Whitewater Rafting along the Cagayan de Oro River, Philippines.

Rafting in Ladakh, India

Rafting or white water rafting is a challenging recreational outdoor activity using an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other bodies of water. This is usually done on white water or different degrees of rough water, in order to thrill and excite the raft passengers. The development of this activity as a leisure sport has become popular since the mid-1970s. It is considered an extreme sport, as it can be dangerous.

White water rafts[link]

The modern raft is an inflatable boat, consisting of very durable, multi-layered rubberized (hypalon) or vinyl fabrics (PVC) with several independent air chambers. The length varies between 3.5 m (11 ft) and 6 m (20 ft), the width between 1.8 m (6 ft) and 2.5 m (8 ft). The exception to this size rule is usually the packraft, which is designed as a portable single-person raft and may be as small as 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) long and weigh as little as 4 pounds (1.8 kg).

Rafts come in a few different forms. In Europe and Australasia, the most common is the symmetrical raft steered with a paddle at the stern. Other types are the asymmetrical, rudder-controlled raft and the symmetrical raft with central helm (oars) or Stern Mounts with the oar frame located at the rear of the raft. Rafts are usually propelled with ordinary paddles and or oars and typically hold 4 to 12 persons. In Russia, rafts are often hand made and are often a catamaran style with two inflatable tubes attached to a frame. Pairs of paddlers navigate on these rafts. Catamaran style rafts have become popular in the western United States as well, but are typically rowed instead of paddled.

Grades of white water[link]

Rafting in Costa Rica – Pacuare

Below are the six grades of difficulty in white water rafting. They range from simple to very dangerous and potential death or serious injuries.

Grade 1: Very small rough areas, might require slight maneuvering. (Skill Level: Very Basic)
Grade 2: Some rough water, maybe some rocks, might require some maneuvering. (Skill level: basic paddling skill)
Grade 3: Whitewater, small waves, maybe a small drop, but no considerable danger. May require significant maneuvering. (Skill level: experienced paddling skills)
Grade 4: Whitewater, medium waves, maybe rocks, maybe a considerable drop, sharp maneuvers may be needed. (Skill level: whitewater experience)
Grade 5: Whitewater, large waves, large volume, possibility of large rocks and hazards, possibility of a large drop, requires precise maneuvering. (Skill level: advanced whitewater experience)
Grade 6: Class 6 rapids are considered to be so dangerous as to be effectively unnavigable on a reliably safe basis. Rafters can expect to encounter substantial whitewater, huge waves, huge rocks and hazards, and/or substantial drops that will impart severe impacts beyond the structural capacities and impact ratings of almost all rafting equipment. Traversing a Class 6 rapid has a dramatically increased likelihood of ending in serious injury or death compared to lesser classes. (Skill level: successful completion of a Class 6 rapid without serious injury or death is widely considered to be a matter of great luck or extreme skill)

Techniques[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

Rafts in white water are very different vehicles than canoes or kayaks and have their own specific techniques to maneuver through whitewater obstacles.

• Punching – Rafts carry great momentum, and on rivers hydraulics that are dodged by canoes and kayaks are often punched by rafts. This involves the rafting crew paddling the raft to give it enough speed to push through the hydraulic without getting stopped.
• High siding – If a raft is caught in a hydraulic it will often quickly go sideways. In order to stop the raft flipping on its inside edge, the rafters can climb to the side of the raft furthest downstream, which will also be the side of the raft highest in the air leading to its name. In this position the rafters may be able to use the draw stroke to pull the raft out of the hydraulic.

Capsizing[link]

• Dump truck – Rafts are inherently stable crafts because of their size and low center of mass and often they will shed gear and passengers before they actually capsize. In the industry if a raft dumps some or all of its passengers but remains upright, it is said to have dump trucked.
• Left over right or right over left – Rafts almost always flip side over side. If the left tube rises over the right tube, the raft is said to have flipped left over right and vice versa.
• Taco – If a raft is soft, or underinflated, it may taco, or reverse taco. Rafts are said to have tacoed if the middle of the raft buckles and the front of the raft touches or nearly touches the back of the raft. This often is a result of surfing in a hydraulic. A reverse taco is when the nose, or stern of the raft is pulled down under water and buckles to touch the middle or back, or nose of the raft.
• End over end – Occasionally rafts will flip end over end. This is usually after the raft has dump trucked to lighten the load, allowing the water to overcome the weight of the boat flipping it vertically before it lands upside down. Rafts will usually taco and turn sideways, making an end-over-end flip a very rare flip in most rafts.
• Down Stream Flip- A raft capsizes after encountering an obstacle i.e. rock, feature like a hydraulic or even another raft. These objects are usually stationary or possibly surfing in a hydraulic. On this occasion the raft becomes unstable and usually flips over downstream or in the direction of travel. A downstream flip may be exacerbated by the load or people in the raft. People may physically assist in the inertia of the flip by pulling the boat over on top of themselves.

Re-righting[link]

• Flip line – The flip line technique is the most used in commercial rafting where flips are common. The guide will take a loop of webbing that has a carabiner on it and attach it to the perimeter line on the raft, Standing on top of the upside down raft they will hold the line and lean to the opposite side from where the flip line is attached, re-righting the raft.
• Knee flipping – Capsized rafts that are small enough with little or no gear attached can be knee flipped. This involves the rafter holding the webbing on the underside of the raft, and pushing their knees into the outer tube, and then lifting their body out of the water, leaning back to overturn the raft.
• T rescue – Much like the kayak technique some rafts are large enough that they need to be overturned with the assistance of another raft or land. Positioning the upturned raft or land at the side of the raft the rafters can then re-right the raft by lifting up on the perimeter line.
• T-grip re-flip - The T-grip on a rafting paddle may be used to re-flip light rafts by inserting the Tee into the self bailing holes around the floor perimeter and re-righting the boat in the same manner as the flip line technique.
• Alluvial - Pertaining to material carried or laid down by running water. Alluvium is the material deposited by streams. It includes gravel, sand, silt, and clay.
• Back Pivot - Turning the raft from a ferry angle to a stem-downstream position.Used in tight places to recover from an extreme ferry angle, this maneuver narrows the passing space of the boat and allows it to slide closely past obstructions.
• Back roller - A broad reversal such as that formed below a dam or ledge.
• Beam - The width of a raft at its widest point.
• Biner - Short for Carabiner which means "clip" in Italian. In rafting, biners are used in rope and pulley rescue systems to secure things to a raft and as items of adornment in river rafting.

Tricks[link]

• Rock splats – If the rafters load the back of the raft, they can paddle the raft into a rock on the river, having it hit the bottom of the boat instead of the nose; if done correctly this can raise the raft up vertically on its stern.
• Surfing – Commercial rafts often use waves on rivers to surf.
• Nose dunks – Large rafts can enter hydraulics called holes from downstream and submerge their nose, or reverse taco. This can be a safe way to get rafters wet in a hydraulic.
• Pirouette – A move executed by either a sweep or draw stroke, sending the raft spinning with the current. Often useful for avoiding obstacles.

Safety[link]

White water rafting can be a dangerous sport, especially if basic safety precautions are not observed. Both commercial and private trips have seen their share of injuries and fatalities, though private travel has typically been associated with greater risk.^{[citation needed]} Depending on the area, safety regulations covering raft operators may exist in legislation. These range from certification of outfitters, rafts, and raft leaders, to more stringent regulations about equipment and procedures. It is generally advisable to discuss safety measures with a rafting operator before signing on for a trip. The equipment used and the qualifications of the company and raft guides are essential information to be considered.

Like most outdoor sports, rafting in general has become safer over the years. Expertise in the sport has increased, and equipment has become more specialized and increased in quality. As a result the difficulty rating of most river runs has changed. A classic example would be the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon or Jalcomulco River in Mexico, which has swallowed whole expeditions in the past, leaving only fragments of boats. In contrast, it is now run safely by commercial outfitters hundreds of times each year with relatively untrained passengers.^[1]

Risks in white water rafting stem from both environmental dangers and from improper behavior. Certain features on rivers are inherently unsafe and have remained consistently so despite the passage of time. These would include "keeper hydraulics", "strainers" (e.g. fallen trees), dams (especially low-head dams, which tend to produce river-wide keeper hydraulics), undercut rocks, and of course dangerously high waterfalls. Rafting with experienced guides is the safest way to avoid such features. Even in safe areas, however, moving water can always present risks—such as when a swimmer attempts to stand up on a rocky riverbed in strong current, risking foot entrapment. Irresponsible behavior related to rafting while intoxicated has also contributed to many accidents.

One of the most simple ways to avoid injury while out of a raft, is to swim to an Eddy (a calm spot behind a rock in the water which the current disperses around) to avoid being taken downstream.

To combat the illusion that rafting is akin to an amusement park ride, and to underscore the personal responsibility each rafter faces on a trip, rafting outfitters generally require customers to sign waiver forms indicating understanding and acceptance of potential serious risks. Rafting trips often begin with safety presentations to educate customers about problems that may arise.

White water rafting is often played for the adrenaline rush and this often becomes a problem for people and their own safety. White water rafting accidents have occurred but are not common.

Due to this the overall risk level on a rafting trip with experienced guides using proper precautions is low.^{[citation needed]} Thousands of people safely enjoy raft trips every year.

Environmental issues[link]

Rafting in Montenegro

Like all outdoor activities, rafting must balance its use of nature with the conservation of rivers as a natural resource and habitat. Because of these issues, some rivers now have regulations restricting the annual and daily operating times or numbers of rafters.

Conflicts have arisen when rafting operators, often in co-operation with municipalities and tourism associations, alter the riverbed by dredging and/or blasting in order to eliminate safety hazards or create more interesting whitewater features in the river. Environmentalists argue that this may have negative impacts to riparian and aquatic ecosystems, while proponents claim these measures are usually only temporary, since a riverbed is naturally subject to permanent changes during large floods and other events.

Rafting contributes to the economy of many regions which in turn may contribute to the protection of rivers from hydroelectric power generation, diversion for irrigation, and other development. Additionally, white water rafting trips can promote environmentalism. By experiencing firsthand the beauty of a river, individuals who would otherwise be indifferent to environmental issues may gain a strong desire to protect and preserve that area because of their positive outdoor experience.

See also[link]

• International Scale of River Difficulty
• Packraft
• Paddling
• Raft Guide
• Swiftwater rescue
• Tubing (recreation)
• Whitewater
• Whitewater canoeing
• Outdoor activity

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Rafting

• International Rafting Federation
• Rafting Rapidos Clase 5 de todo el mundo

Jeanne Robertson or Jeanne Swanner Robertson is a nationally recognized humorist and professional speaker. In 1963, at age 18, she was named Miss North Carolina. Robertson credits her reign as the catalyst for her career.^[1] Her anecdotes can be heard daily on XM Radio's Channel 96, Laugh USA and Sirius Radio's Blue Collar Comedy channel 103 (XM 97) and Laugh Break channel 105. She bases her humor on real-life situations.^[2]

References[link]

1. ^ "Meet Jeanne Robertson — North Carolina Public Radio WUNC". wunc.org. http://wunc.org/tsot/archive/sot1214abc09.mp3/view. Retrieved 2010-02-15. 
2. ^ "Want to help people in Haiti but don't know how? Here are some options". thetimesnews.com. http://www.thetimesnews.com/news/span-31684-family-arial.html. Retrieved 2010-02-15. 

External links[link]

• Official Website

This article about an American comedian is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Bob Log III
Bob Log III performing in Tempe, AZ
Background information
Origin	Tucson, Arizona, USA
Genres	Rock and roll Lo-fi Experimental rock Slide guitar blues
Occupations	One-man band, musician
Instruments	Slide guitar, drums, singing
Years active	1990 — Present
Labels	Bloat Sympathy for the Record Industry Dropkick Fat Possum Fanboy Epitaph
Associated acts	Doo Rag
Website	www.boblog111.com

Bob Log III is an American slide guitar one-man band. During performances, he plays old Silvertone archtop guitars, wears a full body human cannonball suit, and a motorcycle helmet wired to a telephone receiver, which allows him to devote his hands and feet to guitar and drums. The spectacle has been described as a guitar dance party.

He tours over 150 shows a year in more than 30 countries. Bob Log's version of quick Delta blues is a continuation of the sound that Bob Log and Thermos pioneered in the duo Doo Rag. The major differences are: greater emphasis on guitar showmanship, fingerpicking, and one-man-band-style drumming with his feet. Based in Tucson, Arizona, and Melbourne, Australia, he has made tours of North America, Europe, Japan and Australia, Mexico, and Iceland.

History[link]

Bob Log III playing at the 100 Club in London, England

Bob Log III was born in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Arizona. Growing up, Log listened to musical artists such as AC/DC, Screaming Jay Hawkins, Bo Diddley, Hasil Adkins and Chuck Berry, later commenting that "That's what rock'n'roll is to me. You take a guitar, turn it up, make the ladies dance, and have a good time."^[1] Bob Log got his first guitar at the age of 11, and by the age of 16 he had moved to slide guitar, playing Delta blues, modeling his slide guitar style on that of Mississippi Fred McDowell. Log began his music career recording and touring with Mondo Guano, a four-piece slide guitar, blues, home-made percussion band based in Tucson, Arizona. Upon leaving Mondo Guano, Log went on to perform as one half of the Delta blues rock duo, Doo Rag, with bandmate Thermos Malling.

After six years of making music with Doo Rag, Bob began a solo career, warming up audiences for R. L. Burnside, Blues Explosion, Ween, Franz Ferdinand, and Ani Difranco among others.

Over time, Log acquired a kick-drum and a homemade foot cymbal which he custom-outfitted with a kick pedal of its own. These instruments, combined with his slide guitar work, telephone microphone vocals, and drum machine accompaniment, form the framework on which Bob Log constructs his songs. Log describes his on-stage setup in the song "One Man Band Boom", introducing himself to the audience as, "Bob Log the third, one-man band, Tucson, Arizona. Heyeeeh! Lemme introduce the band to ya. On cymbals, left foot. Over here on the bass drum we got right foot. Shut up! This is my left hand that does all the slide work, right hand does the pickin'. My mouth hole does most of the talkin'. And you're looking at my finger. My finger is an asshole."^[2]

Stage persona[link]

The monkey paw[link]

An early press release from record label Fat Possum claimed Log had a monkey paw grafted on to his wrist after a boating accident as a child. According to Bob Log's artist page at Fat Possum Records: "When Bob Log III was a child, he lost his left hand in a boating accident. It was soon replaced with a monkey paw, and a new guitar style was born. 'It's my own personal style, see,' Log says, 'the paw moves much quicker than a normal hand, so my real hand has to flop around a lot to compensate.'"^[3] When asked to explain Fat Possum's insistence that his right hand is a monkey’s paw, Log replied to an interviewer that, "My hand is just hairy. Very, very hairy. It is NOT a paw. Fat Possum was drunk."^[4] Log further clarified the monkey paw myth in an interview with Bizarre Magazine: "I've got all my limbs. It's just that when I'm playing my guitar my hand moves so fast it looks like a monkey paw, a hairy paw. My hand moves really fast. Faster than a normal human hand."^[5]

Audience participation[link]

During performances Bob Log will often call audience members (both male and female) on stage to sit on his knee while he plays. Log credits years of drumming with his feet for his ability to simultaneously drum and support the weight of multiple people: "My legs are huge now. Sometimes I can get a girl on each knee and bounce 'em along."^[6] Log has distinctively used breasts as a theme in his performance and hired two "professional women" to use their breasts as percussion instruments on his song "Clap Your Tits". Log is quick to point out that all of these acts are carried out between consenting adults and individuals familiar with his brand of humor, stating, "First of all, if you come to my show knowing I've got a song called "Boob Scotch" and you get offended, I'm sorry but I've got to say just get out."^[7]

Eventually, Bob Log added a wireless set-up to his guitar in order to allow him to take part in more active antics about the venues in which he is playing. On a number of occasions, Bob has set sail atop his audience in an inflatable dingy or played portions of his set from the women's washroom. During various shows on his September 2009 UK tour Bob Log would enter/exit the stage whilst playing guitar sitting on top of the shoulders of Russell Gray, lead singer of Russell and The Wolves.

Boob Scotch[link]

One of Bob Log III's more controversial antics is 'Boob Scotch', that is, scotch which has been stirred by a female (or male) breast.^[8] This practice was integrated into the song "Boob Scotch" from the album Log Bomb, in which Bob Log sings "I think we need to sit down and talk, put your boob in my scotch. Come on dip your tit in my drink, stir my scotch with something that's pink."^[9]

Bob Log III often invites audience members to 'make' a Boob Scotch, asking them onstage to dip their breast in his scotch (usually ordered for him by a fan) after which he lifts his helmet slightly and downs the drink. Log has been known to dip his own breast in his scotch, especially in Japan, a modest nation and usually not willing to expose their 'boob'.

Lyrical quotes[link]

• "I'm a professional, God damn it. I live in a car."
• "Ladies and gentlemen's... We've all got boobs people, look between your, your, non-boobs... what you're going to find is a nipple! No matter if you're a man or woman, OR an angry woman."

Quotes about Bob Log III[link]

Tom Waits: "And then there's this guy named Bob Log, you ever heard of him? He's this little kid — nobody ever knows how old he is — wears a motorcycle helmet and he has a microphone inside of it and he puts the glass over the front so you can't see his face, and plays slide guitar. It's just the loudest strangest stuff you've ever heard. You don’t understand one word he's saying. I like people who glue macaroni on to a piece of cardboard and paint it gold. That's what I aspire to basically."^[10]

Discography[link]

Bob Log III[link]

Albums[link]

• School Bus (Fat Possum, 1998)
• Trike (Fat Possum, 1999)
• Live!!! Aloha from Japan (Bloat Records, 2000)
• Log Bomb (Fat Possum Records, 2003)
• My Shit is Perfect (Birdman, Voodoo Rhythm, Bloat Records, 2009)
• Hiram & Huddie Disc 1 - A Tribute to Hank Williams Sr" (Hillgrass Bluebilly Records 2009)

Singles[link]

• "Daddy Log's Drive In Candy Hoppin Car Babes" (Sympathy for the Record Industry)
• "I Want Your Shit On My Leg" (Dropkick)
• "Bubble Strut" (Dropkick)
• "Bump Pow! Bump Bump Bump Pow! Bump Pow! Bump Bump Bump, Baby! Bump Pow! Bump Bump Bump Pow! Bump Pow! Bump Bump Bump" (Munster)

With Doo Rag[link]

Albums[link]

• Chunked & Muddled LP/CD/CS (Bloat Records, 1994, BLT 10048)
• Barber Shop CS (Bloat Records, 1994, BLT #?)
• Doo Rag, What We Do LP/CD (Dependability, 1996, L 45649)

Singles[link]

• "Hussy Bowler" 7" (Westworld, 1993, WW-7)
• "Trudge" 7" (In The Red, 1994, ITR 021)
• "Swampwater Mop Down" 7" (Drunken Fish Records, 1995, DFR-11)
• "Two Tones To Tune" 7" (Discos Alehop!, 1997, hop 014)

Splits[link]

• Sinful Tunes & Spirituals 2x7" (Au-Go-Go, 1998, ANDA 238)

References[link]

• Capper, Andy. "Log Jam", Bizarre Magazine, accessed from Bob Log III Official Website "www.boblog111.com". Accessed June 8, 2007.

• Evert. Bob Log III "www.grunnenrocks.nl". Accessed June 8, 2007.

• Finn, Timothy. "Log Jam", Kansas City Star, accessed from Bob Log III Official Website "www.boblog111.com". Accessed June 8, 2007.

• Williams, Dez. Pixelsurgeon Interview: Bob Log III "www.pixelsurgeon.com". Accessed June 8, 2007.

External links[link]

• Official website
• Live Show with dinghy crowd surfing
• Interview (Dec 2007)