CSCC Reports 2011: Foundation Safety and Rescue Course - 21 August 2011
Six club members (Hils, Fi, Richard S., Martin, Rob and Dan) spent much of the 21st August falling out of, and clambering into, various types of boats, as part of the Foundation Safety and Rescue Training Course. The course took place at the Southmere Lake at Thamesmead and was ably led by Giles Brunning.
The morning session consisted of a 2 hour lecture on safety. In the afternoon we got outside and took to the water. Rescue skills practised included throwing a line to a swimmer (my throws were horribly inconsistent), eskimo rescues, rescue of an unconscious paddler, T rescues and H rescues, all-in rescues, towing and shunting.
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The course was fun, but also useful. For example, I worked out how much easier and safer it is to empty a flooded canoe if you move around inside the rescue boat, rather than staying put on the seat. I also experimented with a sea kayak style re-entry in a canoe and it worked. I have previously clobbered my head on the boat when clambering back in using the conventional method (helmets are a good idea when practising rescues!)
Giles stressed that two people co-operating to perform a rescue can be safer than a single person doing it alone - flooded boats without air bags can be very heavy. He taught us a method of emptying a kayak by pulling it onto paddles placed across the rafted boats of two rescuers.
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The main difference between this BCU course and the old canoe safety course is that it takes account of the fact that groups often go out in different types of boat. That is increasingly true of CSCC trips.
The Southmere lake seemed surprisingly clean with a large group of swans living in it, so when we spotted some kids chucking an old wicker chair and a bin bag of rubbish into the water two of us headed off in our canoe to fish it out. More pleasingly, it was good to see that some of the local youngsters were taking a positive interest in our activities. Giles seems to be doing a great job in introducing young people from a poor area into the sport.
Our thanks go to Giles and to Hils for organising this course. The cost was a very reasonable £60 per person plus £5 for the certificate. Hire of boats and paddles was included. If you are interested in doing this course next time round please let Hils know.
More photos here...
http://www.civilservicecanoeclub.org.uk/csccgallery/thumbnails.php?album=31