Thanks for posting this Richard! Folks using the wrist leash really need to think about this, so it's great that you've highlighted it. Personally, I prefer a paddle to boat leash, so I can let the paddle go completely if I need to use both hands. (Some folks don't like the leash bouncing around in front of the paddle, but I've used it for 20 years now and don't even notice it... And I've never had a serious tangle with it and my belt leash!)
Thanks for posting! Interesting thoughts. When I did some practice remounts with a wrist leash I concluded that I need to have the paddle alongside the boat on one side and across the boat on the other. I've never found a difference between R and L remounts in terms of preference. The key for me overall in rough water has been Oscar's teaching about starting to paddle while both legs are still out on one side. That paddle in the water gives so much control that even if my butt is in the wrong place I can eventually wriggle my way through.
Yep, thanks. I need to practice that Oscar routine of sitting in the boat with legs out to one side and then swinging them to the other side with the leverage of a paddle stroke.
As a relative novice, I'm surprised that there's even such a thing as a paddle leash. Question for the more experienced: have you ever actually lost hold of your paddle?
hi Jaime, Yes. I started paddling in the surf and regularly lost hold of it in big white water. Consequently, I had the bad habit of letting go of it when falling out but think that I have now overcome it. One of my more experienced mates (who does not use a leash) has let go of his but was reunited with it shortly afterwards as it drifted with him. For me, it is simply just not worth the risk !!
Jaime, I started out paddling in the surf and regularly let go of my paddle in big white water. I carried this bad habit over to DW but now think that I mostly hold on to the paddle. We do however have a member of our group who has lost a paddle, albeit for only a few minutes, as he was reunited with it few minutes later. For me, it is about eliminating risk. No one wants to be out there without a paddle !
The problem with a wrist-paddle leash is really obvious in this video. I use a paddle to boat leash. Yes, sometimes it gets tangled around my legs. Every time I take a swim, the water seems less rough when I'm in it than when I was paddling. A reminder to calm down, don't panic. Take a breath and get everything in the correct place before remounting. I use plain shock cord for my leash, which isn't prone to tangling with itself. Wouldn't fancy using the coiled stuff, I imagine that, like a telephone cord, it would be easy to get tangled.
@@ForbesRichard I live on an island off the west coast of Scotland. Really a Ski novice. Nobody else around here paddles surfski, so I mostly paddle by myself and hence I'm very cautious. Winds here tend to be strong. Most days when I paddle I'll encounter 20-30 knot winds. When it is over 50knots I don't go out. Fortunately I have many miles of semi-protected sea lochs to paddle in.
How are you keeping water out of the ski? Especially if youre tipping over? My foot well is usually flooded. Obviously adding a lot of weight. Am i missing something?
hi, So I do take on water after taking a spill or when slowing down but once I get up to speed again the water drains via the venturi. Have you checked to see if your venturi are functioning properly ? Perhaps they are blocked or damaged in some way ?
I find that having the wind in the back [the logic being that the ski is pushed away from me] is problematic once I'm in as I am broadsided by waves and so, quite unstable once in the bucket. I always orient the ski perpendicular to the waves, upwind or downwind, regardless [if upwind, then I have to turn around but I'm also more stable when remounting and also see what's coming].
Indeed paddle leashes can often comprise remounts, especially if they become tangled so a wrist leash offers a solution to avoid this but isn't a fool proof either as much depends upon paddle placement and remount techniques. Everyone has a preferred method yet I generally place paddle across the footstrap to help stabilise craft with same hand grip ready for paddling so to avoiding paddle beside the craft regardless which side I remount from as blade on side of craft often gets caught under legs and back to front.
thanks Paul, have just seen this now ! Yep, I have tried this. I found that I struggled to get a proper grip on the rail and also hold the paddle but must try again as I am assuming that my hands are larger than hers so I should be able to do it. Will definitely try again.
At 3:18 it looks like you intentionally let the boat go, trusting the leash to hold it. Never trust the leash! They brake too easily. Nice video about safety!
thanks Frederico. I now use a leash may of a roof rack tie down - very strong. But it is the anchor points that typically give way, so, point taken, thanks !
@@ForbesRichard with me it already happened to the leash itself but can also to the anchor point like you said. Some ppl say leashes are made to brake with strong pressure to not hurt the paddler. The point is we should always try to hold the boat and don't let it go away. The leash is there when we fail to hold the boat, but better not trust it and avoid depending on it.
When you remount, you do not have to hold the paddle with your far hand. Hayley Nixon shows remount with the paddle in the closer hand. It may be even easier.
