A medical emergency while sea kayaking round Knoydart.

My recent posts on FB of an idyllic trip round Knoydart have brought to mind a very different past trip to the area. One that was very painful to experience and even think about until now. The following was an article I wrote after the event, which I would have submitted to Ocean Paddler magazine for publication. Unfortunately the passage of time has meant that Ocean Paddler is no longer published and only now do the four of us on the trip feel like throwing our experience open to wider discussion. So sharing here might help others learn from our experience.

Although we are experienced sea kayakers, most of our paddling group are retired (and two of those that are still working are 75 and 80!) and each of us has medical problems. I had chosen not to go on most the group's outings in the year prior to this trip and two other members did not come on this trip due to health problems. (Indeed, as I write this, I am at home in the sun while others are enjoying a group trip through the Corryvreckan to West Loch Tarbert in Jura, my favourite destination, but I am not fit enough to go!) 

Four of us, Ian, Maurice, Norrie and myself arranged to meet at Mallaig near the entrance to Loch Nevis that bounds the south shore of the remote Knoydart peninsula. When we arrived, on a beautiful summer Wednesday morning, we received a text from Norrie that he had to go and see his GP that morning and we were to carry on without him. We paddled into Outer Loch Nevis where spent Wednesday night camping and paddled right into the Inner Loch and back on the Thursday before returning to the previous night's camp site. 

At 18:50 on Thursday we received a text from Norrie to say he had arrived in Mallaig would paddle round and join us at our camp. Then at 19:38, a second text told us he had been unable to find a parking spot near the launch site so he would sleep overnight in the car outside Mallaig. He planned to cross over the mouth of Loch Nevis to Sandaig Bay on Knoydart the following day (Friday) and meet us about 10:00.  We planned to pass that way from our camp in Loch Nevis up the west coast of Knoydart to the Sandaig Islands, north of the entrance to Loch Hourn. We planned to camp there on Friday night.

Norrie got a parking space in Mallaig at 06:00 on Friday and despite a bad knee, managed a single handed launch down the steep rocky embankment on the south side of Mallaig harbour. It was a calm morning and he launched at 09:15.  We met as arranged at Sandaig Bay at 09:30.  Straight away it was clear that Norrie was very tired. Despite his age, he is usually a fit paddler and has 55 years of sea kayaking experience. He was lagging behind so we matched our pace to his and took an early extended break on a delightful shell sand beach at Airor Island. 

Talking to Norrie, it was apparent he was not his usual energetic self and we decided that we would cut the planned day short by landing and setting up a camp at the first suitable place on Knoydart, rather than cross the mouth of Loch Hourn to the Sandaig Islands. We had arranged to camp with my brother (who was travelling separately)  at the Sandaig Islands but felt it would be unwise for us to attempt that distance with Norrie being out of sorts.

Norrie really appreciated the early stop for the day and we carried his kayak and gear up the beach for him. During Friday evening Norrie felt much better. He told me he had seen his doctor for some “bumps in the chest”. The doctor did an ECG and found nothing but an occasional ectopic heart beat. The doctor had arranged for him to have a 24 hour ECG in a week or two in case there was an underlying episodic cardiac abnormality that his ECG had missed. The doctor also told Norrie to take it easy for a day or two. 

The following day, Saturday, was forecast to be calm in the morning but with fresh to strong winds from the north increasing in the afternoon. We decided to get up at 6am and paddle the short distance north to the Sandaig Islands where we could catch up with my brother. We would be more sheltered  there and could spend a day or two on short day paddles. Norrie finally managed to get up at 8am. He had had a bad night. He felt tired and had had more bumps in his chest. He made a coffee then after we carried his gear down the beach he started loading his boat. He was determined to paddle on. I was concerned and said we could just sit tight and have a rest day on land but Norrie would have none of it. At 09:30 he disappeared along the beach for a toilet break and the other three of us had a chat. I thought we should consider calling the coastguard but we all recognised the psychological importance of this paddle to Norrie. He had shown great determination to come despite a visit to the doctor, not finding a parking place, having to camp out a night in the car and the single handed launch. 

