Despite my success at rolling practice lately, I'm aware that rolling in real life is another matter. I'm sure upon my next unexpected capsize, I'll try to fall back on the steps I use in practice: #1. put on goggles and nose plugs--oops, those probably aren't going to be very helpful! Problem is, I don't capsize unless I'm playing in the surf and unfortunately, most of my kayaking doesn't include surf play. I was wondering, with the list being so quiet, maybe some one out there would like to share their tales of unexplained capsizes and rolling success!?! *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Mark wrote: >I was wondering, with the list being so quiet, maybe some >one out there would like to share their tales of >unexplained capsizes and rolling success!?! G'Day Not much of a story but all my best rolls were done when I needed them, usually in the surf, and my worst when I was practising and thinking how to do them. Suspect that the practice and thinking are a necessary part of the whole process. But why is it that I can do perfect sweep rolls when I'm accidentally trashed in the surf according to onlookers, and yet when I try to do them deliberately in flat water, five times out of ten they will fail and I have to revert to a Pawlatta? Wish they would work to order - clearly a huge amount yet to learn! All the best, PeterO *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Years ago I went out on the Savannah river hear in Georgia USA for a calm winter paddle. I put in and paddled upriver to look for beaver and otter. While cruising a very calm stretch I did a lazy bow rudder draw to reposition myself for a better look down into the water at some turtles. Well it was a bit too lazy and what little current there was took my Euro blade right under the bow and flipped me. I rolled up and cursed a bit at my stupidity but was pleased with having the ability to roll. No cheering crowds or pat on the back greeted me on my return to the world above. I had simply earned another shot at enjoying life. >> I was wondering, with the list being so quiet, maybe some one out >> there would like to share their tales of unexplained capsizes and >> rolling success!?! *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Hi Mark, Success story - I think it was the 2nd time I had ever had my storm paddle in the water. We were finishing up a trip and I decided to try a few strokes with the storm. I was trying to do a sweep and really got the angle wrong and pulled myself right over. I had never tried to roll with the storm but luckily I stayed composed enough to try and much to my surprise managed to roll right back up. Failure story - I was wind-wave surfing out in the bay in a borrowed kayak. I held onto a down wave rudder too long and the kayak slipped down the wave and tripped over the paddle. That was the quickest (without warning) capsize I ever experienced. With help nearby and not being too sure about wet exit in a strange kayak I bailed without even trying to roll. One of the rolling instructors I had in an advanced rolling class said that once you get fairly confident in your roll you should never practice by setting up. I do not strictly follow that advice, but I do try to do some practice rolls without setting up. I like to set up on the opposite side from the roll I plan to do and then capsize. Interesting to have to sit up, rotate paddle across to other side and then set up from upside down. Another one I like is putting the paddle behind your cockpit and holding it with both hands as you capsize. Have to let go with one hand and maneuver the paddle around with just one hand before setting up. This works good with an unfeather paddle where you can put both blades edge-on to the water. Might get undo stress on shoulders if blade hits the water flat and causes your arm to lift up behind you. I did this once, but just let go with that hand so had no problem. Laying back as flat as you can on the rear deck before capsizing is go! od practice as it is easy to get "pinned" back like that if you capsize in surf. Another very practical drill the instructor suggested was stowing your paddle just as you would while resting or getting a drink (including having the bottle in your hand) and then capsizing. Some of the students decided to change the way they stored the paddle while resting because they had so much trouble getting the paddle loose or had it swing out of reach when they capsized. Of course there is the throw away the paddle, capsize, and use the spare (or half spare) to roll up. I think that is an important skill to have available at least until you have a bombproof hand roll. Mark (the other Mark) Arnold -----Original Message----- >From: Mark Sanders <sandmarks_at_ca.rr.com> > >Despite my success at rolling practice lately, I'm aware that rolling in >real life is another matter. I'm sure upon my next unexpected capsize, I'll >try to fall back on the steps I use in practice: #1. put on goggles and nose >plugs--oops, those probably aren't going to be very helpful! > >Problem is, I don't capsize unless I'm playing in the surf and >unfortunately, most of my kayaking doesn't include surf play. > >I was wondering, with the list being so quiet, maybe some one out there >would like to share their tales of unexplained capsizes and rolling >success!?! *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
I always put on my nose plugs for rolling practice, and if I forget them, I always regret it. But I make it a practice not to use them surfing or running rapids (NB: WW surfing is a different story), as i think that sets up a negative mindset. If I end up doing a combat roll, I never suffer from a nasal douche. Don't know why. Steve -- Steve Cramer Athens, GA http://www.savvypaddler.com *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