Thanks for then lead. Personally, I have now moved on to a paddle leash that is connected to my life jacket. It does not get in my way and, more importantly, it does not restrict my options. However, in bigger conditions I still plan to swim my ski around to my favoured orientation
I switch back and forth between paddle parallel to boat (Oscar's preferred method), and the perpendicular paddle (that Hayley Nixon teaches). I've found each equally effective, but I think I bias a bit more toward doing Nixon's method.
Thanks Tony ! Yep, sorry about that music. If you look at some of my recent videos, I hope you will agree that the music has improved as I have now joined the "Thematic" team.
Yikes I couldn't even get on a surfski to go paddle it without the damn thing constantly flipping never mind remounting in open water. You gotta be a balance gymnist to pull a feat like that off!
@@ForbesRichard Its an incredible feat regardless. I tried ski it was more tippy than I could possibly handle. When you're 6'4" there is no such thing as secondary stability so if the primary gets upset unless you're paddling pretty intensely with a blade in the water pulling vigorously I'm going down. Unfortunately have relegated myself to more stable boats and lost the upgrade fever accordingly I think after 20 years of paddling I have plateaued. That's one big difference in the small boat/kayak world. Most other fields like cycling as you go higher end while better rigs don't replace training and a good athlete but they make it EASIER. In paddling as you go higher end the boats become HARDER!
Sorry Mike, I missed this ! There is a bitter/sweet dimension to this "upgrade" business: on the plus, if you are stable, the skis ARE faster (particularly since they enable jumping onto the run ahead) but if you are not fully stable then you can not put the power down !
Anytime yes I noticed this. Someone once said 80 percent is the athlete the last 20 percent is the vehicle but strong and fit as you may be if you're not stable in paddling the higher end stuff will hold you back.@@ForbesRichard
Thanks for posting this Richard! Folks using the wrist leash really need to think about this, so it's great that you've highlighted it. Personally, I prefer a paddle to boat leash, so I can let the paddle go completely if I need to use both hands. (Some folks don't like the leash bouncing around in front of the paddle, but I've used it for 20 years now and don't even notice it... And I've never had a serious tangle with it and my belt leash!)
Thanks Rob !
Thanks for posting! Interesting thoughts. When I did some practice remounts with a wrist leash I concluded that I need to have the paddle alongside the boat on one side and across the boat on the other.
I've never found a difference between R and L remounts in terms of preference. The key for me overall in rough water has been Oscar's teaching about starting to paddle while both legs are still out on one side. That paddle in the water gives so much control that even if my butt is in the wrong place I can eventually wriggle my way through.
Yep. Gonna practice those "cross boat leg swings" that Oscar advocates.
Yep, thanks. I need to practice that Oscar routine of sitting in the boat with legs out to one side and then swinging them to the other side with the leverage of a paddle stroke.
I will have to watch this video many more times and analyze it good !
As a relative novice, I'm surprised that there's even such a thing as a paddle leash. Question for the more experienced: have you ever actually lost hold of your paddle?
hi Jaime, Yes. I started paddling in the surf and regularly lost hold of it in big white water. Consequently, I had the bad habit of letting go of it when falling out but think that I have now overcome it. One of my more experienced mates (who does not use a leash) has let go of his but was reunited with it shortly afterwards as it drifted with him. For me, it is simply just not worth the risk !!
Jaime, I started out paddling in the surf and regularly let go of my paddle in big white water. I carried this bad habit over to DW but now think that I mostly hold on to the paddle. We do however have a member of our group who has lost a paddle, albeit for only a few minutes, as he was reunited with it few minutes later. For me, it is about eliminating risk. No one wants to be out there without a paddle !
The problem with a wrist-paddle leash is really obvious in this video.
I use a paddle to boat leash. Yes, sometimes it gets tangled around my legs.
Every time I take a swim, the water seems less rough when I'm in it than when I was paddling. A reminder to calm down, don't panic. Take a breath and get everything in the correct place before remounting.
I use plain shock cord for my leash, which isn't prone to tangling with itself. Wouldn't fancy using the coiled stuff, I imagine that, like a telephone cord, it would be easy to get tangled.
Thanks Alastair ! Where do you paddle ? And yes, I have ditched my coiled boat leash now in favour of using tie down cord with quick release
@@ForbesRichard I live on an island off the west coast of Scotland.
Really a Ski novice. Nobody else around here paddles surfski, so I mostly paddle by myself and hence I'm very cautious.
Winds here tend to be strong. Most days when I paddle I'll encounter 20-30 knot winds. When it is over 50knots I don't go out.
Fortunately I have many miles of semi-protected sea lochs to paddle in.
@@Alastair510 You gotta come do the Millers Run one day. Please let me know if you ever plan to be in Crown
Cape Town
How are you keeping water out of the ski? Especially if youre tipping over? My foot well is usually flooded. Obviously adding a lot of weight. Am i missing something?
hi, So I do take on water after taking a spill or when slowing down but once I get up to speed again the water drains via the venturi. Have you checked to see if your venturi are functioning properly ? Perhaps they are blocked or damaged in some way ?
