Become The Strength

DEFINE THE PROBLEM

Become the Strength.

Do not be lazy or weak. The sea is full of driftwood.

In the moment of it will be important to have your behaviors accountable to the mission, if you can't do this weakness will not give you an option. Failure is imminent.

That's not what we are about at K38. That's certainly not who you are.

-Shawn Alladio

K38 Founder

Content Creator - Shawn Alladio cares most about her community and the culture surrounding the safety of event service providers and Rescue Water Craft operators, working hard and dedicated towards protecting their reputation, distributing safety information and continuing to train these amazing individuals to the highest standards of care.

Become the Solution

DEFINE THE PROBLEM

Inventory is critical.

Check your bag.

Inspect what issues arose, address them with strength, don't let pride hold you hostage!
Who has TIME for that!
Not you!

You are a winner and you have things to do. It's called success.

Now let's get out that checklist so we can get you stronger tomorrow and up and running!

Content Creator - Shawn Alladio cares most about her community and the culture surrounding the safety of event service providers and Rescue Water Craft operators, working hard and dedicated towards protecting their reputation, distributing safety information and continuing to train these amazing individuals to the highest standards of care.

RESCUE WATER CRAFT BATTERY ISSUES

MELTDOWN

RESCUE WATER CRAFT BATTERY ISSUES

Rescue Water Craft batteries require your constant attention. Battery inspection needs to be a daily feature in your pre and post operations inspection.

It is only avoidable if there is knowledge. So now in the aftermath of discovery it is avoidable if the knowledge is retained. Before this it is just 'learning'.

That's a dead short you are looking at in the images above. It is the result of way too much current flow. How do you know that? The posts are molten where your cables would have been connected. That is one way to explode a battery, and could become a very dangerous situation quickly.

The Rescue Water Craft fuses should have helped to prevent an explosion. It would be important in these instances to inspect your fuses ASAP.

First off you need to refer to the make, model and year of production of your Rescue Water Craft and adhere to the manufacturer’s recommendations.

Questions
Is there too much slack in the lead wires or the battery strap harness inside the RWC while operating with this battery?

Is it missing the traction pad below it rests on? Is it the right type of battery?

Did this happen inside the Rescue Water Craft or was the battery brand new and being charged for use?

Jet Pump

Yuasa Battery

LOOSEY GOOSEY

Loose battery connections on the lead cables create resistance and turn into ‘heat’. If the cable was not tightened enough it could create resistance for the battery when it tries to bridge the gap and arcs with a high heat. There should be no white powder on the terminals and they should not move when touched and tugged to see if the posts swivel or move.

Tight terminals are a must, as are using an inspection daily check list post and pre-ops. Be consistent, its a bad deal when problems come your way when you are out on the water. It's better to catch them while the RWC is on the trailer. Don't splash your RWC until you are 100% seaworthy.

HINT: do not use a screwdriver, use a ratchet with a properly sized socket to adjust the Pos/Neg cables!

With a loose connection the wires which are small and the load is high, what does that mean? If a battery is loose inside a Rescue Water Craft, such as the straps are connected improperly or using the wrong strap sizes or one broke free or the battery size is wrong and does not fit into the stock tray, problems are imminent.

Take a close look at the battery tray location. Does your battery shape fit fully in the tray? If not, consider heading back to a stock battery, saving money is not gonna happen in this situation.

If the battery is the right size the straps may be problematic. Friction and movement of the battery can be an issue causing the wire connections to crack or fracture and this is the kind of a situation that can cause sparks. If the battery is bouncing around those sparks are like the same heat as an arc welder. A bad situation is at hand and fully preventable.

Or you could have a short inside the battery. Even a partial short and/or poor connection on the terminals can create significant problems. In these images it looks like the pos side had a meltdown.

This kind of a situation can create other problems such as the relay or starter motor engine could have experienced damage.

Jet Pump

Vents and Distilled Water

JUICED

Never jump a Rescue Water Craft from another running vehicle or charger, it will feed more amps into the system and can damage or destroy the MPEM or ECU units.

Also if jumping the battery, make sure you are using the right size cables, you need the smaller cables, larger ones will not correlate with the proper amperage, and would be a wasted attempt.

