Re: [Paddlewise] Bow painter

G'Day Mark and Paddlewise,

BOW PAINTER

Had a look at my Mirage sea kayak and it has a nicely rigged painter though I've never used it.

Its about a 2 metre length of line with a roughly 10 centimetre loop tied in the middle that slips over the bow. Each end of the line is made into a coil that slides along the port and starboard deck lines. From memory the coil seems to be made using something like a "grinner" knot. When you need the painter you just pull the loop off the bow and the grinner knot coils slide along to the end of the deck lines at the bow, where they hold fast. 

Can't say how well the arrangement works because I've never used it, but can see how it could be a useful tow point or hand pull or loop for holding the boat to a post or bollard. In any case all the lines are tidied well away from interfering with a paddle and the knots, whatever they are, have never become unravelled.


ROLL

I was interested in Mark's difficulty in reaching for the surface of the water because it reminded me of something I learnt a week ago.

After ten months off the water I was only scoring 2 out of 3 rolls. One of the problems was that I spent a lot of time setting up and didn't roll reflexively but thought every step through and what I thought wasn't always what I got! So went to the local roll doctor who didn't ask me to roll once, just asked a lot of questions and got me doing exercises. One of them he was very keen on he'd just learn't from John Kirk Anderson.

He then told me that there was nothing magic about the air water interface, to forget patting the surface with my blade that when I was upside down my butt would be in the air anyway so he wanted me to focus on one thing only and that was sweeping out away from the boat. He held the boat while I practised this with out going over and one of the first things I noticed was how the knee and hip automatically engaged when I swept out. 

Then he let me go and I did a perfect, albeit Pawlatta, roll and came up without any memory of what I'd done except that first push away from the boat. He told me to do this three times and then sent me home to practice. Ever since I've been doing those exercises in the gym and on the water, following his advice and scoring 100%.

I was very lucky to have a gifted trainer and I doubt very much that this would have worked on someone learning to roll for the first time. And maybe it would only work for me. Next week I'm going to try the same technique with a sweep roll.

I was wondering if the exercises and the focus on sweeping away from the boat rather than the air water interface might help for people who can't bend far over the boat?

All the best, PeterO
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