Scramble Recovery
The scramble recovery (sometimes referred to as the cowboy recovery because of straddling the kayak as you do a horse) is a great way to help you learn balance and allows you to really get to know your kayak. The concept is simple, climb on your kayak, get in and paddle off. It is one of those techniques to definitely have in you bag of tricks.
I have seen paddlers who have done this recovery in rough water and paddle off with a cockpit half filled with water. They are more of the exception than the rule. I have also seen others who have tried and tried with no success. It is also an equipment specific skill. Very difficult to do with a small cockpit opening or if you have very long legs. However, I think it is worth knowing and practicing because it will help with your other recovery techniques.
As with any technique there are pros and cons. I would not recommend this technique in very rough water with limited energy. The chance of capsize is greater when doing this recovery due to your higher center of gravity. In rough conditions or when fatigued you always want to go to your "bread & butter" techniques. Those are the ones you can do all the time on the first try. If you do find yourself with no recovery equipment then this will be one of the techniques that may work for you but you definitely have to practice this repeatedly in calm water before attempting it in rough conditions.
Get your paddle out of the way by placing it under your bungee cords, deck lines or use a paddle leash. Move to the back hatch and get your body over the back deck with your navel toward the mid-line if the kayak.
Once balanced turn your head toward the bow and throw your leg over the stern (be careful of the rudder) so you have one leg on each side of the kayak
Keeping you legs spread out away from the kayak will provide you with the most balance throughout this entire skill. If you wrap your legs around the kayak you will feel a lot less stable. It is a tendency to wrap your legs the first few times you try this. Remember, spread out to get better balance.
Your goal is to get yourself over you cockpit. Some do it lying down. I find it better and faster to do it sitting up (keeping my legs straight out to the sides)
As you are straddling the kayak lean forward and reach in front of you. Then press your arms down as you bring your backside closer to the cockpit. Be sure to look at the horizon as you move yourself forward. You will find you will have better balance if you look out in the distance. (Another common mistake is looking down at your kayak.)
You need to get your backside past your seat back. When you go past your seat back make sure it is upright and positioned properly. You do not want to sit down on the seat back if it is folded onto your seat.
Here is the crux move of the entire skill. You need to quickly drop your backside into the seat. There is a sudden balance shift that occurs. You are pulling your legs in and your knees up towards your chest so you can drop into the seat. After you are in your seat you will feel a lot more stable because your center of gravity is lower.
When you feel comfortable bring your legs in one at a time. Keep looking at the horizon for balance and you should be fine.
Now that you are in your kayak you need to decide if you will pump out the kayak or just paddle off. Your boat design, amount of water in the cockpit and skill level will make that determination.
If you do choose to pump, keep in mind that you will need to balance while you pump as the water sloshes around in the kayak which can drastically affect your balance.
If you can perform one of the many kayak draining techniques while in the water then you can get into a fairly empty cockpit and not have to worry about pumping or paddling a tippy water laden kayak.
There are other ways of quickly getting into your kayak without help of floats or partners. One is from the side directly into your cockpit. Some have referred to this as a side scramble. It is the same technique that SOT (Sit On Top) boaters use. I call it the BBF (belly button, backside, feet) method. It will appear later as a separate technique.
As with any skill keep practicing until you know it. The scramble recovery is one that needs to be practiced often to keep you balance sharp. If you get it great. If not, keep trying during practice sessions because the balance and movements you are practicing are essential to most recovery techniques.
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