Re: [Paddlewise] How many rolls?

From: <MJAkayaker_at_aol.com>
Subject: [Paddlewise] How many rolls?

Hi Mark and everybody,
This is a topic I´ve found many times here and there. Is rolling necessary?
How many rolls must you know? etc, etc, etc,...
IMHO, any simple technique related to kayaking is important, essential, or
vital, depending on the kind of paddling you practice.

> 1. What are the benefits of having both an onside and offside roll?  Is it
worth the effort?

Is it really that hard to learn ? As an instructor I teached many people to
roll. Male, female, old, young, thin, fat, some learned fast, others longer,
but all of them learned. Learning is not so bad if you have the propper
assistance, so you don´t have to exit, bail and re-enter every time you
fail. If you aren´t properly dressed for the cold then try it in a pool with
warm water. You only have to be comfortable with your kayak and the water,
then the rest is fun. There are many forms to roll a kayak. Try them all and
choose the one you feel more "natural". Then practise it ´till you master
your "good" side (is it "onside"?). Then master your "bad" side ("offside"
?). Once you feel sure you won´t fail try some moderate surf. Then master
rolling in the surf. Here you may realize your technique is no easy so try
another, try them all, and master them all. Then you can say you have a bomb
proof roll.
But you may not be interested in surf, even hate adrenaline flowing in your
brain, and just love peacefully paddling warm flat water close to the coast
in only sunny windless days. Then one roll will probably be enough.

> 2. Is a hand roll really useable in the kind of conditions in which you
would
> likely get turned over?  Would it take an inordiante amount of practice to
develop the hand roll to this point?

Yes it is. This is your last card when eveything fails. But most important.
Learning to hand-roll you learn to loose your hips so rolling, bracing and
everything with your kayak results easy. Once you master your roll you´ll
probably never use it, but don´t fall in the trap and always keep practising
under any situations you can.

> 3. Are there condtions where the so called standard Greenland roll will
not work well? What roll would work better in these condtions?

Who knows how conditions will be out there when you find yourself  in
trouble. This is why I seriously recomend you to master all the technics.
The more you know, the less the chances that all of them fails. Which is the
better ?, that´s up to you, because it depends on your personal
prefferences. After trying them you´ll find some are more "natural" and
easyer to accomplish than others.

> 4. Is there another roll that I should be working on and why?

I´ll suggest the "Pawlatta" as a begining. Then the "screw" or the "C to C"
will work in almost any situation. When planning to start with the hand
roll, try the "KELP" roll, that Scott (KiAyker_at_aol.com) describes so well in
his reply.

Relying in only one rescue technique, wichever it be, is a bad thing, but
rolling is necessary, essential and some times your life depends on it.

Taken from Sea Kayaker magazine, June 99, pages 26 to 31, "Lone Madsen´s
Last Journey", by her friend and trip partner Tore Sivertsen. ( With my most
sincere respect and condolences ):

" .....Neither Lone nor I were experts at doing Eskimo rolls with our
kayaks. We had had several discussions about rolls during our journey. Lone
felt that it would be doubtful that we cou manage to do Eskimo rolls under
demanding conditions with high seas and a heavy load aboard. Personally I
believed then, as I still do it today, that an Eskimo Roll might be your
only hope. .....
...... We had agreed to take an intensive course in rolling after our
expedition. ......."

You don´t have to be in the icy Greenland waters to live such experiences.
This can happen anytime, anywhere. And what´s most important, this can
happen to any of us.

Let´s learn for once !

UNION DE KAYAKISTAS DE TRAVESIA
Fernando López Arbarello
uktkayak_at_interar.com.ar




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