When he returned, some 15 minutes or so later, the effort of going to the toilet showed on Norrie’s face.  He looked ashen and had to sit on a rock because he felt dizzy and so tired. He said he would need a “wee rest” before starting paddling. I asked if I could give him a check over. The first thing I examined was his pulse. It was very fast, at over 160 bpm (tachycardia). The beat of his pulse also varied in rate and volume. I had no doubt this was atrial fibrillation and was no longer a few harmless ectopic beats. Sudden onset atrial fibrillation with tachycardia and symptoms is a medical emergency.  Untreated it can cause a stroke or death. I said to him I thought we should call the coastguard so that he could be evacuated to hospital for urgent medical treatment. 

Norrie was shocked at the idea of calling the coastguard as he did not think there was very much wrong with him that a sit on the rock would not fix. I asked him what he would do if he was at home and felt like this. “I’d call the doctor” he said “but this is different.” I then explained to him about the risk of having a stroke, if his heart rate and rhythm were not controlled. So he said maybe I should just sit tight until it goes away, you guys go on ahead, I will be fine to get back to Mallaig myself.” I told him the only way we were going to split up was if he left in a helicopter.  His reply was “Please do not call the coastguard, after all these years it will be so embarrassing”.

Myself and Ian then went down to the boats where our phones and VHFs were. We left Maurice doing a very good job of comforting Norrie. As I am deaf, I decided that if we were going to contact the coastguard I would do so using my phone and bluetooth hearing aids so I put my standard hearing aids on top of the bow hatch of the boat and made sure my bluetooth hearing aids were connected to the phone. Ian got his VHF ready and we walked back to Maurice and Norrie. Maurice had done a good job and Norrie was beginning to feel a bit better. I checked his pulse but it was still very rapid atrial fibrillation. I now said to Norrie that I thought it was time to phone the coastguard. “Please don’t do that, I will be fine and I don’t want any one to be put to trouble”. I said “Norrie we have been friends for so long that I can talk bluntly. Even If you go in the kayak and do get to Mallaig you will not be fit to drive the car once you get there. If you suffer a stroke out on the water we will all be in trouble. There is nowhere to land and the wind is now picking up. A helicopter rescue at sea will be very difficult.” After a long pause Norrie at last said “You are right I don’t want to put you three at risk, please phone the coastguard”. He seemed to find peace from having finally made the decision but ultimately I would have ultimately phoned the coastguard anyway as Norrie would have risked a stroke or sudden cardiac death if he had exercised his heart in that state and if that happened on the water, it would have put us and rescuers at risk. This knowledge came from my medical experience.

If Ian and Maurice had been there without me, they would have had to phone the coastguard "for advice" and let the coastguard decide whether a helicopter was necessary or not. When the coastguard asked them how Norrie was feeling, they would have been able to say that he had sudden onset of bumping of the heart in his chest, extreme tiredness, feeling sick and dizziness on standing, all made worse by going for a poo. With that history, the CG would have called the helicopter, even without my diagnosis of new and sudden onset of symptomatic AF.

So at 10:07 on the Saturday I phoned Stornoway coastguard. They were were very calm and asked for information, which Ian and I had already prepared. The nature of the emergency, ashore or afloat, details of medical problem, how many in the party, our grid reference, Norrie’s name and date of birth, wind speed and direction, visibility, anywhere a helicopter could land, VHF call sign, mobile phone number check. After a few minutes the operator called back to say Rescue 151 helicopter would come from Inverness (100 km away to the NE) and that the Knoydart First Responder Coastguard Team would be coming overland from Inverie to guide the helicopter in. The operator said he was very pleased we had not gone to sea as an emergency rescue afloat would have been much more difficult. I returned to Norrie and Maurice. Ian scouted the best place to land the helicopter, which was not the shingle beach as it was very steep and soft in places and had a lot of loose flotsam. He thought a firm flat grassy area on a raised beach above us would be more suitable and checked it for loose objects. 

Ian tried to contact the coastguard using two Icom handheld VHFs but the coastguard could not hear his sea level transmissions. So Ian climbed about 150m up a hill behind the beach where he established VHF  contact with the coastguard and helicopter. At 10:52 the helicopter was 5 minutes away but there was still no sign of the land based coastguard to help guide the pilot in. Ian is a former Royal Marine and latterly a communications officer in the Royal Fleet Auxillary, so he knew how to talk the helicopter down over the VHF. The helicopter arrived above us at 10:57, just 50 minutes after we had first called the coastguard.

