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< Nov/Dec 2001
	Skills
It’s a Sling Thing! Using rescue slings to re-enter canoes and sea kayaks Mark Molina

Overcome by fatigue, cold water or too many McNuggets, all of us have flailed at one time or another getting back into our paddlecraft after a capsize. A rescue sling can make re-entry much quicker, and in some cases, just plain possible. It’s an essential tool for teachers and guides.

A rescue sling is a handy and inexpensive device that allows easy re-entry into a quietwater canoe or sea kayak. At a minimum it consists of a loop of rope 10 to 14 feet long. The best sling I’ve made includes sturdy (1/2-3/4"), brightly colored, floating rope and a 6-inch section of white PVC pipe. The pipe is threaded on the rope to create a stirrup.

Slings are easy to use. First, execute a boat-over-boat rescue and bring the craft parallel to your boat. In a canoe, attach one end of the rope loop around a thwart near midships using a girth hitch. I usually keep my sling attached to my kneeling thwart or seat runner when teaching. In a kayak, the sling is girth hitched around the center of a paddle shaft. Then the rescuer submerges the paddle between the boats, and rotates it 90 degrees so that the paddle shaft is perpendicular to and under the hulls of both kayaks.

Next, toss the rope across the swimmer’s boat at the widest point so that the end of the rope loop hangs down the opposite side of the boat, creating a stirrup. By pulling on the sling and stepping into the stirrup the swimmer quickly and almost effortlessly rises out of the water and into his or her boat.

Not all canoes and kayaks have the same beam. Not all legs are the same length. If the sling seems to be too long, simply wrap it around the thwart or seat runner of the canoe for the person being rescued. In a kayak, twist and/or wrap the sling around the paddle shaft to take up slack.

A rescue sling may come in handy for the lone kayaker, too. When it is run underneath the bottom and combined with a paddle float, a rescue sling can give a tired solo paddler a helpful boost to re-enter a wave-tossed cockpit.