I would definitely inspect the fuse and the leads pos/neg cables for rust or corrosion. Sometimes this happens when people jump their RWC batteries off a vehicle that is running, which should NEVER be done. Our Rescue Water Craft are not set up to run the amps and voltage beyond 2.5 amps in their system, this can be very destructive.

There is not much difference in voltage between a nearly full battery and a depleted one, its less than 1.0 volts. If the RWC engine is running the charging system makes an attempt to maintain a specific voltage output to the battery. This depends upon the battery ability to absorb the charge translated as Amps and the charging system delivery of the full current the battery demands.

There is a lot of demand placed on a battery and its electrical partners; from the voltage, charging, stator alternator, solenoid and starter. Never jump your battery from a vehicle, you will overcharge the system. Stay under 2 amps while charging your battery.

A solenoid is an electrical switch which causes electrical contact from the starter circuit to ground power the coil and can handle the high voltage for the starter which begins the rotation of the motor. Solenoids make a distinct click sound. If you are jumping the battery and the solenoid cranks poorly then it’s not the solenoid, it could be just a bad connection.

You can check with a volt meter on the posts to get a reading. Then press the ‘start’ button and note if the voltage is lower. It may be a weak battery.

It is important to remember to protect the electrical system and the battery by not holding down the start button longer than 5 seconds and waiting 15 seconds prior to the next start.

Frequent starts will engage a quick shut down cycle on the battery if the engine cannot run. You don’t want to burn out your starter motor. Patience goes a long way and will help you understand the temperament of your RWC electrical system.

Don’t rush, take your time to troubleshoot and be patient.

Jet Pump

Waterproof Battery Tender

VOLTAGE

When the battery voltage drops low it’s time for a new battery. It is also possible to purchase a new battery that was not fully charged and it drops its voltage and becomes worthless pretty fast, requiring another new fully charged battery.

It is important to follow the directions for using the appropriate battery charger that can fully charge a new battery. Many times people do not follow suit properly and they waste time and money.

Waterproof battery tenders are often used for long time storage to help protect battery life. For some watercraft there are other contributing factors it could be a bad DESS key for a BRP Sea Doo as well. A simple replacement of the DESS key and coding might be the answer.

Always check a battery on a multi meter to see what the voltage level is. Make sure you are using the right battery that is recommended by the OEM manufacturer as well. Low voltage can be really bad for electronics and relays. Good batteries should be 12.3-12.5 volts but refer to your RWC brand to be specific.

Cheap batteries yield cheaper results and some of the batteries like Yuasa require a special charger to load the batteries, so that can be problematic and not getting a full charge. Use dieletric grease on the terminals in the future, you will be glad you did.

Rescue Water Craft batteries work best when the charge is maintained. Maintenance free batteries are highly recommended. Batteries get hot when working hard, so don’t overload the amperage by adding accessories to the craft that need an electrical draw.

Answer: Tight connections and Clean Cables are required, good straps and the appropriate fully charged battery. This was a brand new battery in the images above being charged.

Recap:
1. Bad Battery Sealed or Cell, gel cells or AGM (vented or not vented) Wet cell batteries need distilled water.
2. Poor Battery Connection-Partial short
3. Wrong Battery Used
4. DESS post failing (inductive arcing)
5. Fast Charged Battery
6. Inspect Fuse Box

This is not a tutorial, it’s a basic Q & A regarding battery connectivity. Take your RWC to a qualified mechanic for servicing and follow basic preventative maintenance schedules to ensure the longevity of your operations and underway safety.

Content Creator - Shawn Alladio cares most about her community and the culture surrounding the safety of event service providers and Rescue Water Craft operators, working hard and dedicated towards protecting their reputation, distributing safety information and continuing to train these amazing individuals to the highest standards of care.

RESCUE WATER CRAFT RESPONSE FOR KITES

Rescue Water Craft Kiteboarder Recovery

Kites, Wind, Water and You

May 21, 2018 - Just a reminder, not a formal tutorial.

Shawn Alladio

Photos: k38 Italia

Rescue Water Craft Response for Kites, some reminders and suggestions, however training is required to reduce liability at sea.

How will you use a Rescue Water Craft to recover a kiteboarder and their equipment?