Two paramedics arrived from the helicopter and assessed Norrie. They then explained if they had to get the stretcher out it would add 30 minutes to the evacuation and they already had another emergency call. They asked if would it be possible to support/carry Norrie to the helicopter. Norrie was done by this stage and he also has a bad knee and found walking over the steep shingle beach very difficult. As if by a miracle, local farmer, Callum Wilson arrived on a quad bike from over the hill. He transported Norrie to the helicopter. It took off at 11:10, after just 8 minutes on the ground. It is just as well we had secured the gear to the sea kayaks as the downdraught from the helicopter would have blown anything loose away, especially our sails! Sadly, I had forgotten about my non bluetooth hearing aids, which were blown completely off my deck where I had left them. There was not a chance of finding them. 

Just as the helicopter left, the local Coastguards, Paul and Tom, arrived from Inverie after a very arduous 10km 4x4 journey on a rough track through the mountains of the Rough Bounds of Knoydart, with the last kilometre on foot. They checked we were all right and safe to make our journey back to Mallaig. They wondered how we would get Norrie’s boat back to Mallaig and I told them we would tow it.

After Paul and Tom left, the wind was now blowing from the north at the top of F4 with white horses to the horizon. We set off in a still increasing wind at 12:36 on Saturday. I was towing Norrie's kayak as I was the only one with a deck mounted tow. The others made sure  the skeg on Norrie's boat was down to make it easier to tow in the wind. The first 7km were SW to to the western most point of Knoydart and I paddle sailed with an 0.8sqm sail. I averaged 6.2km/hr. The sail was on a broad reach and it provided plenty drive while being relatively easy to control. The towed boat was weaving back and forth making holding a course somewhat challenging. 

Before we reached the point, the wind was averaging F5 gusting F6 and the others dropped their sails. I kept mine up until after rounding the point.  We now beared away off the wind onto a run heading for Mallaig some 6.5km away across the mouth of Loch Nevis. I soon had to drop the sail because it was not so easy to control on the run due to increased pressure in the sail when my boat was slowed by the towline stretching taught. It was now in the 3rd hour of the tide and increasing wind over tide in the Sound of Sleat made for short steep seas. Norrie’s boat was now veering back and forth even more and it was tough when a wave caught my boat and the towline pulled taught. 

By 14:10 we had managed 1.5 km across the mouth of  Loch Nevis but despite the strong following wind, my speed had dropped to 4km/hr. The wind was now averaging F5-F6 and to cap it all Norrie’s boat rammed me twice in the chest. It was time to abandon the crossing to Mallaig and to seek shelter. We turned to port to get into the lee of Knoydart. We landed on a small beach at 15:00. We discovered Norrie’s boat’s skeg was up, It must have been pushed up paddling through a kelp bed shortly after launching. My stern hatch also had 50 "sponge fulls" of water in it which certainly did not help the handling. We were all so tired by the physical and emotional challenges of the day that as soon as we got the tents up, we went for a sleep for a couple of hours. 

The following day, Sunday, we still had another windy crossing from Knoydart to Mallaig but then we were safe home. Ian and Maurice celebrated with double bacon rolls with egg and flat sausage on the side. Having haemochromatosis, I settled for sour dough toast with peanut butter, banana and sesame seeds on top!

There are a lot of things to think about. Emergency situations are often the result of multiple small events that lead up to the critical point of the emergency.  Action at any of those points could avert an emergency or prevent a worse situation. In our case, age and health were major factors. In a younger group, it might be various levels of experience. Peer pressure is also a great driver to press on regardless but in our group of mostly oldies, there is no peer pressure. Embarrassment was certainly a factor in Norrie’s initial reluctance to accept external help. I am a retired doctor so I was able to make a medical diagnosis about the cause of Norrie feeling out of sorts. This undoubtedly helped decision making but despite Ian and Maurice not being doctors and they could clearly see something was up. So if you suspect a medical problem, don't listen to "I'll be fine” seek professional help before it is too late. Whatever, it is best to seek help earlier rather than later. 