on 24/1/08 14:12, Mark Sanders at sandmarks_at_ca.rr.com wrote: > > I was wondering, with the list being so quiet, maybe some one out there > would like to share their tales of unexplained capsizes and rolling > success!?! Not unexplained, but here's a couple that were unexpected: Years ago, while taking a beginner course, we had stopped for lunch and I had applied more sun screen. On leaving the beach one of the students asked me something, which I didn't hear so I did a hanging draw to close in to his kayak. My hand, slick with sun screen, slid up the vertical paddle shaft and I dropped straight into the water. After the world's fastest roll I asked him what he had said, trying to pretend that nothing out of the ordinary had happened. His strange look confirmed that it had! Another time, while being an assessed for a guide's qualification, I had to rescue a double kayak, while being timed. I was presented with two paddlers hanging onto their upside down, enormous, kayak while an assessor floated close by, beady eyes, notebook and stopwatch ready. Both of the "victims" were also assessors, just to add to the pressure. The time started as soon as I made contact with the situation and so I made visual and verbal contact, etc, glided in on a draw, and ordered them to assist me to right their beast. As they helped I reached over and grabbed the deck lines and pulled. At this point they both stopped helping and let go, part of their role as cold-effected, my hand slipped on the freshly polished fibreglass and I was upside down with my paddle floating somewhere in the mess. Cursing silently (I was upside down!) I found my paddle, orientated and rolled up, only to do it too fast and go straight over the over side. Once again I tried, only for the same thing to happen. Third time, on the same breath, I slowed down and did a textbook sweep roll, coming up on a low brace. Looking over I saw three assessors laughing fit to bust, before in a blink they regained composure and assumed their roles. I muddled through the rest of the scenario, going well over time. I passed the course, despite failing this part, as my grace (!) under pressure was deemed to be significant. Cheers JKA -- John Kirk-Anderson Banks Peninsula NEW ZEALAND *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
John's story reminded me of the time i was doing an instructor update at Tybee Island. I was designated as the disabled paddler and was draped across the bow of an IT's boat, facing him, boats parallel bow to stern. Another instructor was clipped to his bow and assigned to tow us out through the break line, poor sod. So I'm being dragged backwards through 3' surf (Hey, it's Georgia, OK?). IT asks me if I want him to warn me before the next wave hits. No need, I tell him, I'm just watching your eyes and when they get real big, I hold on tighter. My paddle is tucked securely under my left arm, away from his boat. IT says "You're wearing coconut oil sunscreen." Me: "Yeah, how did you know?" IT: "I can taste it when the wave comes over." Anyhow, at some point the boats diverged at the ocean side end and i lost my grip. All of a sudden I was being supported by, umm, nothing. OK, where's the paddle? Got it. Roll back up. And discover that the tower hadn't noticed any difference and I had been left all alone. Hey, wait up! Steve -- Steve Cramer Athens, GA http://www.savvypaddler.com *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
These are all great stories... and I'm enjoying Mark's ongoing and quasi-legendary search for his own perfect roll. Keep up the good work. I was on the lake in front of our house yesterday and slipped and damn near broke my butt when I landed. I had a good roll though. Years ago my wife and I were invited along on a "beginner's" trip down the Deschutes River in northern Oregon; only 4 or 5 hours away from our farm. The rest of the crew was from the Pasco-Kennewick-Richland (Tri Cities) area where the Hanford nuclear laboratory has raised the average intelligence to one of the highest levels in the USA. Too bad I live on the north side of the Saddle Mtns. from the nuclear labs... but I digress... Most of the Deschutes north of Maupin, OR is a very technical ride and about half of the paddlers were expert w/w kayakers; the rest were either intermediate or beginner. The run selected was one the experts wanted to run and the rest of us were too ignorant to know better. My wife opted to ride one of the catarafts piloted by one of the wives of the experts. A wise decision, as it turned out. We put in on a quiet section and floated down into a canyon and almost immediately into class III water. No problems and on to the next section which looked pretty easy from the top. I yelled to one of the experts about a good line and he yelled back, "You're good... right down the middle." Well about then I went into the biggest hole I'd ever seen. I was so shocked I froze... no brace, no roll, nothing and went right over. Swam out and tugged the boat (an old 11 foot Dagger) to shore. Lesson learned: don't be surprised to find the river different than the experts describe it. On the same trip another beginner, in an RPM, capsized downstream in about 8 inches of water over a bottom made up of softball-sized rocks. He couldn't roll and he couldn't swim out. He just kept bumping downstream trying to fend off the bottom with an outstretched hand. If one of his hands had gotten caught between rocks there would have been a high probability of a broken wrist... or worse! Two of us positioned ourselves downstream of him and let him run into us so he could use our decks to right himself. Lesson learned: shallow water is not always the safest water. My wife, on the cataraft, complained after the trip was over that she "got splashed once" during the trip. Lesson learned: a technical and wet ride in a kayak can be a boring trip in a cataraft. I may have told these stories before. It's hard to tell at my age. <grin> Craig Jungers Moses Lake, WA *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
