[Paddlewise] Third Kayak Lesson: the problems of stability

Dear Paddlewise:

Jacqueline and I had our third kayak lesson on Friday in Hertzeliyyah.  It
was a three-hour lesson in which we practiced what I believe is called the
T-Rescue: rescuer takes rescuee's kayak bow-first, and empties it; rescuer
holds rescuee kayak while rescuee climbs into his/her kakak, between the
two kayaks.  Our teacher, Omer, does not teach the paddlefloat rescue,
which I have learned about on Paddlewise.  He believes in kayaking in
pairs, and learning how to roll.  Apparently this is how they are trained
in BCU courses.

One of the best things I learned this time was the low brace.  Ever since
the beginning of the course, I have not felt very stable, and had tipped
out twice.  However, I have since discovered that consciously slightly
increasing the pressure on the feet and thigh braces helps a lot in
achieving stability.  We are using NDK Romany 18 kayaks, which I understand
are considered high-performance, unstable, and ones for which knowing how
to brace well is essential.  Learning this brace was very helpful because I
could see how it could right the kayak quite well in an emergency
situation.  The trick is, of course, having this become instinctive.  If
it's not, it won't work.

We also practiced more surfing, in about two foot surf.  We learned how to
ride the wave in, and when the boat turns (broaches?),  to brace on the wave.

After three lessons, I am realizing that to get confident and go out on my
own, I will need a LOT more practice.   This is a  bit discouraging because
I think it will take a long time to be proficient and self-sufficient.  My
wife, however (ladies, pay attention!) is a lot quicker study than I, and
seems to be progressing faster.

We have our last lesson next Friday, and I can't wait to see if I can solve
my "stabilty" problems.

Josh (in Ra`anana, Israel, where the water temperature is  65 degrees)

==============================================================================
Dr. Joshua Teitelbaum, Research Fellow               Tel: [972] 3-640-6448
Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and        Fax: [972] 3-641-5802
  African Studies                                                       
Tel Aviv University
Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv 69978  Israel
E-mail:teitelba_at_ccsg.tau.ac.il
www.dayan.org
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