Rolling

Rolling is the art of recovering from a capsize. It involves 'rolling' yourself back upright after a capsize, using the paddle and upper body as a lever, and twisting the lower body to bring the boat back upright.

When I started paddling, I considered rolling a bit of a show-off move. After more paddling in surf and swell, I am now convinced that it is an essential skill for open-water paddling. So I have been applying myself to learning how to roll. My first attempts, paddling my sea kayak in the Latrobe pool, were dismal. I then changed to a canoe polo boat, much smaller and easier to roll. A couple of sessions in the pool with the polo boat made me believe I had the rudimentary technique to roll my sea kayak.

However, transferring these skills to a sea kayak in the sea has proven difficult. But I can now roll. Sometimes. In calm water. 

In order to analyse the many flaws in my technique, I asked my better half to record my rolling attempts. While I was successful on some occasions, I can see at least two flaws in my technique: letting the paddle dive, and sitting up prematurely.

Not all of my attempts were successful. Where the first attempt failed, subsequent attempts rarely succeeded. In this case, after three attempts, I was spared an undignified swim by a timely rescue.

Much more practise is needed...