A number of years ago I did a trip to Anacapa Island, a small island about 12 miles off the coast of Southern California, with a couple of buddies. As it turned out, Ed Gilliet was taking some people over at the same time, so we just combined the two two groups and crossed together. About four hours later we all arrived at the landing cove, which requires each paddler to climb out of their boat, one at a time, and up a steel rung ladder to the top of the dock, perhaps ten or twelve feet above the water. Ropes were lowered and fastened to the ends of the kayak, and then the kayak was pulled up by two people to the top of the dock. It's a long, laborious process, but all part of the adventure. I had set up along the dock to help each paddler exit their boat, and then tie the ropes to the ends of the kayaks in preparation for the lift. This was all made more difficult by a constant surge washing through the landing cove raising and lowering the boats by five or six feet with each wave. At one point I suddenly felt my boat began to lean, and before I even knew what was happening I was under water! Apparently my rudder, which was up on the boat at the time, had been cocked to the side, and as a surge in the sea came in and lifted the boat, the rudder had gotten caught between the rungs of one of the steel ladders that extended down into the water from the top of the dock, and I was simply levered into a capsize. As I realized what had happened I tried to set up to roll, only to find that I kept hitting the hulls of the other boats crowded around me to the point that I could not even get my paddle out of the water. So I switched to roll up on the other side and did not have enough room between myself and the dock to get my paddle out. Refusing to come out of the boat I opened my eyes underwater to see what I could see, and lo and behold, right beside me was one of the docks ladders! So I dropped my paddle, and while still seated in my boat, I climbed hand over hand up the ladder until I was once again upright. I then looked over at Ed, who was sitting calmly in his boat only a couple of feet away grinning from ear to ear and he commented "nice job of scrapping." Gee, thanks Ed :-) Scott So.Cal. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
[Please remove all old content that is not pertinent to your reply including old headers and footers. It's list policy.... this post was modified to meet policy] I had finally cracked my roll (self taught) and in my joy I started to roll over and over and over.... It was so easy! So graceful! Then on one of my "up" occasions I noticed an old lady frantically swimming in my direction. Thinking that she was either in trouble or something with large teeth was after her I stayed upright and waited for her. Shortly her head pops up next to me spluttering and gasping out "Are you alright? It looked like you were in trouble?" Talk about ego deflation..... Cheers Grant *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
I've only capsized once when I wasn't expecting it. It was during the first cold water immersion excursion of the Inland Sea Kayakers club. We we playing around on Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis in April, and a strong northerly wind made the air colder than the water. One kayaker had deliberately capsized for rescue practice and, being just about the closest kayaker to him, I was edging my boat for a sweep turn in his direction when another kayak ran into my kayak on the other side. Overbalanced, I immediately went over, but just as immediately I rolled back up and continued over to the rescuee. I was a bit surprised to discover that rolling back up took no thought at all; I just did it. Chuck Holst *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
OK, here is my second rolling story - I'll call it, "combat rolling 101." Several years ago I did a camping trip with my family to Jalama State beach here in sunny Southern California. I had never been there before and didn't really know what to expect, but just in case I brought my brand new Perception Sabre along (that should be a clue as to just how many years ago this took place). When we arrived I was amazed by the surf that was going off there. It was ten to twelve foot faces coming in at about six second intervals stacked one on top of another without any lulls whatsoever - awesome! Unfortunately I could see right off that these waves were beyond what me and my new kayak could handle so I was forced to remain on the beach watching the handful of board surfers attempting to ride them. As I sat on the beach watching the surf I would imagine myself on each wave and try to figure out just what I might be able to do on it if I were actually out there. Before long I managed to convince myself that it just might actually be doable. It was a really steep and fast wave that would require a quick ride - maybe two quick drops down the face at the most before I would need to get off of it. The longer I watched the more convinced I became that I could handle it. Finally I decided I was going in. The huge break was very localized, so by launching a little further down the beach I was able to avoid going out through the worst of it. Once out I paddled around to where the biggest waves were, and I immediately found myself in the perfect takeoff position of a large building wave. Almost by instinct rather then rational thought I began paddling down it, and in the next instant I was literally flying! I did a quick drop down the face with a slow bottom