Swift water rescue sled and method

A rescue sled to be deployed in water and maneuvered by an operator to rescue an individual floating in the water, said rescue sled including a body having a top, a bottom and opposite ends, and comprising:

• an anchor line having a first end attached to the top of said body, said anchor line running along the top and then along the bottom of said body, said anchor line also having an opposite free end extending outwardly from the bottom of said body and adapted to be tied to an anchor located outside the water in which the rescue sled is deployed;
• a stationary steering line extending laterally across the bottom of said body between the opposite sides of said body, located between the front end and rear end thereof;
• and
• an anchor line pulley and a steering line pulley coupled to one another below the bottom of said body, said anchor line bending around said anchor line pulley, and said steering line pulley lying on said stationary steering line and riding over said steering line towards one of the opposite sides of said body in response to the operator shifting his weight towards the one of said sides so that the rescue sled is steered towards the individual in need of being rescued.

A method for operating a rescue sled in water to enable an operator of the rescue sled to rescue an individual floating in the water, wherein said rescue sled includes a body having a front end, a rear end, a top, a bottom and opposite sides, said method comprising the steps of:

• attaching a first end of an anchor line to the top of said body;
• attaching a stationary steering line laterally across the bottom of said body between the opposite sides located between the front end and the rear end thereof;
• running said anchor line along the top of said body towards said front, and then coupling the anchor line to the steering line below said body;
• deploying the rescue sled in the water in which the individual to be rescued is floating;
• tying the opposite end of said anchor line to an anchor located outside the water in which the rescue sled is deployed;
• and
• steering the rescue sled towards the floating individual by the operator shifting his weight towards one of the opposite sides of the body for causing the anchor line to correspondingly move relative to said stationary steering line towards the one of said sides.