Most Kite Boarders are well versed in self-rescue and the warning signs of their activity relative to others in the water. They will often use their kite as a sail and drag themselves back to shore (safety) to depower and deflate their rig. They may even be using their kite as a float an/or a sail to draw back towards shore under wind power.

Not all Rescue Water Craft operators or crew are well versed in kiteboard activity and recovery.  Usually the Kiteboarding community has designated areas with high wind capacity and times of day they enjoy their sport. There are a variety of skill levels and equipment uses.

Does your agency have a policy for contact with kiteboards and their gear?  Two things to consider:

  1. Water Based Response
  2. Shore Based Response

Ask yourself a few questions, are the winds light or strong and growing stronger?  What is the direction of the swell, the wave height and spacing, shoreline configuration, hazards and any background or nearshore traffic?

An able bodied kiter can have their kite laying on the surface with little power, sometimes this is because the kiter has brought it down intentionally.  They may have a tethered safety line they are using to recover their bar. They will loop their safety line along with handle of their bar while the other lines to the kite will have slack and it will not be able to fly.

They will continue on wrapping lines on the bar depending upon if they have 4 or 5 line bars.  It is a slow process for the athlete at times.  You will see the kite draw in closer and they will possibly grab onto it or lay on it and be drawn back towards shore. Determine if they are in close and okay. You may not need to intervene; observe body language. Sometimes things don’t’ work out as planned.

If you are observing a kiteboarder in the water, try to differentiate between an assist or a rescue, and possibly no response. It’s always good to conduct a safety check and maintain visual contact. For instance, they may be dragging themselves back to recover their board using the kite as a sail. There are many different behaviors of self-rescue and trouble situations kiters can get into, this is only one for reference.

Know the causes of runaway kites and potential injuries both on water and land not just to the athletes but to the responders and bystanders. There are a variety of reasons kite boarders have safety issues underway or during prep to launch or recover. Kite boarders can suffer joint and ligament, dislocations, traumatic injuries, fractures and back and neck injuries. It would be advisable to prepare for transits with these type of injuries in mind.

Kiteboarding Safety

Know the popular Kiteboard areas and observe the times they tend to launch and their behavior on your area of operation. Spend some time observing their normal body language and deployment procedures.

Visit a local supply shop and inspect the gear and become familiar with it. If you have a popular kite zone in your area, prepare in advance for those difficult situations. Sometimes you can aid a kiter who is landing on powering down the kite to bring it down. In those cases you can communicate verbally or with sign language.

Or go and talk to them, invite them to come to your agency and give a presentation; ask them questions about response in case of an emergency. Check out their kite rigs, personal protective equipment and harness set ups and how to release their kite and secure their gear.

Know the signs of a kit in distress vs a kiter just going through reset formations, there is a difference. There are a variety of injuries or suspect injuries you may encounter, so be prepared.

INDICATORS

Sunset is usually a higher risk time as thermals change with the heat/cooling effect. Out of control looping kites are a warning signal.

Remember lines can be submerged, never cross the path line of the kite location to the downed athlete with the Rescue Water Craft.

Approach the kite itself from upwind or up drift not downwind, never grab the lines.  Lines can wrap, and slice under a load and it happens quickly. Once pinned you are now part of the problem.

Hopefully the kiter has unhooked from the lines first. Sometimes with an unconscious individual or severely injured this is impossible. You will need to go to a Plan B real fast. Ask the kiter if they are free of their rig. Distance of lines to note are up to 25 meters or 75’. Many variables apply, so its up to your fundamental knowledge of water, weather, kites and survivor behaviors.

If responding with a Rescue Water Craft, you must maintain craft safety as a maritime asset. This means first you protect yourself as the operator and your crew, along with your Rescue Water Craft.

You do not want the filament lines to make contact with the helm or throttle lever, let alone personal contact, and be mindful these lines will sink.

Make a quick assessment; is the kiter exhausted, are they unconscious have they suffered a traumatic injury, are they panicking? What you see is your best determination and that can change quickly.

Make sure you have a minimum of 2 tourniquets on board your Rescue Water Craft. Our operational standard is 4 and we have them stowed inside a waterproof Pelican case.

At idle speed driving over lines you can consider the threat level of fouling your impeller to be ‘danger high’. So don’t do that.

