RE: [Paddlewise] re-enter & roll, what works for me.

Okay, let me add my two cents on this one.  And it comes from a geographic
bias - Australia - albeit I am living in the States for a short while.

One method that is used reasonably extensively is to re-enter and roll,
attach the spray skirt and use an electric pump to extract the water.
Advantages: hands free, so you can paddle away from the conditions that
tipped you in the first place; very quick and you don't need a whole lot of
expensive products requiring storage and time to set/blow up.

To answer Doug's question about a paddle leash: I use one.  When I am upside
down having pulled myself into the cockpit (two hands required, I can lean
forward and grab the leash, pull the paddle to me, set up and roll up.  My
thoughts are not to rush it.

I use an Attwood battery operated pump (3 x D cells) which I secure behind
my seat.  One push of the button and the pump starts, thread the hose up
through the sprayskirt and out the water goes.  I also use the pump to
extract the water out of our kids wading pool.  It has proved itself on
numerous occasions.  You can look at Laurie Ford's web page for a detailed
description of a fixed electric pump
(http://www.tassie.net.au/~lford/index.htm#links
<http://www.tassie.net.au/~lford/index.htm#links>  ).  

For a detailed look at the problem of getting water out of a flooded
cockpit, take a gander at the article by Andrew Eddy on the NSW SKC web page
at http://www.nswseakayaker.asn.au/mag/35/pumps1.html
<http://www.nswseakayaker.asn.au/mag/35/pumps1.html>  and the one other one
is about the use of foot pumps described by Norm Sanders at
http://www.nswseakayaker.asn.au/mag/35/pumps2.html
<http://www.nswseakayaker.asn.au/mag/35/pumps2.html>  

The essence of this method is the strong emphasis on paddling skills and the
ability to re-enter and roll.  This ability is often the focus of club
paddles and training days.  But then our water is (generally) so much
warmer.....

Regards,

Damon Howes
Yorktown, VA

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