[Paddlewise] Off-side roll and Eskimo rescue

Well, I finally did it!
I did an off-side screw roll in my Chesapeake!  I did a lot of pool
rolling this winter in a whitewater boat, and can do about 6 types of
rolls on either side, but until yesterday, I was limited to an on-side
screw roll in my sea kayak.

I took a friend out for his first time in a kayak to the local
reservoir.  We paddled about 1.5 miles in and then sat around watching
waterfowl and shore birds (he didn't realize it, but I was working up
the nerve to fill my sinuses with water), and over-I-went!

I haven't even done an onside in my sea kayak since April, and then I
failed the last roll in a series of 4, so I was pretty stoked to just
pull one off without a hitch.  I then fell over to the other side and
came back up on an offside!  I did 2 rolls on either side, before I
remembered that I had my swim mask on the back deck, so I put it on and
did 5 or 6 more to both sides and then tried some hand rolls.  Which
didn't work.

Anyhow, I had my buddy positioned so that he could eskimo rescue me if
my handroll failed.  In the process of handrolling, I was "crawling" my
boat toward him, and by the time I'd failed 2-3 times, he hadn't moved,
but his boat was right in the right place for me to grab and pull up.

I was wrong in my earlier statement about getting "pierced" by the sharp
bow of a sea kayak.  I found that when I was in handroll setup position,
my body was about 2' out from the boat, (arms even farther), and I could
feel the other boat well before the bow of his boat hit me or my boat. 
It might still be dangerous in rougher seas, or if your partner is a
real "quick accelerator", but is probably the best aide you can have in
pond or pool practice.

I did find though, that when I complete a screw roll, that my paddle has
dived about 2' under the surface.  I was very conscious of my blade
angle, so this leads me to believe that I'm relying (too much?) heavily
on my paddle sweep rather than on my "leg drive" (hip snap).  Does
anyone have any suggestions, or am I doing as well as could be hoped
with a wide (24.5" beam) boat with hard chines and a high deck?

I hope to have 3-5 more practice sessions in (2-3 with a fully-loaded
boat) before I head for the coast next month.  Other than loading the
heavier stuff down low, any tips on rolling a loaded boat?

Shawn

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