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BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE DOCK

1. Make a list of everyone on the boat. Protect it from the water by putting it in a Baggie and securing it in a vest or PFD pocket – the list must be with you on the boat, because the rescuers will require it for an accurate head count. Having this list on your person may save lives!

2. The Tiller will call the crew’s attention to the number of people on the boat, and will remind them to observe their paddling buddy. Know who they are, their name and the colour of their PFD and upper clothing.

3. Paddlers will pay special attention to the colour of their buddy’s PFD and clothing – people will not look the same when they’re soaking wet, floating in the water!

4. The Coach or Tiller will read a checklist, which shall include:

• Tow rope attached to boat?
• Throw rope on board?
• Whistles on every PFD? (Required by law)
• Designated Emergency Callers & Radios and/or protected cellphones Identified?
• Designated head count personnel identified?

5. The Coach should make a point of including reinforcement during at least one early drill by asking someone, by name, how many people are on the boat. He should also include basic reminders about taking a deep breath before entering the water in the event the boat capsizes

What to wear

2. Wear fast-wicking fabrics and avoid cotton, which absorbs water. You should wear a toque to keep your head warm; your head is one of three main body areas causing heat loss (the others are your armpits and groin). Merino wool works well, as do nylon-polyester blends.

Cold Water Boot Camp has a wealth of information designed to help you survive, and

This blog includes a comprehensive list of things you need to know about paddling gear.

3. Make sure your PFD is properly fitted before you get into the boat, and make sure you have a pealess whistle attached where you can reach it without having to use your hands. A turtle light is also recommended – this is a small waterproof LED you attach to your PFD. Mountain Equipment Coop sells them for under $4, and they can be seen for long distances at night.

4.You should test your PFD annually to make certain it works properly. You can do this easily by finding a beach and simply walking into the water until the floatation asserts itself.

5. Designate two action people to be responsible for accounting for everyone in the water. These would normally be people at opposite ends of the boat, and should include the tiller.

6. Designate two action people to be responsible for calling for help. These must be people with either a waterproof marine radio (VHF) or a cellular phone in a waterproof case. The Coach or team captain should be one of these people.

WHEN YOU FIND YOURSELF IN THE WATER

A. Call the Coast Guard

The first priority is to call for help. One or more people should be designated as responsible for doing this. Once help is on the way, the next task will be to account for everyone on the boat.

Before calling the Coast Guard, think about where the incident occurred, and locate familiar landmarks (marinas, East or West side of the Newcastle Channel, North end or South end, etc.) that can be used to locate you.

Tell them the length and colour of your dragon boat and the number of crew who were on board at the time of the incident.

1. Dial *16 from a cellular phone – phone should be stored in a waterproof bag designed for the purpose. Mountain Equipment Coop carries the Aquapac Phone/GPS Case (Product Number: 5009-993) for under $30. Alberni Outpost offers similar products, as do most outdoor equipment suppliers. (Your phone case can also be used to keep your crew list dry and ready for use by the Coast Guard.)

2. Marine VHF Radio. These units are waterproof. Victoria Coast Guard monitors channel 16, as do many vessels in the harbour. These units are designed for use on the water, and require an operator’s license. Victoria Coast Guard will notify your local Coast Guard Auxiliary Unit and broadcast a request for vessels of opportunity to assist you.

B. “1 – 10 -1″

1-10-1 is a simple way to remember the first three phases of cold water immersion and the approximate time each phase takes.

1 – Cold Shock. An initial deep and sudden Gasp followed by hyperventilation that can be as much as 600-1000% greater than normal breathing. You must keep your airway clear or run the risk of drowning. Cold Shock will pass in about 1 minute. During that time concentrate on avoiding panic and getting control of your breathing. Wearing a PFD this phase is critically important to keep you afloat and breathing.

10 – Cold Incapacitation. Over approximately the next 10 minutes you will lose the effective use of your fingers, arms and legs for any meaningful movement. Concentrate on self rescue initially, and if that isn’t possible, prepare to have a way to keep your airway clear to wait for self rescue. Swim failure will occur within these critical minutes and if you are in the water without a lifejacket, drowning will likely occur.

1 – HYPOTHERMIA. Even in ice water it could take approximately 1 hour before becoming unconscious due to Hypothermia. If you understand the aspects of hypothermia, techniques of how to delay it, self rescue and calling for help, your chances of survival and rescue will be dramatically increased.