Rescue Water Craft Approach

This is no easy task, consider the type of RWC you are using and your idle speed and athlete condition.

You may need to shut the Rescue Water Craft off and float/drag in the water alongside the athlete until a full recovery is made. Be mindful of which position your bow is in and subsequent threats under time and direction.

Stay clear of all filament lines regardless and do not grab the bar. Make sure you have your cutter ready with you in cases of an emergency.

If you are responding to a situation with a looping kite this one is tricky. It’s called the ‘death loop’. If you can make contact and deflate the kite that would be advantageous if a serious situation occurs. Remember two kites that are tangled, the athletes have no way to control the depowering of a kite.  You will see a spinning kite in these situations most likely.

Keep in mind with wind direction, velocity and athlete positioning they can get dragged and seriously harmed and you don’t want to become a part of that problem. Stay clear of the line of sight and line of drift, and think ahead!

Kites can impact others in the water such as swimmers, surfers or bodyboarding. They can run alongside piers or jetty walls or if offshore winds persist run away at sea. On land they can be menacing and deadly.

If nearshore grab the kite at the center bridge, along the leading inflatable edge if it makes it to land you may have to flip it upside down. Once again pull it downward rapidly and walk towards the tension of the lines against the athlete (if still tethered) and drag down to get the lift away from the inflatable bridge/sail.

MONITOR the Kite

Remember once a kite makes landfall there is a strong possibility depending upon wind conditions that the kite will pick up speed, you must act quickly and know what to do.

You need to know how to release the kite from an athletes harness at their midsection.  This can be very difficult with an unconscious survivor.  Typically you are looking for a red knobs to pull as a release (or cut the lines). Make sure the lines are not under tension and that you are both facing a positive direction relative to the wind.

Again be mindful of lines and their direct position to you, the Rescue Water Craft and the athlete. You may need to have several cutters as at this point. If you don’t have a safety tether attached to the cutter it’s possible to lose one overboard. Be mindful at this point of contact your own engine cut off switch. Secure it safely inside the chest opening of your lifejacket if you power off the Rescue Water Craft.

Approaches to the kite are best measured by contact with the leading edge of the inflatable bridge windward at approximately a 45 degree angle. Do you best to avoid the lines and keep a steady observation on the water and wind conditions surrounding the threat and athlete location.

MEDIATION

Immediately deflate the kite by identifying the location of the plugs.  Then in a lengthwise direction roll the kite and wind the filament lines onto the bar itself. Then return to the kiter location and assist in their recovery. Remember once again lines can wrap or snap or have already done this to the athlete.

Be mindful if you are heading towards shore or out to sea. Keep a watch regarding nearshore rip currents. Keep in mind that the kitesurfer may be pulling their lines in. Consider how much drift you will have from point of contact to boarding the kitesurfer and possibly their kit on your Rescue Water Craft.

Ensure you are mindful of when to power off the Rescue Water Craft. Ensure you have secured all the threat hazards. I like to use a 4 foot runner with a carabiner to put a fast lock loop around kite gear to help me with mobility and stowage. I usually have redundancy of these assets. These are to be considered to be disposable accessory devices. Make sure you have replacements readily available.

When you get underway you do not want to ‘wash away’ the kite gear. You can do this one qualified Operator of a Stage 5 category or a Stage 5 category crew. Secure the kite board, athlete. Do not operate above 25 mph under transit. Slow is Pro at point of contact!

At sea you will be setting the kite adrift (or it already is), so there is that secondary hazard for others and don't forget the length distance from athlete to kite.

There are a variety of quick releases usually marked red but not always.

Landing a kite: grab again at center bridge, make sure the inflatable bridge is lowered to the ground with skirts up and throw some sand on the flaps to weight it down probably 20-30 lbs. of weight.

Pull the inflator hoses, deflation valve or plug to depower the rig on land and stow it, watch out for those lines again.

You should all undertake specific training with these kind of rigs, watch those lines and be mindful of your water jet pump.

Upwind or Downwind

RECAP

Not a training aid, please refer to qualified certification programs and visit a Kiteboarding club or shop for further details and important information.

