Question:
Apparently the posting "Arctic Kayak Mortality" yesterday Dec.7/96 has expired along with information raising important safety issues from a number of sources. The easiest retrieval I have found is under "kayak". Click on this author and you get about 10 articles. The Dec.7/96 article states that skills such as swimming are an important part of any watersport, but not as reliable as devices such as the PFD. Similarly, kayaking skills are important as long as they are reliable and don't cause injury or break paddles etc.

Thanks to the whitewater folk mentioning the paddle breakage in rolls. This is not acknowledged often in sea kayaking, although frequent enough and with serious consequences. However sea kayaking also has wind, fast changing weather, and navigation to mention a few aspects which make for very different safety considerations from whitewater.

Many modern sea kayaks have too short a pit to allow re-entry of a kayak with sponsons or not, in breaking waves. Rear deck re-entry is too high a centre gravity, for too long, risking re-capsize. Modern kayakers generally have longer legs than hunters a hundred years ago. They can't simply swim with a leg kick out of water, bum into seat, then draw in legs. The obvious way to avoid exposure to breaking waves.

It is great that the internet can provide the public with exposure to the major historical writing about Arctic Kayak Safety. Those harpoon floats were used by the Aleut to repair a tear in the hull, as well as re-entry. The roll was almost non-existent throughout much of the Arctic. We do not see broken paddles among the Aleut who also had both side kayak floats for stability in peril. The Zimmerly book quotes Russian observers almost 200 years ago regarding the Aleut. Modern authors have noted the Aleut safety solutions, which are superior to the roll for a number of reasons

Answer: Q: Many modern sea kayaks have too short a pit to allow re-entry of a kayak with sponsons or not, in breaking waves. Rear deck re-entry is too high a centre gravity, for too long, risking re-capsize. Modern kayakers generally have longer legs than hunters a hundred years ago. They can't simply swim with a leg kick out of water, bum into seat, then draw in legs. The obvious way to avoid exposure to breaking waves.

A: Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that in sub-40-degree water, exiting the boat was/is not an option: that some Eskimos actually sewed the hems of their Tuiliks to the pit coaming on that premise.

Few weeks ago, I watched a video of a Greenlander named Peterson who is said to be highly-ranked in the traditional kayaking competitions up there. I assume that his boat was built along traditional lines. He did not have very long legs, but it still took him some time to wedge himself into the pit and quite a bit longer (maybe five minutes...) to get the his Tuilik properly attached to the pit coaming.

After watching his performance and observing his equipment, I would judge that there's no way he'd survive a wet exit in blue water - with or without supplemental floatation.