: John --

: If you try the sling -- you want to put your 'outside' foot in it, keep your
: body low and reach across the boat and grab the FAR SIDE gunnel with your
: hand and then pull/lift yourself in. If you put all your weight on the
: near side of the boat, you will capsize. If you are holding the far side,
: the boat may tip, but should right itself as you flop back in like a fish.
: The goal is to use the sling to lift yourself enough so you can get
: yourself back over the side without needing to flood it to lower it. You
: may need to experiment with the length of the sling.

: And -- although I know you're set on re-entering from the side of the boat --
: the fact that you can push the stern underwater while flooding it suggests
: that crawling back in from the stern (or bow) may be a viable option.

: Julie Kanarr

Julie, I don't know if you ment for your sling to be used this way,,, you may have a great idea. If the sling was attached to the opposite side of your entry into the cockpit and was somehow pulled under the hull to your entry side, as you put your foot into the sling it would want to roll the yak away from you, countering your weight from your entry side that is wanting to roll the yak towards you. That may be a delicate balancing act but I'll bet it could work even with the narrowest of Yaks. That could be another safty rescur feature that might be added to a yak along with the paddle float. If it did work, only the rope sling details would have to be worked out.

John