  1. Approach the athlete with the kite in front of them and the wind to your back on a 45 degree angle, or conduct a Johnny B Maneuver. (Draw an imaginary J with the bow of your craft to your point of contact either port or starboard side)
  2. Contact with the kite is best done at the center inflated bridge, hold on tight while maintaining your balance on the Rescue Water Craft and do not let go. Keep in mind the rotational forces of your Rescue Water Craft and any windage against both the hull and the kite itself.
  3. Approach the kite downwind at a 45 degree angle, you can also position and let it drift towards your line of direction and make contact broadside. Keep in mind you may be making contact on port or starboard side so refer to your best practices and operational functionality.
  4. Once you make contact with the kite and have the rig secured you can complete a full circle rotation keeping the lines to your inside turn so you don’t cross over them and bring the kite back to the athlete. They may be able to get underway again if the rig is okay and they have no injuries or exhaustion, talk to them and ask them how they are doing, visible signs of injury or panic take to shore
  5. (Situation Option) Or the kite must be deflated and the athlete may have already have packed down, or the kite could be drawing free in the direction of the wind. Often a kite boarder will use their harness to wrap a deflated kite into a bungle for transport. Kites can be lethal if unsecured so keep it low to the water/ground and deflate.
  6. Your ending is the most important part, slow steady stable transport and a calm ending for transfer to shore, keep your bow out to oncoming wave energy or your bow towards shore in large bodies of water.
  7. Power down your Rescue Water Craft once you are in 2.5 feet of water

Reference Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOjMA9a0rSc

 

WE RECOMMEND OCEAN RODEO DRYSUITS
Check them out for drysuit comfort and safety underway. This is an outstanding company that has a pedigree in kiteboarding.

Ocean Rodeo

Photos: K38 Italia

Content Creator - Shawn Alladio cares most about her community and the culture surrounding the safety of event service providers and Rescue Water Craft operators, working hard and dedicated towards protecting their reputation, distributing safety information and continuing to train these amazing individuals to the highest standards of care.

A SWIM IN THE PARK

USCG RESCUE SWIMMER TRAINING PROGRAM

A Swim in the Park is a story from our friend David.

David Pu'u is a K38 alumni and also a friend. He has chronicled many of a K38 Way of Training course through his lens.

He is a professional photographer and husband to Donna Pu'u who owns Betty Belts which is also my jewelry sponsor. Both of these humans are outstanding representations of what is right in humanity.

Take a moment to get to know David................

Jet Pump

Instructor Shawn Alladio

ASTORIA

I found myself in a wary mindset as the Air Alaska jet lifted off an Arizona runway. Shawn Alladio and I watched the desert recede below us. We are both speed junkies, so found ourselves smiling as we accelerated into the blue morning sky on the last leg of our flight to Portland Oregon.

We were enroute to Astoria and our ultimate destination, the USCG Station at Tongue Point. Shawn sometimes invites me along as she engages her job as head of K38 Rescue, a global ocean safety and training organization, which is an internationally recognized specialist in PWC (personal watercraft, aka jet ski) operations.

Jet Pump

RWC Lifesavers

PARTICIPATE

This week, Shawn was on assignment to work with the USCG STAN Team, which consisted of Five Advanced Rescue Swimmers who were building a course for the USCG on PWC operations, a new direction for the Coast Guard.

I was wary, because I knew we would be working in the Colombia River foul area off Cape Disappointment which is a series of sand bars in open ocean. I also had seen the film The Guardian, which was shot where we were going, and which documented the life and death of one of the best Advanced Rescue Swimmers ever. Then there are the countless videos of Rescue Boat training I have watched, which were filmed there.

The Bar is an infamous and legendary training ground for the CG. It would be cold, have weather, and the conditions would be whatever the Northern Pacific decided. Knowing the ocean. I was thinking about this. The proverbial running into the pit, with the best watermen and operators in the world as they acquired new skills.

Shawn has mentored me well over the years. My deep understanding of the ocean and skill in it were morphing as age is want to do to one. And here I was, seated alongside a woman who would be supervising the elite of our country’s rescue personnel. I guess that is why I would call this an adventure: some unknowns existed, and conditions could be anything.

To read the rest of the story please go to:

A Swim In The Park

2018 International Rescue Water Craft Day

RWC DAY

The International Rescue Water Craft Day is an international day of observance to commemorate qualified Rescue Water Craft operators, crews, volunteers and teams.