With profound thanks to all the professional and local people who so expertly helped us.

Post script.
As the helicopter left Maurice said “I now see why you asked for everyone’s shore contact number.” Norrie was admitted to Raigmore Hospital Inverness and given a drug through an IV infusion for several hours. This restored normal heart rhythm and rate. He has since been given standard long term drugs for atrial fibrillation to control his heart and prevent a stroke. He has taken a long time to get over this but is very glad to be alive.

Post script 2 from Ian
As I suspect we all have, I've reflected a lot on the events.

I don't believe I'd change any of the decisions we collectively made. 

Key for me was having Norrie fully engaged in the decision process, the decision being made with and not done to Norrie. All if us would have been extremely reluctant for a helo medevac had it been us, but it was absolutely the right solution.

My thinking re suggesting the grassy embayment as the landing site for Rescue 151:

The shingle spit was level and spacious with a clear approach route but had two disadvantages. It had a lot of loose material (dried weed, plastic, driftwood) and was also soft (the quad had left big wheel ruts). The loose material was a "FOD" (Foreign Object Damage) hazard and the AW189 aircraft has limited ground clearance on the undercarriage.

The grassy embayment was more confined but had level ground which could be FOD cleared to a decent level. I looked at a potential approach route too; a helo will usually prefer an into-wind approach and landing, even better if it can be a "red wind" i.e. from the aircraft's port side. That's why I positioned myself well upwind of the suggested landing site and could pass my suggestion to the aircrew before they were overhead.

The aircraft will also appreciate an estimate of the surface wind direction and speed.  CG aircraft monitor VHF #16 when on SAR operations. The preferred working channel is #0. VHF handhelds don't usually have this channel so the secondary working channel is #67

Post script 3. Ian has asked me to say that he does not identify as an oldie… he only paddles with oldies!!! 

Why sea kayakers should consider carrying a PLB, unless they are full sibling to an ostrich.

Our journey from Carsaig Bay to Oronsay and Colonsay back in May 2017 continued after a long luncheon break on the sands of Oronsay. The break in blogging has been somewhat longer than that as I have been feeling a bit under par recently. At this, point I should say a very big thank you to Duncan for so generously lending me Sith for this trip. It is just a pity that neither Duncan nor Joan could make this paddling adventure as they had recently returned to Vancouver Island.

We set off anticlockwise round Oronsay with...

...the distant Paps of Jura and the northern entrance of the Sound of Islay on our port side.

We entered a maze of rocky channels at the SW tip of Oronsay We were making slow progress against the incoming tide when a "whoppa whoppa whoppa" from behind announced the arrival of...

...G-MCGG, the coastguard search and rescue (SAR) helicopter from Prestwick, some 120km away to the SE. We heard from Belfast Coastguard VHF transmissions that she was on her way to assist a party of sea kayakers in trouble off the Ross of Mull, some 30km to the north. She tipped over slightly as she passed and we could see the crew looking down at us but presumably we did not look like we were in distress and were too far from their search zone.

This was a Sikorsky S92 helicopter but two months later it was replaced at Prestwick by a Leonardo (formerly AgustaWestland) AW189.  Bristows have operated these SAR helicopters from Prestwick on behalf of the Marine and Coastguard Agency since the previous Royal Navy Sea King SAR  helicopters were retired on 1/1/2016.

Just a few days previous to our sighting, a MCA helicopter from Prestwick had rescued a surfer from the middle of the North Channel between Scotland and Ireland. The surfer had been adrift after setting off surfing from Westport beach on Kintyre. The tide and an offshore wind carried him off without any means of attracting attention.  The search lasted for 32 hours and involved several MCA helicopters from Prestwick, 3 RNLI Lifeboats and 5 shore based coastguard teams. It is quite remarkable that he was discovered. He was found 26km from Kintyre and 21km from Ireland in a search area of nearly 500 square kilometers. 

