It is unbelievable what a difference this makes for a sea kayaker , certainly when rafted up . Since the casualty needs extraction , the captain lets me know that the RIO will launch a small lifeboat . This happens in a few minutes . The small lifeboat is winched alongside the mothership and is manned by the ship ’ s helmsman ( a volunteer lifesaver with the KNRM rescue services ) and a sailor . Once within reach , I immediately stated that Sylvie was the casualty and needed to be extracted first . Just for the exercise , we wanted to see what was possible . Both Sylvie and her sea kayak were extracted out of the water . I waited upon their return , and within less than 15 minutes , I also stood on the RIO myself … my sea kayak included .
Top tip : don ’ t be afraid to ask ! There are absolutely no stupid questions since you don ’ t know the capabilities and restrictions of such a vessel . The same counts for inter-ship comms ; be precise ! State your intentions and say clearly what your emergency is . Even if they cannot extract you , those big ships can provide shelter upon the arrival of rescue services , pinpointing your location even more .
A few weeks later , we had the pleasure of conducting a second rescue training with the RIO crew ! We were about 5kms offshore this time , but the weather was sunny , and there were no wind or waves . Before starting , we discussed our options as we didn ’ t want to conduct the same scenario as before . Captain Ruben agreed upon a ‘ solokayaker / loss of sea kayak-scenario ’ in open water . The RIO and Sylvie moved away from my position with my sea kayak – it doesn ’ t get more realistic than this . I called in the RIO , stating that I was alone and had just lost my sea kayak after a capsize . I stated that I was ambulatory and not hypothermic .
I needed to stay put ; the hopper dredger RIO was making its final approach at the lowest speed possible . They approached me sideways , so the crew kept an excellent overview of my position . This is possible due to the rotatable propellors and the bow thruster . We agreed that I wouldn ’ t swim towards them until they had thrown the lifebuoy . Since I was uninjured and not hypothermic , we agreed upon extraction via rope ladder along the ship ’ s freeboard .
Top tip : keep calm ! This might sound logical , but I cannot describe the feeling of being in the water with a big ship manoeuvring around me . The crew will keep visual contact . Important : props are turned down when close , and you cannot be sucked underneath the ship as the hull goes vertical underneath the surface for some meters . As always : a PFD is mandatory !
The RIO crew threw a lifebuoy towards me to close the gap for the last metres . After I grabbed it , the crew pulled me towards the rope ladder . I boarded the ship on my own and greeted the willingly , enthusiast crew once again !
After sharing a few tips and some small talk , it was time to leave again . We jumped right off the ship in both exercises ourselves , NORTHSEAKAYAK style ! As said in the previous chapter , we keep things as fun as possible but always in a safe way .
We love to share our experiences with as many other paddlers as possible . The more knowledge is passed on , the safer we will be on the water .
We have reached the end of this RESCUE TRAINING series . Over the years , we had other kayakers asking how we managed to do all this interesting stuff . Well , we reached out to the Coast Guard , the Coastal Rescue Services , the rescue helicopter crew , and the dredger RIO crew ourselves . We showed interest in their activities , procedures , and work in general . We also wanted that those services got to know us better and develop a better understanding of how our procedures work when we are involved in an incident . Most of the people we spoke to were pleasantly surprised when they heard that rescue training has a part to play in our sport . We conduct rescue training almost every time we go on the water , primarily self-rescues , assisted rescues and sometimes whole scenarios .