The Rescue Water Craft Association (RWCA) established the inaugural International Rescue Water Craft Day on June 21st, 2017 and will be celebrated each subsequent year on the anniversary date.

Jet Pump

Rescue Water Craft Day

JOIN US

The promotion of the day symbolizes the dedication, service and commitment towards boating safety and lifesaving. RWCA is the lead agency coordinated events worldwide.

In 2017 the following nations observed the inaugural event by sharing awareness about RWC/PWC boating safety: USA, Poland, Chile, Australia, Canada and Japan.

Event Anniversary Date: June 21st

International Rescue Water Craft Day Motto:
International Rescue Water Craft Day Theme 2018: ‘Because We Care’

Hashtags: #IRWCD #RWCA #RescueWaterCraftDay #BecauseWeCare

Jet Pump

RWC Lifesavers

ABOUT

The International Rescue Water Craft Day is observed around the world each year on June 21st. Established in 2017 by the Rescue Water Craft Association, IRWCD provides a shared day recognizing the commitment to boating safety and to contribute to the Rescue Water Craft community a culture of safety and best practices.

PARTICIPATE

Ways to participate:

1. Post up your Rescue Water Craft Team Photos or Videos. Represent professionalism and standardization, use #IRWCD hashtags
2. Share RWCA IRWCD theme posts to social media outlets
3. Take a Rescue Water Craft boating safety course
4. Make a commitment to representing Rescue Water Craft standards both in practice and operations
5. Make a video representing your commitment to IRWCD and boating safety, post on June 21st

NORTH AMERICA
RWCA FACEBOOK

JAPAN
RWCA JAPAN FACEBOOK

2018 RAJD WOKOL POLSKI COMPLETED

HEROES

Today’s stage was one of the longest of the Plyniemy Polsko Rajd and the final on the water. Teams and the K38 Poland safety group departed south from Szczecin.

Szczecin is a city on the Oder River in northwest Poland. It’s known for its 19th-century Wały Chrobrego, or Chobry Embankment, and the renovated Pomeranian Dukes’ Castle, now a cultural center. The vast St. James Cathedral has a 14th-century triptych, stained-glass windows and a tower with city views. Nearby is the Gothic Old Town Hall, hosting The National Museum’s exhibitions on Szczecin’s history and culture.

Płyniemy Polsko Coffee Break Before Launching

TEAMS RALLY

Their final destination was Wroclaw on May 4, 2018.

This stage of the Rally had a lot of turns and bends from the river. By land it is a 5 hour drive covering 378 km. Sometimes the Rally is faster on water!

Wrocław is a city on the Oder River in western Poland. It’s known for its Market Square, lined with elegant townhouses and featuring a modern fountain. Also on the square is the Gothic Old Town Hall, with its large astronomical clock. Nearby is the Panorama of Racławice, a painting depicting the 1794 battle for independence.

K38 Poland Provides Water Safety During the Rally

RACE FOR CHARITY

There were a few navigational challenges due to splits in the river, several team riders had to correct their heading which cost them some fuel and time. That is part of the challenge of fatigue and time underway.
The water was very calm and the weather was favorable during this final stage of the rally.

Przepłyneliśmy Polskę.
Jakub Friedenberger i Mateusz Orzoł represented K38 Poland both switching positions from Rescue Water Craft operator to vehicle chase driver.

Było to możliwe dzięki wsparciu LG Polska oraz SANTI Diving. Jesteśmy wdzięczni.
It was possible with the support of LG Polska and SANTI Diving. We are grateful.

Uwaga! Wyniki, jakie uzyskały team' y na odcinku Szczecin- Głogów:
1 msce- Quady Śrem
2 msce- Ambrozja Team
3 msce- Moto H2O Rybnik
4 msce- Malgrab Team
5 msce- DEK Głogów
Serdecznie gratulujemy wszystkim uczestnikom!

Plyniemy Polsko Facebook

Tomorrow is the closing ceremonies of the Plyniemy Polsko in Rybnik, Poland. It has been a wonderful experience for not only the charities involved but the race teams and the safety provided by K38 Poland.

This has been an outstanding experience for K38 Poland and the participants. These type of on-water adventures have so many issues to surmount. The planning stages are significant. The mobility of Personal Water Craft and support vehicles is a big challenge as the PWC's often arrive ahead of the vehicles.