Perhaps you could have a sea anchor that deploys when flipped.
My surfski blew away from milnerton beach to saldana in the 70s
sounds like a patent-able idea !
I find that having the wind in the back [the logic being that the ski is pushed away from me] is problematic once I'm in as I am broadsided by waves and so, quite unstable once in the bucket. I always orient the ski perpendicular to the waves, upwind or downwind, regardless [if upwind, then I have to turn around but I'm also more stable when remounting and also see what's coming].
have not tried that yet as conventional wisdom is to have back to wind but it makes sense so will give it a go for sure, thanks !
Good point. It is important safety topic.
Indeed paddle leashes can often comprise remounts, especially if they become tangled so a wrist leash offers a solution to avoid this but isn't a fool proof either as much depends upon paddle placement and remount techniques.
Everyone has a preferred method yet
I generally place paddle across the footstrap to help stabilise craft with same hand grip ready for paddling so to avoiding paddle beside the craft regardless which side I remount from as blade on side of craft often gets caught under legs and back to front.
Thanks Jamie, gonna try your paddle across foot strap idea -- Thanks ! Where do you paddle ?
sorry about auto-correct messing with the spelling of your name
@@ForbesRichard ua-cam.com/video/Jxk126VDtNM/v-deo.html
thanks Paul, have just seen this now ! Yep, I have tried this. I found that I struggled to get a proper grip on the rail and also hold the paddle but must try again as I am assuming that my hands are larger than hers so I should be able to do it. Will definitely try again.
Thank you very much
What's the red and yellow. I'm in the UK now
The NSRI kit/gear is red and yellow (wetsuits, helmets, life jackets, boat colouring)
At 3:18 it looks like you intentionally let the boat go, trusting the leash to hold it. Never trust the leash! They brake too easily.
Nice video about safety!
thanks Frederico. I now use a leash may of a roof rack tie down - very strong. But it is the anchor points that typically give way, so, point taken, thanks !
@@ForbesRichard with me it already happened to the leash itself but can also to the anchor point like you said. Some ppl say leashes are made to brake with strong pressure to not hurt the paddler. The point is we should always try to hold the boat and don't let it go away. The leash is there when we fail to hold the boat, but better not trust it and avoid depending on it.
When you remount, you do not have to hold the paddle with your far hand. Hayley Nixon shows remount with the paddle in the closer hand. It may be even easier.
Thanks for then lead. Personally, I have now moved on to a paddle leash that is connected to my life jacket. It does not get in my way and, more importantly, it does not restrict my options. However, in bigger conditions I still plan to swim my ski around to my favoured orientation
@@ForbesRichard yes, attaching the leash to the vest makes sense.
I always swim to the left side. I have no idea what to do on right :D
I switch back and forth between paddle parallel to boat (Oscar's preferred method), and the perpendicular paddle (that Hayley Nixon teaches). I've found each equally effective, but I think I bias a bit more toward doing Nixon's method.
@@christophersousa109 thanks Christopher. Have not yet tried the Nixon method but will give it a go.
Wonderful video, thanks. Pity about the lousy music (if you can call it that)
Thanks Tony ! Yep, sorry about that music. If you look at some of my recent videos, I hope you will agree that the music has improved as I have now joined the "Thematic" team.
Yikes I couldn't even get on a surfski to go paddle it without the damn thing constantly flipping never mind remounting in open water. You gotta be a balance gymnist to pull a feat like that off!
Mike, I doubt whether I would last 2 seconds on one leg on an I beam !
@@ForbesRichard Its an incredible feat regardless. I tried ski it was more tippy than I could possibly handle. When you're 6'4" there is no such thing as secondary stability so if the primary gets upset unless you're paddling pretty intensely with a blade in the water pulling vigorously I'm going down. Unfortunately have relegated myself to more stable boats and lost the upgrade fever accordingly I think after 20 years of paddling I have plateaued. That's one big difference in the small boat/kayak world. Most other fields like cycling as you go higher end while better rigs don't replace training and a good athlete but they make it EASIER. In paddling as you go higher end the boats become HARDER!
Sorry Mike, I missed this ! There is a bitter/sweet dimension to this "upgrade" business: on the plus, if you are stable, the skis ARE faster (particularly since they enable jumping onto the run ahead) but if you are not fully stable then you can not put the power down !
Anytime yes I noticed this. Someone once said 80 percent is the athlete the last 20 percent is the vehicle but strong and fit as you may be if you're not stable in paddling the higher end stuff will hold you back.@@ForbesRichard