The T-rescue is one of the basic flatwater and mild current rescue techniques for an open canoe. The goal is to end with an empty canoe with the open side up. The unfortunate swimmers can then re-enter their canoe.

Important for this technique is to make sure that the swimmers always keep contact with one of the two canoes. Having wind or waves working on the canoes can easily cause a swimmer to be quite a distance from the canoe. Depending on which technique you are using and how strong you are, they might assist you in the rescue, or hold on to the rescueing canoe.

To start this rescue type, the boat that is to be rescued must be upside down, open side down. You'll notice here the advantage, or sometimes absolute need, to have some flotation built into the boat.

The books start from a nice 90° position where you have to lift the bow or stern of the other canoe out of the water. I personally prefer to start more or less parallel. This has the advantage that it's more stable and it's easier to break the water seal. Most of the time  you don't need assistance of the swimmer either.

Once you've broken the water seal, you can move to the 90° position of both boats, and you shift the to be rescued canoe over your boat until it's in the middle, both ends are at an equal distance of the gunwales of your boat.

The canoe that is to be rescued, is now completely empty. It's time to roll it over to get it with the open side up. You pull at the gunwale that is closest at your body and you flip the boat in such a way that you can look into the canoe before it's lying with the open side up.  The position of both canoes is not changing.

Once the canoe is empty and the open side up, you can gently slide it into the water, ready for a re-entry: