12/12/2023, Hollywood Rapid, Lower James, Richmond, VA
Level: 8.06ft on the Westham Gauge
Incident: Two back to back pins in strainer below hollywood
Group dynamic (I feel this is important): Two groups of paddlers went out together- a group of 5 (including myself) and a group of four.
- The group of five included two very experienced paddlers very comfortable with high water (Alex and myself), and three paddlers that are relatively inexperienced at high water on the James (though still very competent paddlers).
- The other group of four was one very experienced paddler (Alek), and three paddlers that were relatively inexperienced at high water on the James (also still very competent paddlers).
Collectively we had a 3:6 ratio of experienced to relatively inexperienced paddlers. Two more friends were R2ing adjacent to/along with our group (both are experienced raft guides). The communication of who was paddling with who was not very clear from the start. We ended up paddling as one group, but most of us were unaware of exactly who we would be paddling with before meeting at the takeout.
Description of the event. Pin 1: Before we put on the river, we were aware that there was a log in Hollywood and that we’d need to drive left after the main drop. This is a very common place for wood to accumulate, so we did not feel the need to scout the rapid.
As we prepared to enter, I confirmed with the three newer paddlers with me that I’d lead them down the main line of Hollywood. Alex would follow them down. As I came up on the entrance to Hollywood, I saw that the wood was much farther out into the left current than we had anticipated. I led the group as far left down the main tongue and out of the run out waves as I could. Once I was out of the current pushing towards the strainer, I turned to check on the paddlers following me. Each paddler was slightly farther right than the paddler before them, and I could tell the second two would be pushed strongly towards the strainer. The first paddler behind me did not come close to the strainer. The second came close, but was able to paddle away from it in time to not hit it. The third paddler was in a full slice boat and despite their efforts to paddle away from it, their boat was not moving across the current at all. They hit the strainer sideways, flipped, and they were momentarily pinned there (near the end of the log). Alex was able to catch the eddy behind the strainer to assist with the pinned paddler. The pinned paddler pulled their skirt and was able to swim out away from the log and into the main current. They struggled to exit their boat due to their leg getting momentarily caught in it. Quickly after they swam, the guides in the R2 came through and were able to pull them in.
Learning points: I don’t think we should have more than 1 relatively inexperienced paddler following an experienced paddler at high water. Like the game of “telephone”, good lines get slightly diluted from one person following to the next. I believe if the third paddler had been right on my tail, it is more likely they would have been far enough left to get out of the current pushing into the strainer. In addition, I think the choice in boat made a huge impact here. Full slice boats aren’t able to ferry across currents the same way a river runner can. Once their boat was caught in the boiling current, they were unable to move laterally across the current. More advanced paddlers may be able to manage this with proper technique. In addition, while it was helpful to have a wood report posted in our local paddler’s facebook group, it was a bit vague. All of us that had read the report were very surprised by the wood we actually encountered. It is possible the wood could have shifted or it could have been a new log from when the post was first made few hours earlier, so scouting it ourselves before entering the rapid would have been best practice
Description of the event, pin 2: Directly after the first paddler swam, the second group started coming down. Three of them saw the first paddler swimming and took off after them and their boat. The last person to come down the rapid was one of the less experienced paddlers, and they hit the strainer straight on. Their boat went under the strainer, and they threw their body over it and were holding onto the log. Alex, who was still in the eddy, was able to get onto the rock the strainer was coming off of and I paddled to shore. I reached shore quickly and saw the paddler was still pinned, so I called 911 to request river rescue. Alex did not have a safe way to reach the pinned paddler. After about 3 minutes of being in the pin, the paddler was able to hoist themself up on top of the log they were pinned on, leaving their boat in the pin. I did not call off river rescue, because Alex was in a full slice and I did not see a safe way for him to ferry the paddler to shore nor did I see a safe way for us to reach them from shore. The previously pinned paddler then began to try to pull their boat out of the strainer while still on the log. I shouted and tried to signal to Alex to tell them to stop and get them onto the main rock where they would be more stable. Once on the main rock, the boat flushed out of the strainer and went downstream. The other people in our group saw the boat coming down and brought it to shore at the very end of Belle isle. River rescue arrived in their motorized rafts and brought the previously pinned padder to shore. There were no injuries.
During this time, everyone else in both groups had paddled downstream to assist with the first pinned paddler’s recovery except for myself and Alex. Nobody else in our group was aware of the second paddler’s pin until they saw their boat floating down, while some walked back up Belle Isle and I updated them.
Learning points: The size of our group and our ratio of experienced vs. relatively inexperienced paddlers was a contributing factor here. Most of the group was distracted assisting the first paddler, leaving only two experienced paddlers aware of the second pin. It is possible that if we had paddled in two separate groups, it would have been easier for people to keep track of everyone in their group. The second person to pin was also not closely following an experienced paddler’s line. After the event, I debriefed with the second paddler the importance of getting to a stabilized location before trying to recover gear.
Notes on what went well:
-Before running Hollywood, the experienced paddler in the second group, Alek, made multiple offers to take the less experienced paddlers down Cemetery (a less challenging route)
-Before running Hollywood, I checked in with the less experienced paddlers in my own group to assess their needs and offer to lead them
-Alex catching the eddy below the strainer and not leaving it until ALL paddlers went through safely
-The third paddler with a good deal of experience, Alek, went down with the remaining 5 paddlers with relatively less experience. While he did not intend to leave the second pinned paddler, I do think it was good that he stuck with the rest of the group while Alex and I remained up with the pinned paddler
-Calling river rescue as soon as I reached the shore- I feel this was the right call given that the pinned paddler was not stabilized and was in a potentially life threatening situation, rather than waiting for the bad situation to get worse. I think this is worth mentioning because as paddlers with swiftwater rescue training, I could easily see pride or overconfidence preventing some people from making that call. We don’t need to be cowboys out there- we’re lucky to live in a city with a fantastic swift water rescue team, so it is absolutely appropriate to call for help during a life threatening situation.
Berkley Nester