turn, back up the face again for another quick drop at speeds I had never imagined possible in a kayak. One more bottom turn and then back up to the top of the face again - and that's when I made my big mistake. Lured by the sheer exhilaration of the ride I got greedy and went for one more drop down it's face. No sooner had I began then I realized I had screwed up! I attempted to pull in the reins and climb back over the wave, but I could see the top of the wave was beginning to curl over. The only other option was to try to race out in front of the wave to avoid the "green guillotine" that was lingering overhead. But by this time the wave was so steep that when I tried to point the boat down wave it threatened to bury it's bow! I had no choice but to let the boat climb back up the wave until I literally dropped off the lip in a mid air free fall. The bone jarring landing was not nearly as bad as the ton of bricks that hit me next, and the ensuing magtag. After being seriously thrashed I managed to get my bearings and rolled up - right into the face of the next breaking wave! I was beaten up a second time, after which I rolled back up again into yet another breaking wave. On my third attempt to roll I discovered that the end of the paddle I was trying to roll up on was gone! So I switched to the other side of the boat and rolled up using the half of paddle I had left - into another breaking wave. "Screw this," I declared to myself and I dropped my paddle, pulled my skirt and did a wet exit. Once out of the boat I discovered that I was only in waist deep water which allowed me to run up the beach to avoid getting mugged by any more waves. I found my boat waiting for me on the sand, and I never did find any of the pieces of my paddle. Scott So.Cal. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
> I was wondering, with the list being so quiet, maybe some one out there > would like to share their tales of unexplained capsizes and rolling > success!?! I was out storm paddling a few years ago, winter, rough, bleak, cold; I had to cross the open mouth of a bay - one with outgoing currents, with co-committant eddies abounding from the proximity of a tide race nearby. I normally avoid this scenario, as a capsize might lead to an unplanned offshore excursion-detour should I bail and end up in the water, somehow unable to reenter. I was confident in my roll and re-enter abilities, but how confident is one really? I was in a position to call for help if things went really south, though another call to the Coasties would be a strike three for me at the time, so not something I wanted to contemplate. I started surfing the following seas, buoyed by the exhilaration and incredibly fast progress across the perilous portion of the passage. As the waves grew bigger, I started looking backwards, overly obsessed with each hissing, tumbling open-water breaker looming from behind. The Nordkapp has a "sweet-spot" for tippiness at certain wave angles from astern when one shifts their balance backwards to look behind - especially, as one shifts their balance backwards to look behind... My normal modus operandi is to focus forward, relying on the boat to see me through these annoyingly more vertically oriented breaks, maybe every 20 to 30 seconds or so. It's not a matter of ignoring the problem, nor one of some kind of paddling Zen thing, but rather an issue of just trusting a well-designed sea kayak, trusting your muscle memory with your paddle always ready for a corrective brace where cognition of balance and the calculus of paddle-placement are instinctual by simple result of long-term circumstance exposure, and staying focused on the holes that open in front of you - ones that can burry the bow and could trip you up if you weren't careful. But I let the elements at play - the psychology of fear, the pull of uncertainty a solo paddler faces as things ramped up toward the middle of the bay with evening approaching, and the sweeping sense of being imminently overwhelmed (seas were passing the gnarly stage for me by then) to swerve me from my usual state of insentience that needs some retention to stay relaxed at the hips and create grace-like attributes of flexibility and flow. I was showing the fanged dog my fear. And I knew it was happening. And I still kept looking back. Being the typical obtuse gear-head, I remember whishing I had a cyclist-like rear-view mirror on my glasses. It wasn't long before I felt that momentary suspension of hull and water, then the sudden plunge forward. My paddle sliced the icy sea at the wrong angle, and over I went, the rictus of indignation opening my mouth to the briny tange of west-coast water. Immune to the immediate shock of the cold water (no paucity of immersion gear with this boy), I nevertheless freaked out, thinking ahead to other swims I had taken where dependency of one's own resources had been tested to the limits. However, I rolled back up just fine after a momentary pause to set up my roll - a pause that took two decades to perfect, perfunctorily; a pause that saves lives - saves at least a cold, wet-ass swim - a pause that can too easily be left out of the bombproof roll equation. I turned back into the waves, my cold eyelids burning in the unabated brashness of the northerly breeze, then went "wave-jumping" for a few minutes to regain my composed bravado that gonzo paddlers purposely perfect to help them get on with the job at hand whenever risk, reward, and probability metrics can't be reconciled logically. In the end, it's what a kayaker doesn't know that they don't know that can kill them. What we do know that we know and what we do know that we don't know can keep us alive. I went out for a few weeks after that, and practiced flipping over on the fly in steep following seas until the roll back to vertical was incorporated into the actual paddle stroke. Now that gets a little more Zen-like. Something to aim for, maybe. Or get a more stable boat. Or maybe stay out of steep following seas :-) Doug Lloyd *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Once upon a time, I loaded a helmet between my legs in the cockpit of a fairly close fitting kayak, with a small cockpit opening, then headed out through surf. I got swatted over, and found the helmet had dropped into a jamming position, such that a wet-exit didn't seem possible. This situation provided a powerful incentive to roll, which I did, and came up very chastened about my own stupidity. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
