Re: [Paddlewise] Folding Kayak Roll

At 10:58 AM 2/12/99 -0800, you wrote:
The real issue is not whether you can roll a folding kayak...you
>can certainly do so as what I term a circus act...but rather whether it
>is a viable and reliable self-rescue routine in real life situations and
>not just in a pool or on demo beach.
>as I read the Who We Are series of bios from the
>group, I am struck by the number of people in hardshells who don't
>roll.  I would be happy to stand corrected on this, but eyeballing the
>responses it would look like maybe half of the hardshellers on the list
>do not roll.
>
>at dinner a show of hands was made regarding
>who rolled, who had bombproof rolls, who had just learned to roll, etc. 
>The figures were high because this was a dedicated group...I think 25
>per cent or so claimed a bombproof roll and I believe it; and some 70
>per cent or more could roll.  My guess is that if this is what a highly
>dedicated group can do that then the more general population of paddlers
>is well below these kinds of abilities.  Just a seat-of-the-pants
>observation from being around a lot of different people from different
>parts of the country: most hardshell sea kayakers do not know how to
>roll and that those with bombproof rolls are in the low single digits in
>percentage terms.


Hi Ralph,
I completely agree with you about the desirability of a roll for much
sea-kayaking, and the utter necessity of it for "extreme" sea kayaking.
Nevertheless, as I've noted before, by conservatively choosing time and
place, it would be possible to paddle a lifetime without ever capsizing, if
you're willing to live within the restrictions that places on you.

I also think you're probably right that most sea kayakers cannot roll.
However, some thoughts about your "survey": As pollsters know, much depends
on the terms you use in asking the question. "Bombproof" might be construed
to mean "Nothing the ocean and weather could ever throw at me could stop me
from rolling"-not a claim many paddlers of much experience would make.
Maybe the percentage would have been higher if you had defined bombproof as
"I can roll in any conditions I will ever find myself at sea in."
I've become more conservative in rating my roll over the years, partially
as a result of some spinal problems, but also because I've been at sea in
wilder conditions, and been humbled by it. So I now refer to my roll as
"reliable" or "strong" rather than "bombproof". I suspect there could well
be a similar lock-step with your poll sample: as high-end paddlers, their
skill level is high, but with this greater experience has come greater
awareness of just what the sea can do, so their "self-rating" stays the
same or possibly even declines a bit.

Cheers,
 
Philip T.
N49°16' W123°08' 
"The opinions expressed in this posting are not necessarily those of my
employer, or indeed, of any sentient being."
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