I learned to hand roll on my old Sea Lion after I had developed a 100% dependable paddle roll. I made two small (6" x 8"?) wooden rectangles out of thin scrap wood with finger holes. I learned the hand technique first with both, then with one in either hand, then I moved on to pure hands. The Dutky book is very helpful at this stage. I did the same to teach my 17-year old daughter how to hand roll the same boat a few years ago. (She's on the small side and that boat is relatively large for her!) For me the key is not neglecting the layback. Don't overlook the importance of fitting your boat to your size with minicell. I agree that this is usually a party trick, albeit one that teaches other micro-skills that come in handy. One time when it actually was useful was when I was in rough water on Lake Michigan, congratulating myself for having gotten through a nasty surf and admiring the big waves rolling toward me. This was in the days when I sometimes carried only one paddle. You know what happened next. When the rogue six-footer dumped me unawares, snatching my paddle, I felt comfortable enough with my ability to roll with hands that, upside down, my eyes closed behind useless glasses, I deliberated whether to right myself immediately without the paddle and look for it on the surface or whether to feel around in the water for my paddle. Did the latter, found it, concluded that maybe physics keeps lost paddles close to a boat for a few seconds, and kept a tighter grip on the loom for the rest of the day. Sometimes we learn from doing stupid things. I always practice my hand roll and I always bring two paddles. TFJ ------------------------------------------ The information contained in this e-mail message may be privileged, confidential, and protected from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, any further disclosure or use, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this message or any attachment is strictly prohibited. If you think that you have received this e-mail message in error, please delete it and notify the sender. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Fri Nov 08 2002 - 07:20:44 PST
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