[Paddlewise] the "bombproof" roll

Dear Paddlewiser's,

  Not to cast aspersions on anyone's technique (because I know there are
many paddlers on this list with far greater skills than I may ever hope
to achieve - and I mean that quite seriously), but can anyone really
claim to have a "bombproof" roll?  I came to sea kayaking from a
whitewater paddling background and must say that while I've paddled with
some VERY good paddlers I've never met anyone who had never taken a
swim.  In the large part many (most?) sea kayakers may never encounter
the same types of violent, unpredictable forces that WW can produce, but
I'm still somewhat skeptical of this whole concept of, "my roll's so
reliable that I'll never have to swim".  I'm not trying to challenge
anyone, but rather asking folks to really evaluate the concept and their
skills.  I've been thrashed, trashed, chewed on, and fortunately spit
up, by waters that had the capacity to kill me.  Blind faith in my
skills would have resulted in exactly that end.  I guess what I'm trying
to remind folks of is that faith in one's skills may (and should be!) a
great source of confidence, but to also remember that the forces of
nature, in the end, can many times far surpass man's skills.
  There's a quote in the front of Derek Hutchinson's book, "The Complete
Book of Sea Kayaking" that goes like this, "A man who is not afraid of
the sea will soon be drowned, he said, for he will be going out on a day
he shouldn't.  But we do be afraid of the sea, and we do only be drowned
now and again." - original quote from John Millington Synge - "The Aran
Islands"
  It's very important to be able to self rescue in a wide range of
conditions (and I'm a firm believer in the concept of self rescue being
the first, best, and only truly reliable rescue) but don't put all your
eggs in the "I can roll" basket.....

Paddle Wisely My Friends,
Dave Seng
Juneau, Alaska
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