After the rescue, one of the crew, Andy Pilliner, said: “Looking out at endless water, you just see something that’s slightly different in the water, from where we looked, it looked perhaps like a buoy, but it warranted further investigation so we dropped in height a bit and came in and it was that moment, oh it is actually a surfboard and there’s someone on it waving. It's just a great feeling, it’s just what you’re hoping for."

The rescued surfer said "I cannot thank those enough who rescued and cared for me, they are all heroes."

This remarkable rescue is a very good reason for water users, such as sea kayakers, to carry personal locator beacons (PLBs). By setting one off, if you are ever in a life threatening situation, you can help the rescuers find you quickly. This not only saves the rescue services considerable effort but it also reduces the time their personnel are exposed to danger. I have been carrying a PLB while windsurfing and sea kayaking for the last 12 years. My first PLB cost nearly £600 but the Ocean Signal rescueMe PLB1, which I now carry, is currently only £200. Given the overall cost of sea kayaking gear and transport this is a minor expense. (I burned £40 of fuel getting to our launch point for this trip and I live closest!) So I can't think of any good reason why a responsible sea kayaker would not nowadays consider carrying a PLB unless, perhaps, they are full sibling to an ostrich.

Fortunately we were in no difficulty and C-MCGG flew on and successfully assisted the kayakers in trouble while we landed on Oronsay. As we made our way up the beach at the head of the long inlet of Port na Luinge (long port!), we were following in the footsteps of our ancestors and our own pilgrimage to the Isles had nearly come to an end.

You can read Ian's account here.

A rescue and two ice cream heads at Auchmithie.

On the May Bank Holiday Saturday, Maurice, Mike, Phil and I drove from Ayrshire and Glasgow to the old fishing village of Auchmithie on the Angus coast NE of Arbroath. We met Duncan and Joan who had driven over from Fife and Ian who had driven south from Aberdeenshire.

 We had paddled here quite recently and enjoyed it so much we were back for more. Until the mid 19th century Auchmithie was a thriving fishing port but the fleet moved to Arbroath when its harbour was improved. Auchmithie was the home of what is now known as the Arbroath smokie, a type of smoked haddock.

Just south of the village we came to Lud Castle a sandstone tower whose rocky ledges are the nest sites of countless sea birds, guillemots, black guillemots, razorbills, fulmars, kittiwakes, gulls and cormorants.

 This pair of guillemots caught our eye.

This one has the rarer white spectacle variant though they are all the same species and interbreed at random. They should not be confused with the spectacled guillemot which is a different species and found in the NW Pacific.

 A pair of puffins flew out of this cave

This cave had a "sky light" that let in a narrow shaft of light...

....that illuminated a patch of emerald green water in the depths of the cave..

It also had a second door that exited on the far side of the headland.

Kittiewakes added to the auditory and nasal experiences with their onomatopoeic calls and their guano.

This cave did not look very promising but...

...it extends 150m deep inside the cliff...

...where it opens into a gloup called Gaylet Pot where the roof has collapsed.

We managed to land this time, last time some big swell almost wiped us out!

The pebbles on the gloup's shore were very smooth and colourful.

It was time for first luncheon at Cove Haven below...

...these ancient red sandstone cliffs.

These sedimentary rocks were formed when Scotland was an equatorial country. The coarse layers with large water worn pebbles were formed in periods of high rainfall when huge rivers carried their deposits and dumped them in a shallow sea.

Photo courtesy of Joan Barwise.

We enjoyed our first luncheon at the head of the bay. Ian had brought some truly excellent  traditional Speyside malt.

We had this great view of the Angus coast as we chatted over our extended first luncheon. We waited for the tide to go out then come back in again so that no carrying of kayaks was necessary.

Just south of Cove Haven we came to this former sea stack called the Deil's Heid. It is now above sea level but this and many caves and arches that are now dry are evidence that once the sea was higher.

Photo courtesy of Ian Johnston.

Then it was back to more stunning caves. Just south of the Deil's Heid we entered a truly remarkable cave with an extremely narrow exit.

It was reminiscent of the caves that riddle Dun in the St Kilda archipelago.

In the many narrow channels, Phil found a great way to stop the barnacles getting to his new VE carbon paddles.

Next up was Dickmont's Den, a huge geo formed by a collapsed cave system. There is a way round the back that leads to another entrance. Phil and Maurice were so taken with it they went round twice and so now we call it Phil's Pott!

