Re: [Paddlewise] Real life rolling

At 06:24 AM 5/18/2004 -0400, SNStone_at_aol.com wrote:
>Well if you are paddling solo and go over you have a few options: roll,
>re-entry and roll, paddlefloat entry; cowboy entry, swim, pray for someone 
>to come
>by. I really do not know how someone could dismiss a roll as a real like self
>recovery technique.

There really isn't any good reason for not learning how to roll, with the 
caveat that, one should not rely on being able to roll in lieu of learning 
other self-rescue skills.

Someone asked a similar question to Nigel Dennis at the Atlantic Kayak 
Tours symposium a few years ago.  The person asked him how often he's had 
to roll while out in "real" conditions.  He answered that he pretty much 
never rolls unless he has intentionally capsized because his bracing skills 
are at a level where he doesn't completely capsize.  Part of that is 
recognizing and avoiding conditions that would cause a complete capsize for 
someone with really good bracing skills.



>Perhaps this person has not read Chris Duff's Southern Exposure, his book on
>a solo navigation of New Zealand. He was knocked over a number of time in
>rough conditions and came up "smiling" each time. Had he not been able to 
>roll in
>these conditions he could very well have been seriously injured or died.

It should also be mentioned that on his most recent expedition there was a 
time when one of his paddling partners was getting knocked over a number of 
times in rough conditions and eventually came out of his 
boat.  Fortunately, we was paddling with someone that was proficient in 
assisted rescues, including towing, so he's still smiling today.  The 
ironic thing is that a few month earlier this person was assessing my roll 
in a BCU assessment and gave me a pass even though I missed a roll.  It was 
at the end of a long grueling day, and I was having a difficult time 
capsizing into the wind (conditions had gone beyond the 3 star testing 
level), and a bit of air in my drysuit didn't make it any easier.  He said, 
"don't wear yourself out,  I've seen you roll lots of times".
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