How to Perform a Self Rescue, Pedaling

How to Perform a Self Rescue

If you fall out of your boat, don’t panic. Stay with the boat. You should be wearing a life jacket which will keep you afloat. There are many ways to get back up on the boat.

If your kayak turns over with the kayak sail up, it can be very difficult to turn the kayak over by rolling just the kayak. Make sure that the mainsheet is loose so that the sail is free to move around.

If the boat is upside-down, it will need to be turned over. To do this, reach across the bottom of the boat and grab the scup- per hole or Hobie Mirage Drive and pull the boat upright.

Position yourself so your head is near the cockpit area of the boat and you are facing the boat. You will want to be between the seat and the footwell areas of the boat.

Reach across the boat to the far edge with one hand. Place the other hand on the near-side rail, then kick with your feet, pulling yourself up and onto the boat, so your belly is across the center line of the boat. (Your belly should end up between the footwells and the seat.)

Next, roll over onto your backside toward the seat, which should place your backside in the seat. Sit up, swing your feet into the footwells and you’re ready to go.

The key to this method is to keep your center of gravity low and near the centerline of the boat. Your body and head should stay close to the boat.

CAUTION: While righting the Hobie Mirage or climbing back aboard, stay clear of the pedals, pedal shafts, sails and adjustment straps. Avoid being hit by them or getting them hooked on your life jacket.

Pedaling

First adjust the pedals to accommodate your size as shown a few pages back. Adjustments can be made for a variety of leg lengths. Adjust the pedal positions equally. Sit with one pedal all the way forward so your knee stays slightly bent when your leg is fully extended. Then simply pedal back and forth to propel the boat forward. For pedaling in shal- low water, partial strokes with one pedal forward and one aft allow for retraction of the sails in shallow water. When there is adequate water for clearance of the fins, full strokes can be used. For additional speed you can paddle as well as pedal.

Before beaching or launching, push one pedal completely forward to retract the Hobie Mirage Drive fins up against the hull and kick up the rudder by flipping the lever on the right side of the boat to the forward (rudder up) position. To take off from the beach, push out to deeper water or paddle out before putting the rudder down and pedaling the Mirage Drive.

If launching from a rocky or wavy shore and to avoid damage to your Mirage Drive, paddle into deeper water before install- ing it. (Be sure to tether the Mirage Drive to your kayak when it is not installed.) You may also prefer to remove the drive

13 before beaching.