Another tight through route can be found at Seamen's Grave geo.

The Needle's E'e is an arch which is now high and dry.

After one last cave we emerged to find the wind had got up to F4. The inshore forecast for the afternoon was F4-6 southerly.

We stopped in the shelter of a tidal channel at Arbroath for second luncheon. A tour boat had the same idea.

We enjoyed ice cream in Arbroath but...

...we heard on the VHF channel 16 that a yacht was in distress a mile off shore. I got an ice cream head trying to finish my ice cream too quickly.

The yacht in difficulties had dropped its sails due to the increasing wind and started its engine. Its propeller got tangled in a long piece of rope attached to a buoy. The yacht was stuck fast. Ian did a superb job communicating with Aberdeen coastguard and the yacht. Ian and I paddled out to see if we could cut her free so she could sail. After a real high energy paddle into the F4 wind and with a 1.5knot cross tide  We almost reached the yacht but the RNLI Arbroath allweather and inshore lifeboats just beat us to it. They thanked us and wished us a safe passage to Auchmithie.

Clouds had gathered and the sea was now very lumpy with the ebb tide against the wind but Ian and I had a most enjoyable paddle back to the others who were making their way up the coast. At each headland there was a small tiderace where we experienced bumpy seas. Off the headland at Lud Castle it was particularly rough. It was a surreal situation as we paddled through rafts of guillemots and razorbills that were quite unconcerned by either our passage or the rough conditions.

Only 3 out of the 7 of us had sails so to avoid splitting the party we did not use them until near the end when we were in the relative shelter of Lud Castle.

Once the sails were up, Phil and I caught some decent waves and got the speed up to 20.9km/hr. To finish off a really great day. Ian, Mike and myself did some rescue and rolling practice. I did 10 rolls on each side and ended up with my second ice cream head of the day (the water was only 8C). So that's my rolling practice done for another year.

We might only have done 15km but everything about this day was superlative, not least the exceptionally fine company!

For the full 3D trivision blogging experience you can read Duncan's account here:

Perfect Auchmithie: Paddling back...inside the planet.
Ice cream on deck...and a rescue operation on the North Sea.

and Ian's account here:

An Angus congregation.
Sea kayaking under the farmland of Angus.
Luncheon in a lost world.
Narrow places - exploring the geos of the Angus coast.

Sea kayak with Gordon Brown Vol 3 review.

I was delighted when a preview copy of this long awaited addition to the award winning Sea Kayak with Gordon Brown series dropped through the letterbox. This volume deals with: Handling emergency situations, Sea kayak navigation, First aid kits and Rolling clinic. In a break from the format of the first two volumes, this DVD does not include a journey component. In those volumes the journey illustrated techniques from the instructional part of the video being put into practice. The key chapter in Volume 3 is "handling emergency situations" and it would not be ethical to set up a real rescue involving the emergency services on such a journey.

Instead, Gordon Brown has involved the rescue services in exercises involving two sea kayaking emergency scenarios set in the remote Hebridean Islands of Scotland.

Film maker and sea kayaker Simon Willis has expertly directed and filmed these scenarios from just about every angle and perspective possible and the results are eye opening.

Handling emergency situations running time 46 minutes.
What is truly unique about this film is that each of the key rescue personnel. that describe the rescue scenarios from their own point of view (Coastguard helicopter pilot, Coastguard radio officer and RNLI lifeboat coxswain), is a sea kayaker!

Alun, Coastguard helicopter pilot and sea kayaker.

Anne, Coastguard radio operator and sea kayaker.

Murty, RNLI lifeboat coxswain and sea kayaker.

This film discusses best ways of alerting attention of the emergency services and concentrates on voice communication by VHF and electronic communication via satellite Personal Location Beacon with GPS. The limited range of hand held electronic VHF DSC and traditional rocket flares are discussed and I challenge anyone not to think very carefully before renewing an expired rocket flare...

... after seeing Gordon nearly lose both hands after firing one.

The emergencies were not set up with someone conveniently falling out of a kayak beside a lifeboat. The full time frame of real rescues were involved as the situations took place in remote areas and one was near nightfall.