Information about treating hypothermia is available on Cold Water Bootcamp.

Your first priority is to stay with the boat and look after your safety. Cold water shock during the first minute will make it difficult for you to focus, so try to remain calm, take a good look around, and find your buddy.

Get a Head Count!

Two action people should be designated to be responsible for taking a head count. Experience strongly suggests that trying to “count off” does not work. Cold water shock creates confusion and problems with concentration, so a physical count seems to be the only reliable way to get an accurate count quickly. The drummer or tiller can do this job quickly (after discharging any previous required action, like calling the Coast Guard) by moving from swimmer to swimmer and counting them while offering encouragement and support.

Once the exterior swimmers have been counted and identified, attention must be turned to swimmers who may be beneath the boat.

Swimmers outside the boat should assume someone is under the boat and listen for knocking on the hull. If a knock is heard from inside the hull, acknowledge by knocking back.

If you are near someone who is inside the hull, try to make physical contact with your hand. Do not try to pull anyone from underneath the boat – wait for them to make an attempt to exit and provide gentle assistance as needed.

Unconscious Swimmers

We are aware that there may be one or more unconscious swimmers beneath the boat, but are uncertain as to how to locate and handle them. The best suggestion was that an active search be carried out within the first 2 or 3 minutes after hitting the water.

Swimmers should align themselves along one side of the boat and hold on to the gunwale. One paddler at a time, beginning at both ends of the boat, will lift their legs up, beneath the boat, and do a scissor-kick to see if contact can be made.

The team is planning to test this idea later in the season when the weather is warmer, to see if it is practical.

The Buddy System

Your second priority is to identify your paddling partner so you’ll be able to locate him or her in the event the boat capsizes Your paddling partner is your BUDDY.

It is probable that one or more paddlers will end up under the boat, and you may be one of them.

For that reason, protect your head after hitting the water, so it won’t hit the boat on your way to the surface.

If you come up under the boat, you will be protected from the wind.

1. Relax and take your bearings. There will be plenty of air trapped beneath the hull, so don’t panic.

2. It may be pitch black, so don’t be surprised if your vision is impaired. Knock on the hull to let someone know you are under the boat. Keep doing so until you get a knock on the outside of the hull in response. Try to locate someone outside the boat who is nearby by holding on to a seat or the gunwale and using your legs and feet to search.

3. Kicking may be more effective than simple touching because of all the confusion. Once you have established that there is a swimmer nearby, outside the boat, you should be able to reach your hand towards them while you brace yourself by holding the seat or gunwale.

4. Your PFD will make it difficult to get to the outside of the boat because of it’s buoyancy, but you may be able to do it by pushing up against the gunwale with both hands until you can clear it.

5. Do not attempt to leave the inside of the boat until someone has responded to your knocking on the hull, because your PFD may become entangled on the gunwale or the boat’s lines. If this happens, you can try to push yourself down again to clear the gunwale. Do not attempt to exit from beneath the boat until you have attracted someone’s attention, and physically connected with them.

6. When someone has acknowledged your presence, try pushing upward on the gunwale with both hands to force your body down far enough to permit you to exit. At this point, your buddy should be providing assistance by guiding you towards him.

7. The team acknowledged the need to experiment, in the water, to determine the most practical and effective means of exiting from beneath the boat and add our observations to this plan at a later date.

Things you can do to help

Corral Swimmers by using the boat’s painters (ropes) to keep everyone together – do not tie people together with the rope – use it as a “fence” to keep anyone from drifting away.

Corral swimmers by holding each others PFDs, or the boat’s gunwale – do not let anyone drift away, and remember that they may be losing motor control through hypothermia.

Provide encouragement to your buddy and swimmers nearby – it will help keep them calm and focused on survival instead of fear.

Expect to be in the water for a minimum of 30 minutes and plan accordingly.

AFTER RESCUE

Stay together until the Coast Guard Auxiliary or EMTs have released you, so an accurate head count can be obtained.

If more than one vessel is involved in your rescue, make sure everyone is taken to the same location. Appropriate locations should be determined in advance, giving thought to:

1. Access to Coast Guard Auxiliary facilities

2. Parking for emergency vehicles

3. Distance from the boat

In Nanaimo, your first choice should be the Coast Guard Auxiliary Rescue Station at Brechin Point if it is the closest.

Otherwise, rescue vessels should be directed to deliver their passengers to the Fuel Dock near the Wharfinger’s office.