If a PWC goes down in a remote area, the teams face a puzzle to connect and make necessary repairs to stay in the Rally. Its man, machine and land and water with the elements.

The 2018 Plyniemy Polsko created memories for everyone involved and raised awareness for their charities.
The next stop is the Closing ceremonies in Rybnik, everyone is on the road heading to the location, see you there!

K38 Poland Website

Jakub Friedenberger i Mateusz Orzoł

Heroes of the 2018 Plyniemy Polsko

HEROES

Sebastian and Ola are the heroes of the Płyniemy Polsko Rally.

The Plyniemy Polsko is patterned off the famous road race the Paris to Dakar. Only the Rally in Poland runs up the famous Vistula River, to the Baltic Sea and back down to the center of the nation on Personal Water Craft.

Płyniemy Polsko

TEAMS

Ten teams have joined to Rally to raise funds and awareness for children’s charitable causes for the Special Olympics, cerebral palsy and Autism.

On April 29th., Ola and Sebastian who represent the mascots of the charity focus rode a BRP Sea Doo Spark northward on the Vistual River at the starting point in Krakow.

They drove onward through Warsaw, Wcloclawek Gydnia and today the Rally starts in Szczecin on the Oder River. The Teams will continue until the end point in Rybink.

Heroes of the Rally

RACE FOR CHARITY

Although the Rally is also a race as well as a charity event, for Sebastian and Ola it is about personal dreams and achievement.

The Rally will be working to provide the funds for special diving equipment for people who are mentally and physically challenged to bring them opportunities to explore and become a reality of their own design.

They are fantastic representatives of the Special Olympics - Olimpiady Specjalne Śląskie

You can become a supporter by visting:
Special Olympics Facebook

K38 Poland Website

CONNECTED RIDERS

Plyniemy Polsko

The Plyniemy Polsko is a benefit Charity Rally that navigates through Poland from the Rivers to the Baltic Sea, having Connected Riders is a big part of the safety of the event.

The Plyniemy Polsko is fielded by ten teams of Personal Water Craft operators who are raising awareness for children’s charitable organizations.

The event is a week-long challenge with various stops at historical ports and waterfronts. This is an incredible project undertaken by the teams and a host of venerable sponsors.

Connected Boat is a significant part of the assurance of safety for this event.
Connected Boat

Connected Boat

STAGE 4

Gdynia to Darlowo
Each day is considered a Stage. Each day that passes fatigue, water and weather conditions and vessel fatigue can occur. Whenever long distance adventures are undertaken safety is the cornerstone of the success for the entrants and the image of the event.
The organizers spent countless hours preparing and ensuring that each team would be well prepared for the arduous journey.
Connected Boat is a GPS tracking device that is stored onboard the craft and the land chase vehicles. The GPS signal can be viewed in real time at a special landing page for the Rally.

Another great aspect of Connected Boat is that it gives viewers an update on the battery life along with the speed and location, the vessel direction is also given. Alerts can also be notified regarding the status of the vessel itself. It has a great feature for connectivity through social media.

Contestant Jacek Biskupek was running a great pace on his Sea Doo Spark and he had a technical issue with the craft, so he pulled up on the beach in Choczewo.

K38 Poland’s Yamaha Rescue Water Craft was pulling up the rear and stopped to check on Jacek.

You can see from the Connected Boat event page the tracklines, and the actual time of the stop and precise location. Jacek decided to wait for his support vehicle to arrive so he could make the necessary repairs and K38 Poland finished the final leg by water.

While all the Rally riders made it safe to port in Darwolo, Jacek had help on the way. It was challenging to get to Jacek’s remote location as there were no waterfront road access and the sand was restrictive.

His support vehicle made several attempts to get closer to his location on the beach. What is great about Connected Boat is that we could watch anywhere in the world to see the locations of the chase vehicles and the Personal Water Craft.

Connected Boat has a great profile page for each craft or vehicle. The APP also tracks the speed and exact GPS location in a timely fashion and records a trackline that is easy to read.

His support vehicle actually landed and they sorted everything out with plenty of daylight left to get back to the group and get some rest for the next leg of the Rally.