The helicopter pilot and lifeboat coxswain each described the difficulty of spotting sea kayaks even at the close range provided by PLB GPS coordinates...

...and the film compares different devices for attracting attention at this close range.

The kayakers were all wearing dry suits with thermal insulation underneath but all became bitterly cold when they stopped paddling and were waiting for rescue in rafts. As a retired doctor, I was delighted to see how rescuers kept a kayaker, rescued from immersion in the sea, in a horizontal position to avoid post rescue collapse.

(Not doing this led to the deaths of many of those "rescued" by helicopters after a Baltic ferry sank.)

The post rescue debriefing involving Murty Campbell, the lifeboat coxswain and Gordon Brown was very interesting. Murty is also an experienced kayaker and volunteer coach who pioneered open crossings to remote, rocky outcrops which lie off the Outer Hebrides, far into the Atlantic. Murty thought that many kayakers got in trouble because they are in a rush to get into challenging conditions rather than gradually building up their experience of the weather and sea, preferably in a supportive club environment. Not everyone has access to a club like his excellent local Stornoway Canoe Club but, even for those who paddle in small independent groups, it is a point well made. Murty and Gordon both learned from these realistic rescue exercises. Murty was going to add SOLAS reflective tape to his kayak and paddles and Gordon was not going to fire a rocket flare unless carefully rafted up. He was also going to make sure he had even more accessible extra clothing as his hands got so cold he could hardly fire a pinpoint flare.

At the end, Gordon joked with Murty "It wouldn't be very good if you were rescued by your own lifeboat!" He then concluded by telling viewers "I hope the worst doesn't happen but if it does, you will be better prepared to help yourself." If the DVD just consisted of this film I would say that it would be a best buy but there is more and it is also excellent!

Sea kayak navigation running time 48 minutes.
This film is co presented by Gordon Brown and...

...Franco Ferrero, experienced coach and author of the definitive Pesda book "Sea kayak navigation". For example,...

...Franco uses excellent diagrams to explain tides and...

...Gordon follows up by teaching students how to allow for tides (and winds) on short crossings, both by empiric calculation then by using transits.

Then Franco explains how to use a chart and vectors to shape a course allowing for a tide, which is across your direction of travel and there is no transit. The film stops short of shaping courses on longer crossings where the tide will change during the crossing. Franco illustrates how useful smart phone marine apps can be for calculating tidal times and flows but warns of the need for paper back up due to battery failure. I was surprised that more mention was not made of GPS. This is now mature technology and its use is an important addition to our navigational skills. Maintaining a GPS bearing to an intended waypoint is one of the best ways of allowing for variable tidal streams and just about the only way of allowing for crosswinds, if no transit is available. However, Franco does refer the viewer to the book for more advanced navigational techniques.

As a footnote to the navigation film, I need to mention the filming of Franco's wonderful boat control...

...as he manoeuvres tightly round the rocks in the beautiful north Wales coastline in his Quest LV, which most see as a directional touring kayak.

First Aid kits, running time 20 minutes.

The First Aid kits film is co-presented by Rowland Woollven who is both an experienced coach and a respected member of the Wilderness Emergency Medical Services Institute. He has also experience of handling a real life threatening medical emergency on expedition. In the film, Roland demonstrates the contents of various first aid kits suitable for on the water day use to full wilderness expedition use. I was delighted to see mention of dry iodine antiseptic spray, electrical and duct tapes, three of my personal favourites. He illustrates a number of procedures but both he and Gordon emphasise the film is not a first aid course. However, it is a great advert for going on one, preferably a course delivered in a sea kayaking environment. The film opens with the end of one of Gordon's sea kayaking courses when Roland springs a surprise on the tired students. He feigns unconsciousness and falls out of his kayak. It is the students' task to get him to safety and keep his vital signs stable and his body warm until professional help arrives. The film is a graphic example of what can happen when a medical emergency occurs in an untutored and unsuspecting group. The group went into "headless chicken" mode, with no one taking command and lots of conflicting ideas being put forward.

