[Paddlewise] Almost as good as the first time!!!

Hit the Alabama River today for a couple hours of fine tuning the basics.
Worked on some 4-star requirements -- braces, rolling, reverse figure
eights, stern rudder moves, etc.  [Getting prepped for some 4-star training
at Tybee Island this coming weekend -- and possible certification!!!]  I hit
every on-side roll -- 30-plus in all -- and then took it one step further.
Managed to pull off my first off-side roll as well!  Not once, but twice!!!
Came up out of the water hootin' and hollerin'!!!  Just don't think the
people back on the bank understood my excitement.  But I did!!!

Interestingly enough, you can miss your roll during the 4-star test and
still pass.  Regardless, I don't plan on taking any chances!!!  And if you
were to ask me if my roll is now bomb-proof, my answer would be, "I don't
know -- and won't until I find myself in another on-the-edge situation.
Then I'll know!"  A few months back I was feeling pretty cocky about my
rolling abilities.  Went for a six-mile night paddle in the Gulf [south of
Panama City, FL]. It was a windy night [8-10 knot winds] with lots of chop!
Not much light, except for a wedge of the moon.  The night had an
unforgettable eerie feel to it, especially considering the fact that this
was my first first nighttime paddle in open water.  And, yes, I was enjoying
every minute of it immmensely.  We were getting ready to hit the beach
through some three-foot breakers.  In the near pitch dark I put down my
paddle [tethered to the boat] started fumbling around with my headlamp.
Didn't want to lose it and was trying to wedge it down under my PFD.  But it
was too late.  Got broadsided by a wave and capsized in the surf.  For some
odd reason, I got a little "stage fright."  As I was fumbling around under
there I grabbed for paddle and it suddenly hit the sandy bottom.  Instead of
setting up for a roll like I should have, I frantically tried to right my
boat by pushing the paddle into the sand and raising my self up and out of
the water.  It didn't work -- got pummeled by another wave -- and wound up
bailing out in the surf.  The only good news here is I managed to save the
headlamp!  Needless to say, I swore to myself later that night that the next
time anything like that happend again I would be ready and the outcome would
be different --even in the dark of night!  Guess we'll just have to wait and
see!

Hope everyone had a fine weekend!

Jim Tynan
Pike Road AL


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