Beach Assist

SAFETY IS OUR BUSINESS

Fortunately for Jacek he is pretty handy with repairs and tore into the pump on the beach. A local tractor helped to move the Spark and everything was sorted.

The best part of this experience is that I am in America and I was able to watch on the Connected Boat event page and I could see how fast they were working out solutions from the time the Spark went down, to the time Jacek and his teammate made it back to the hotel for the night!

Our company K38 is a close group of water safety professionals. We are represented around the world and we work on a variety of waterways.

Safety is our business. As the founder of K38, its great to have the Connected Boat connection because I can track K38 Poland’s progress and the event safety from my laptop computer thousands of miles away. It’s a great evaluation tool for me to be able to track the capability of our team.

k38 Poland checks on Jacek on the beach

Darlowo to Kolobrzeg to Szczecin

The Rally participants get an early start out of Darowlo. Tomasz Kasprzak has been a front runner on the Rally since the first stage. Two of the chase vehicles moved ahead to the final stop in Szczecin because its often faster to travel by water than land.

Unfortunatley half way to Kolobrzeg Tomasz landed on the beach in Mielno. I of course am sitting in California watching this on Connected Boat. The overlay of Google maps gives great updates on roads and locations so I can easily track on Connected Boat the exact town or city they are in.

What I can tell from my laptop at this time is that Tomasz has his Personal Water Craft out of the water and he has landed in small town where he has access to support.

Great things happen when you stay connected! Safety is not a word, it is an action and an investment. We are thankful for devices that track our safety, help us find people when things go wrong and bring us home safe.
Follow K38 Poland

Additionally on the computer you can see the entire route of the route at the link: https://bit.ly/2HyljmL

K38 Poland
Content Creator - Shawn Alladio cares most about her community and the culture surrounding the safety of event service providers and Rescue Water Craft operators, working hard and dedicated towards protecting their reputation, distributing safety information and continuing to train these amazing individuals to the highest standards of care.

Safe on the shore

2018 Rajd Wokół Polski – Płyniemy Polsko

STAGE 2

STAGE 4
Etapu rajdu Płyniemy Polsko z Gdynia do Darłowa.

The rally Stage 4 route was from Gdynia Poland to Darlowa on the Baltic Sea. The teams field the event in partnerships of taking care of their rally needs throughout the route. The Rally began on April 29 in Krakow and the presentation took place on the 28th in Ustron.

We had rougher waters once we turned the peninsula point leaving Gdynia and heading westward. All the Rally riders hugged the coastline. There is a shallow shelf along the coastline that drops off to very deep water. The winds can come across very strong and agitate the water.

Our Plyniemy Polsko riders are setting pretty fast paces. They have gotten in to battle weary stride.

The hands suffer the most, from friction on the handlebars holding onto the crat. This is a long journey and the craft are going through strenuous paces. We have quite a few Sea Doo BRP Spark models on this rally.

K38 Poland is operating a Yamaha WaveRunner® and we have a rescue board and a K38 chase vehicle with the trailer.

We have arrived!

Another Stage Completed

The hands suffer the most, from friction on the handlebars holding onto the crat. This is a long journey and the craft are going through strenuous paces. We have quite a few Sea Doo BRP Spark models on this rally.

K38 Poland is operating a Yamaha WaveRunner® and we have a rescue board and a K38 chase vehicle with the trailer.

The Rally started up the Vistula River and we shall continue until we make a full loop of Poland, setting history for a charity ride to raise funds for people with cerebral palsy, and autism.

Beach Rescue of Spark

Yacht Club Rybnik

We have so far enjoyed a fantastic adventure! We started out by enjoying music from Znaki Czasu and are going to have more fantastic gatherings along the way since we began at the Wloclawek stage.

The organizers of the rally is the Yacht Club Rybnik and the PGE Energia Ciepla Foundation.

Before the stop in Leba we had one PWC go down and it had to be recovered from the beach. That alone was quite an epic adventure! We were fortunate to see to the safety of this recovery that a tractor locally was able to recover the PWC! It was a long day!

Content Creator - Shawn Alladio cares most about her community and the culture surrounding the safety of event service providers and Rescue Water Craft operators, working hard and dedicated towards protecting their reputation, distributing safety information and continuing to train these amazing individuals to the highest standards of care.