Handbook – Va’a Practice Safety (Tips for new practitioners)

Handbook – Individual equipment that increases safety in the practice of VA’A

If you see a person riding in a car without a seat belt or someone riding a motorcycle without a helmet, will you be impressed by the scene? I think most people have realized that there are risks that are not worth taking.

A person who plays indoor volleyball does not need to worry about whether it will rain or shine, whether one day the court will be smooth and the next rough, whether the net will be low in the morning and high in the afternoon, unlike practitioners of physical activities and/or or sports in nature, such as the Polynesian canoe, which are always subject to environmental interference and, therefore, need to take into account a series of eventualities they may face.

If the new practitioner still does not have his own equipment, he should check if the club or rowing base has these accessories and it is important to note the state of conservation in which they are. It is not enough to have materials available for use, maintenance is important to preserve quality and efficiency.

In this sense, it is not enough to guarantee a good paddling technique or simply to have a canoe, it is necessary to pay attention to the equipment that increases the safety of the practitioner and preserves the integrity of the rowers and the canoe. Let’s then list what practitioners need to know about equipment:

EQUIPMENT FOR PERSONAL USE

• Float vests: number 1 on our list! Every rower must wear a buoyancy vest (wear it and not carry it under the seat) and not just the new paddler, but all people inside a canoe. Going back to the car and motorcycle example, wearing a vest does not show inexperience, just as wearing a seat belt and a helmet does not mean that the driver cannot drive. The buoyancy vest is essential in the practice of VA’A in several situations, for example:

a) in the case of a huli (when the canoe capsizes) so that each rower can perform their function, without worrying about physically straining to keep themselves afloat and also to soften the impact against trunks, branches or stones common in rivers and lakes ;

b) if the canoe is unable to navigate and is far from the beach, shores or places to lean on, the buoyancy vest allows the rower to stay on the surface of the water and does not need to expend so much energy to stay afloat;

c) if the rower slips inside the canoe, he may hit his back against the back seat or the cockpit (this can occur when a big wave hits the bow and the rower does not flex his trunk forward, as he should in this case);

d) when the canoe accesses the water on a slippery surface, such as cement ramps, the rower may slip and fall and, in this case, the trunk will be protected.

But can I wear any floatation vest on Va’a? No! You should know that there are different types of buoyancy vests (or buoyancy aids) and that for each type of practice and environment there is a suitable model. In addition to different classes of vests, there are different brands, materials, models. For the Polynesian canoe, the special class V sports vest must be used, according to the Brazilian Navy’s Normam-05 (Maritime Authority Standards for Approval of Material). At the end of this article, check out some stretchers available in Brazil.

• Leash : or ‘string’ is indispensable for the OC1 and V1 individual canoes, as they can capsize very easily and waves, current and wind (and sometimes all of them at the same time) can push the paddler away from his vessel , therefore, this equipment is used to connect the canoe to the rower. The use of the leash in the canoe also serves the function of protecting those around it, just like in surfing, if the Va’a is carried away by a wave, she can bump into bathers or other people who are nearby.
• Extra rowing: considering that rowing is a fundamental piece of equipment and that without it it is not possible to practice the activity and taking into account that the unforeseen must be ‘calculated’, that is, the risks must be known so that they can be ‘controlled’, for example, it should be foreseen that the paddle may break or it may come loose from the practitioner’s hands and be carried away by the waves or current. Thus, having a second oar attached to the canoe is a practice that increases the safety of the rower.

The three equipments listed in this article are considered indispensable for any practitioner. They are essential items because, in addition to being essential for the practice of Va’a, they also increase the safety of the rower and safeguard the most precious asset: life.

The use of this equipment does not depend on the level of practice or knowledge of the activity and, therefore, no rower should feel embarrassed to use them. On the contrary, the more experienced should be an example for new practitioners and, taking into account that the Polynesian canoe is an activity that is growing very quickly in Brazil, those who have been in this area for a longer time should guide those who are arriving so that , from the beginning, get used to knowing and calculating the eminent risks of this practice so that they can use all the tools available to mitigate or avoid the damage resulting from accidents.

Since this series of tips should help new beginners paddlers in Va’a, it is worth mentioning that there are some very important items for the practice of outdoor activities with prolonged exposure to the sun and therefore, they should be part of a preparation routine. for paddling:

• Hydration: essential in any physical practice, try to have a bottle or bag with water or isotonic at hand. In the sea, salt water and the sun accelerate the body’s loss of liquids and, to avoid dehydration, the practitioner must prevent, ingesting liquids during the practice.
• Skin protection: the urge to paddle is sometimes so much greater than the concern for the body that sometimes it goes unnoticed how important it is to prevent yourself from overexposure of the skin under the sun, avoiding burns, heatstroke and dehydration, that’s why:

a) use body and facial sunscreen to protect yourself from discomfort caused by sunburn and also to avoid further damage caused by prolonged and frequent exposure to the sun;

b) due to the heat promoted by the physical practice of paddling, light clothes and materials suitable for rowing sports, preferably with UV protection, should be preferred by rowers. In addition, pants and long-sleeved blouses can be considered especially in longer strokes and/or during the period when the sun is strongest (in the middle of the day);

• cap, hat and/or visor are also accessories that protect the head and face, areas of great exposure and that can suffer a lot from excess sun;
• Sunglasses prevent the contact of salt water with the eyes (if you are paddling in the sea) that can splash during paddling and its excess can bother and even burn the retina, when it occurs for a long time.

Plan ahead for the activity, so you have time to remember all the important details for your safety and comfort. By creating routines including each of these tips, you will eventually get used to what needs to be prepared until it becomes routine to grab your vest, prepare your hydration, check the extra paddle, apply sunscreen, etc.

Don’t miss the next series of tips, where we’ll cover the essential canoe equipment that increases safety and prevents accidents. Finally, there is even a well-known and very true jargon: overconfidence, lack of security!