river wrap in strainerville

 Going through and cleaning out over a thousand photos and videos and I found these stills from GoPro footage of one of my friends who wrapped on a river keeper trip.  We were not using our typical river boats since we were also racing a few different hulls that day. He was paddling a Scupper Pro.
I had the GoPro in one hand and throw rope at the ready.
This was a nice example of him staying composed, moving out the length of the boat beyond the strainers, and then swimming out.
My apologies if I have used these here before, but its a nice example of keeping your head when things get tricky.

He did good, strainers are no joke!

He did good, strainers are no joke!

They can kill before your team can get a throw rope ready.
It was one of those "impressed but not surprised" moments. He is the real deal.
I watched the video again and it is full of laughing and taunting.
His composure and competency kept this moment smooth ops and uneventful.

So, what IS the proper to free my kayak when it’s wrapped? I’ve only pinned whitewater rafts, and it was probably pure luck & quick reactions that saved us. But it would be nice to know the proper way to handle that type of situation.

 I can share my preferred methods but I can't promise that it's the proper way.
Carabiner the throw rope to the grab loop and pull the boat free from the bank.
Getting to the boat and attaching the line safely is the obvious challenge.
I am a big believer in the live bait rescue methods. I feel safer and it's way more fun for everyone involved.
Boat rescue is a team game and if I wrap when I am alone, it's likely that I'll leave the boat and start my hike out.
I may consider swimming the rapid and attaching the line if it was a reasonably low risk swim for me,
all while reminding myself  "Don't get dead for a 75 gallon bucket".

I have a lot of river/rescue resources, but the one that I believe I got the most from was a video that Kent Ford did called "Whitewater Self Defense".  It's also a good watch for anyone who stomps around fishing creeks. Im probably due to watch it again.

 Thought I'd share one of my favorite live bait rescue examples.
At 00:17 seconds a girl yells "DUDE, there's a swimmer!!" makes me smile every time.

he got his paddle!!!


 Hey Hydro,

nice to hear ya,, I don't get out much,, ( social media  )

  strainers !!!  omg,, your bringing back nightmares of 2 days swift water training with sac fire on the south fork of the American with high flow,,,

 f-me,,,, 

 that was all about survival with do or die scenarios  ,,,

 actually trying to retrieve something out of a strainer ???

  I'd rather battle a Dragon ,,,   


  hope you and yours are well,

 see ya on the water..

  like La Paz ?

 Hey D!  Thanks for another photo of your panga lifestyle!  Im going to try and get back down there in the next few years. There are still multiple fish on my wish list and I'm overdue for some Ranch time.  I'll let you know if I decide to drive.

he got his paddle!!!

That was the other nice grab in that video! There are a few different angles of that rescue out there, but they don't have the loud girl.

 omg,, your bringing back nightmares of 2 days swift water training with sac fire on the south fork of the American with high flow,,,

 I feel ya old friend. I unintentionally swam "Troublemaker" one year.  That one has always stuck with me.

Great video!

Great topic and a heck of a testimonial for the Scupper Pro, too.  I wrapped a canoe against a snag once upon a time and before we could get a rope on it, it bent into a "U" shape.  The power of moving water - even when the current might not appear to be moving all that fast - isn't a joke.

Thanks for the reminder and the tips.

Ex-Kayaker and I river boarded the South Fork of the American starting at Chili Bar when the flow was 5900cfs.
I got caught in a strainer.
As soon as I hit it I climbed.
Ended up having to bite down on the branches with my teeth to keep my head above water while I got my legs free so I could climb all the way out.
If not for that and keeping my cool I would have been a goner for sure.
Remain calm and deal with the situation. Panic is the enemy.
And I went through Troublemaker on the same float by choice. 

Scary stuff Tote! So glad that you were able climb over and out.

Now I am curious what methods NCKA river runners use to get their boats free.

I was considering a river runners resource thread but I wasn't sure there would be any interest here.
Pedal boats and powerful hydrology are not that compatible.

Yes, please!  I spend a lot of time in fishing in small coastal streams and I'd like to learn a lot more.  It could extend the season for me.

 I thought that I had used those wrap stills here before.
Located.
http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=28291.105

https://www.canoekayak.com/videos/how-to-unwrap-a-canoe/?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=social#sf201339622&fbclid=IwAR15a67vNEobFtlNAtqrWb5wj9hSbt_LFLtzz28hDxOUusSZztzcAcrDH0Q