I'm always tempted to put my helmet in my cockpit but don't for just that reason. Thanks for confirming my fear! -----Original Message----- On Behalf Of Peter Treby Once upon a time, I loaded a helmet between my legs in the cockpit of a fairly close fitting kayak, with a small cockpit opening, then headed out through surf. I got swatted over, and found the helmet had dropped into a jamming position, such that a wet-exit didn't seem possible. This situation provided a powerful incentive to roll, which I did, and came up very chastened about my own stupidity. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
What a great thread!! Missed rolls, made rolls, perfected rolls, old lady rescues, reasons NOT to put a helmet in your cockpit and, best of all, a post from Doug Lloyd. Mark... you did good. :) Craig Jungers Moses Lake, WA *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
There I was, staring at the great Lava Falls in the Grand Canyon, Gee ain't I been good to you, Lord (?), I thought with a glance skyward. A couple of the guys went down the rapid while we were on the river left scout. It looked gnarly. Start right, punch a V wave, move center, but DO NOT go near the ledge hole in the middle, punch another V wave, then another, move left and eddy out before the tail waves and that stiff looking hole at the bottom. No problem....ya right. My wife was in good keeping Alistair had her follow him. As a former World's slalom champ he would make the line and she would follow. I decided to venture on my own, a decision that I was to regret. I made the entrance on?the right, punched the V wave (which was huge) but did not go left as much as I needed and got caught in a hole kinda thing on the right, went over and set up to roll. I came up and was buried by a really big wave very quickly. Went over again, came up but someone said I picked my head up too soon, damn these big waves. Set up as I coasted into the big pillow wave on the bottom right hand rock which I later decided was among the more violent experiences I ever had in a kayak. Set up to roll again and as I came up in the tailwaves a mate of mine knocked me back over, I learned later, as he was going for a rescue. I came back up, yet again but couldn't move the boat. My roll doesn't suck this much, I thought. But as my buddy slipped off my hull I finished th e roll, grabbed his bow and then eddied out. Having viewed Lava from underneath and above gave me a distinct viewpoint of the rapid. I'll try it all from above next time. My wife followed Alistair's line from right to center, just missing the ledge hole and hard left. She never got her head wet. The Youtube clip attached here is her in back, the first to come through is Alistair. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h3anceKm6g She did a much better job than I did. Cheers, Rob G and the G stands for, Gonna stray in this boat. What a great thread!! Missed rolls, made rolls, perfected rolls, old lady rescues, reasons NOT to put a helmet in your cockpit and, best of all, a post from Doug Lloyd. -----Original Message----- From: Craig Jungers <crjungers_at_gmail.com> To: PaddleWise <paddlewise_at_paddlewise.net> Sent: Fri, 25 Jan 2008 8:21 am Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Your rolling stories What a great thread!! Missed rolls, made rolls, perfected rolls, old lady rescues, reasons NOT to put a helmet in your cockpit and, best of all, a post from Doug Lloyd. Mark... you did good. :) Craig Jungers Moses Lake, WA ________________________________________________________________________ More new features than ever. Check out the new AOL Mail ! - http://webmail.aol.com *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
> What a great thread!! Missed rolls, made rolls, perfected rolls, > old lady > rescues, .... While attending the East Coast Canoe and Kayak Festival about 7 years ago I took a simple class on the local pond with the usual mixed group of people. A woman well into her sixties was next to me so I chatted with her a bit. She told me she had made a GP at the festival the day before and attended a Greenland rolling class that morning. As she talked to me she turned to get something from her day hatch when over she went. I sat there watching and listening. I could see she was setting up to attempt a roll while odd squeaking noises emanated from the hull. It reminded me of sneakers on a gym floor. Suddenly she swept up and there she was back amongst her kind. She grinned wildly and did a war whoop. It was her first combat roll and she did it well (golf clapping heard quietly in the background so as not to sully the moment). Jim *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Rob, I can't believe you went through Lava either right side up or upside down. About 15 years ago, I went through on a motorized raft and thought I'd die. I can't even comprehend paddling through it. Some of those standing waves had to be close to 6 feet in height. Steve Holtzman *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
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