Hokuloa Outrigger Canoe Club

Drowning

Please take the time to read this very important article:

Drowning Doesn't Look Like Drowning

The Instinctive Drowning Response – so named by Francesco A. Pia, Ph.D., is what people do to avoid actual or perceived suffocation in the water. And it does not look like most people expect. There is very little splashing, no waving, and no yelling or calls for help of any kind. To get an idea of just how quiet and undramatic from the surface drowning can be, consider this: It is the number two cause of accidental death in children, age 15 and under (just behind vehicle accidents) – of the approximately 750 children who will drown next year, about 375 of them will do so within 25 yards of a parent or other adult. In ten percent of those drownings, the adult will actually watch them do it, having no idea it is happening (source: CDC). Drowning does not look like drowning.

Read the full article here - Drowning Doesn't Look Like Drowning

Safety Aspects of Change Races

There's an ongoing thread on OCPaddler.com regarding the safety aspects of change races that's worth following in light of the events that occured in this past Moloka'i Crossing.

Power Escort Boat Needed

Ventura’s Hokuloa Outrigger Canoe Club needs an escort boat and will pay a $500 contribution to assist with fuel and other expenses.

More than 1,000 canoe paddlers from around the globe are going to be competing in the 2010 Catalina Channel Crossing US Championships the weekend of September 11 and 12, 2010.

Women and Co-ed canoes will race from Newport to Catalina on Saturday.  Men race Catalina back to Newport on Sunday.  Each canoe carries 6 paddlers and each team has 9 paddlers. The escort boat carries the 3 who are not paddling and drops them in the water in front of the racing canoe where they switch with 3 paddlers from the canoe on the fly. The escort boat with a coach onboard becomes a key part of the team effort and it’s a fun event for all.

Escort boats can be from 18’ to about 40’ and should be able to carry their skipper and 4-5 passengers (including paddlers). Sailboats won’t work, as they are not fast enough to pace and sprint ahead of the canoes.

Race information is at:  http://www.socaloutrigger.org/champs/  see the Catalina Race Packet there. Hokuloa Outrigger is at: http://www.hokuloaoutrigger.com/

Please contact Steve Matthews at 805-760-0906 if you would consider escorting us or know someone who might.

Update: We have found an escort boat for this year's Catalina Crossing.

Escort Boats Needed

We are in need of 3-5 escort/safety boats for our Ventura Channel Challenge race on 6/5. If you know of anyone with an appropriate boat - say 18-35' - that might be interested, please let us know. Hokuloa will pay for gas and lunches.

Australian Outrigger Crew Rescues Two Men

TWO men have been saved by chance in a dramatic rescue after an outrigger canoe crew came upon a seemingly lifeless body floating 3km offshore.

An exhausted man and his mate had been adrift for more than an hour in choppy seas. The two men, in their 40s, had been dumped into the water in Corio Bay off Geelong on Sunday when their ski boat was swamped by a wave. One of them tried to swim to a channel marker before he lost his strength, overcome with exhaustion, hypothermia and suffering from multiple jellyfish stings.

The canoers found him floating about 3km from shore, showing no signs of life. "We saw a bit of yellow floating in the water, so we thought perhaps it was just a lifejacket," Ms Rollins said yesterday.

Read the rest in The Australian

OC1 Cracks Up Off San Diego

From NBC San Diego:

Police said Nathan Talauega, 45, was reported missing after going boating alone in a one-man Outrigger canoe. Talauega told police his canoe was battered by waves, broke apart and began taking on water around 4 p.m. He said it left him no choice but to begin swimming for land in 60-degree water.He swam for nearly 5 hours before the fisherman spotted him swimming outside Oceanside Harbor around 9 p.m., police said. During this time, a search was under way by Oceanside's Harbor Police, lifeguards, and the U.S. Coast Guard.

It's reported that conditions at the time were were only a small 3 to 4 feet wind swell.

Better ask yourself "How long can I tread water?" - then make sure you have the proper safety equipment and a seaworthy boat.

» Full story, photos and video.

» A related Sign On San Diego article.

Swamped Canoes Rescued Off Diamond Head

Nine people were rescued after two outrigger canoes swamped in rough waters off Diamond Head yesterday morning. See the ocpaddler.com thread for a debate about requiring PFDs, non-swimming paddlers, etc.

Honolulu Star Bulletin article

Related discussion thread on OCPaddler.com