Saturday, May 29, 2010

Greenland Paddle Clinic at Terra Nova





We were very fortunate this year to have a great set up for the clinics at Sandy Pond in Terra Nova. A well protected shelter with wood stove fire, donated soup and chile were provied for folks coming off the water. Lots of volunteer help was the key to success. Sean for example,brought about a dozen hand made greenland paddles for folks to use in the clinics. Sharon pulled together a chili and Donna made a mean Black Bean Soup. Volunteers clinic leaders included: Malcolm Rowe - Turning into the Wind, Chris Lockyer - Towing Techniques, Greg Stamer - Greenland Paddling

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Terra Nova KNL Retreat








The long Victoria weekend found one hundred and some kayakers in Terra Nova park for the tenth annual retreat.
Many gathered at Splash n Putt for meetings, breakfast and to recuperate.
Saturday was a great day - clear but a bit windy for the trip back.
We set out from Traytown and puttered along the Northeast Arm.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Hypothermia















Earlier this week Michael Pretty(Wilderness First Aid Instructor)presented some very useful reminders regarding hypothermia at our final KNL education session.
And he supervised a burrito wrap.The photo is from another source but the concept is similar. Additional points: control head, be gentle with person in hypothermia as they can be easily injured, remove wet clothes(particularly cotton), wrap in dry clothes, use a garbage bag and duct tape to create a diaper, climbing rope under wrap to create a weave in case the person has to be lifted.
You need: tarp next to ground, rope under tarp, foil wrap next to person, blanket.
Take off shoes.
Wrap like a burrito: which means bring bottom up, tuck corner, pull left then right sides in. Weave rope. Optional use of heat sources can be used: for example chemical heat padscan be placed under armpits. If the person is able to sip - warm water mixed with jello powder can recharge. But, water should not be hot otherwise it is counterproductive.
The consensus of the group is that we should practice these effective means of managing hypothermia throughout the summer,since even a short time in the Atlantic can lead to hypothermia.
Plus the ideal action would be to take a Wilderness Safety Course.
See: http://www.prettysafe.ca/

Forward stroke

Kayak Essentials: Forward Paddling (Long Boat) from Kayak Essentials on Vimeo.



Came across this interesting video.