Canoe-over-canoe rescue; How to do it right

Canoe-over-canoe rescue; How to do it right - Andrew Westwood

Rating: ****

This article explains what to do when another canoe in your group flips, recovering the canoe into an upright position and getting the paddlers back into their boat.

The article breaks down the process into 5 steps, which are shown through pictures. First, you must get the canoe perpendicular to the flipped canoe, while checking if the paddlers in the water are okay. You then have the two paddlers hang of the stern and bow of the rescue boat and bring the flipped boat over the gunnels of the rescue boat. Flip the boat back upright, slide the boat back into the water placing it parallel to the rescue. Holding on tight to the gunnels, have the paddlers get back into the middle of the boat.

This article was very well written and the use of pictures made it much clearer as well. Now knowing how to recover a boat after it has flipped will make future boat flips much less stressful as I'll know what to do, and should prove useful on canoe trips or even while kayaking. 

Westwood, Andrew. "Canoe-over-canoe rescue; How to do it right." Ottawa Outdoors - Summer 2012: p. 31.