Once they got Rowland ashore, one person supported his neck as if he had a spinal injury (though there did not seem to be any history of trauma). Despite his "unconscious" state, no one put him in the recovery position in case he vomited and choked. Eventually, with prompting from Gordon, order prevailed and Rowland was safe and warm inside a group shelter awaiting the arrival of the emergency services. I am sure that all the participants in this scenario will have signed up to a first aid course and I am sure that it will trigger the same reaction in many viewers of the film. As sea kayakers, an unexpected medical problem in a remote place can be very frightening and even life threatening but I can almost guarantee that a possible medical emergency will be very low down the list of "what ifs" in most people's trip planning. As a retired doctor, I applaud this film and those who participated in it for showing the chaos of a sudden medical emergency in an unsuspecting group. It is much more effective in demonstrating the need for first aid training than showing a sanitised, well rehearsed, idealised incident.

Rolling clinic, running time 36 minutes.

This film is different from most rolling films, which demonstrate a variety of perfect rolls. Gordon sets the scene by saying "For me rolling is about being upright and breathing air. How we get there isn't that important." This film is not about developing extensive Greenland rolling skills but is directed at giving the touring sea kayaker a reliable first roll to encourage them to tackle more challenging conditions. The film bravely starts with 6 people who cannot roll and who have had either no previous rolling practice or, at most, one session. At the end of the session two out of the six can roll. The film demonstrates both forward and rear finishing rolls then analyses common mistakes, which students make in each. This is followed by very clear demonstrations of how to correct these mistakes. The film is designed to be an adjunct to your own practice sessions. You are advised to do these with helpers who observe and assist directly and also film, so that they and you can spot any mistakes hindering your progress. Aided by the DVD's clear menu system, you can then easily refer back to the appropriate section of the film's "fixes" chapter.

The session starts with land exercises designed to get students used to the feel of getting their lower bodies to twist the kayak upright rather than to use the paddle as a lever.

 In the water the demonstrations are very clearly filmed from a variety of different angles. The coaches observe the students initial attempts and advise them to develop either forward or rear finishing rolls to suit. I was pleased to see that in the initial stages, students were encouraged to come up on the same side as they went over on. I am sure that the full forward tuck and roll in (on the opposite side to which you come up) disorientates many learners. One of the things that might have been mentioned in the back finishing roll, is to sweep the paddle forward in a low brace position to give stability while raising the body off the back deck at the finish (as in the standard Greenland roll).

One of the coaches, Callum, actually demonstrates this several times in the film but it is not specifically mentioned.

Special mention has to go to the very clear menu system, which divides the rolling film into many parts. This makes it is very easy find and jump backwards and forwards to review and replay sections without having to pause, rewind and forward. This is the best implementation of navigation through a kayak rolling DVD I have seen.

Preview.
You can watch a preview of the DVD here:

Volume 3, Sea Kayak with Gordon Brown v2 from Simon Willis on Vimeo.

Publication Date.
The Premier of the DVD will be at Paddle 2013, the Scottish Canoe Association annual show in Perth on 26th October. The DVD will then be available for purchase from selected dealers and directly from:
seakayakwithgordonbrown.com

Conclusion.
I am a friend of both Gordon and Simon and took part in the journey section of Sea kayak with Gordon Brown volume 2. I have therefore tried very hard to be critical and dispassionate but you will need to bear this in mind.

This third volume is a superb addition to the previous two volumes of Sea kayak with Gordon Brown and like them, it deserves to win more awards. I think the Handling emergency situations film is unique. I am not surprised that this film has come out of the UK. Recreational sea kayaking started round the fabulous coastline of the UK in the middle of the 19th century and so perhaps it is unsurprising that the UK now has so many coaches of Gordon Brown's calibre. However, there can be few places on Earth where a coach has such close working relationships with rescue helicopter pilot, coastguard radio officer and lifeboat coxswain, not to mention film maker. The fact that they are all sea kayakers is extraordinary and adds a unique synergy and chemistry to this outstanding and thought provoking film. The other three films on the DVD are each outstanding and original in their own right and the combination of all four make this DVD a must have for sea kayakers of all abilities. Lastly the frequent smiles and the Hebridean scenery make sure that this is not a dry technique DVD. This is sea kayaking fun (with Gordon Brown)!