions about our way of working together within the NORTHSEAKAYAK team. From time to time, we have had people stating that we are exaggerating with all those drills. We have never heard of too well-trained sea kayakers getting into trouble, and we believe there is always a way to improve yourself and the team you are paddling with. This is always for the better of our safety. We don’t have a lot of rules, but the ones we have are simple, clear and logical, and always in the best interest of the people we are paddling with.
Top tip: Let me summarize the four most important rules we use every time we go out:
- Always wear your PFD!
- Dress for immersion!
- Field test your equipment on a regular base, so you know how to use it in a real distress situation!
- Imagine the worst that can happen… and prepare for this!
As for the rest, have fun! Smile! It’s not rocket science, don’t be afraid of making mistakes. It is all part of the sport and the learning process.
I wish to thank the Coast Guard, MRCC Ostend, the R6 ORKA lifeboat crew, the Coastal Rescue Services De Panne (IKWV), the NH90 Caiman crew and the dredger RIO crew for their willingness to help us conduct rescue training together. A big thanks for that, and for your enthusiasm, much appreciated! It is very nice to see that we are all helping each other out on the water when it comes to that.
I’m not rewriting the bible here; I’m just sharing our experience and how we work with our NORTHSEAKAYAK team. We know that all this works for us, also in a distress situation, but we are sure there are other solutions or insights. We love the practical way; we love field testing things; we learn from our mistakes and those of others. All of this makes us better paddlers, and most important, safer paddlers! We hope that the Rescue Training series brought you some extra knowledge, but our highest hope would be to see you train on this and do things yourself to become a safer kayaker.