@Rex said:
Re-enter and roll! Yes! The way it was explained to me… and it works for me… start with your boat upright and put your feet in.
So with the boat upright, you lift your legs out of the water and over the side of the boat to get your feet into the cockpit? What do you achieve, compared to having the boat on its side and just sliding in?
It seems to me that you will end up having an equal amount of water in the cockpit at the end, because you still have the “holding your breath” part where the boat will be on its side, and water will pour into the cockpit.
It’s funny how fascinated I now am at this discussion which, a few months ago, I wouldn’t have understood at all.
So, yeah - is the advantage of the under-the-boat entry that less water gets into the boat? Or will just as much get in when you roll up anyway? (Discounting Alan’s putting on his spray skirt while upside down.)
@Doggy Paddler said:
(Discounting Alan’s putting on his spray skirt while upside down.)
I can tell you that even that didn’t work. I still ended up with an awful lot of water in the kayak. But it was fun anyway.
Hey Allan, My boats don’t seem to like being on their sides. It’s either right side up or upside down. My preference for starting my entry with the boat somewhat right side up is probably just an orientation thing… it’s simpler and easier. In my head I’m pulling on my pants; something I do every day. If I enter upside down it’s more like a somersault; something I do rarely.
@Rookie said:
I do like the idea of the snorkel mask for pool practice.
I actually rarely use it. Some water will always end up in the mask, right below the nose. Feels like mild waterboarding. I prefer using a noseclip (in a string, attached to my PFD) and no goggles.
However, on that particular day, I had been experimenting with using a snorkel for breathing while staying under water in a capsized kayak. I couldn’t make it work, though.
When we tried it in class, I had swim goggles but the instructor wouldn’t let me use them.
What did you try?
If you want to use goggles you could try telling the instructor you wear contact lenses and are worried about acanthamoeba. I do wear lenses and am worried about this, which can be present in any fresh water, including highly chlorinated pool water.
My eye doctor told me to either wear goggles or get disposable (daily) lenses that I can discard after a day on the water. Since I get water in my eyes all the time when kayaking, and since the goggles got water into them anyway, I’ve decided to go ahead and get a prescription for the daily lenses, which I’ll wear on kayaking days.
when learning to roll. Anything that makes you more comfortable and able to concentrate on learning to roll , is a good thing. Earplugs, nose plugs, mask…doesn’t matter what makes you comfortable. The goal is to learn to roll. A good instructor should know this.
I used a nose plug to practice my first wet exits. It made me less nervous to capsize and I practiced it more freely as a result. Since then I’ve capsized accidentally a number of times without a nose plug and I’ve been fine. And now I’m not as afraid of capsizing. I hope the same will apply for all the other things I want to learn, and eventually rolling.
When we tried it in class, I had swim goggles but the instructor wouldn’t let me use them.
What did you try?
Re-enter and roll with paddle float. No idea why the goggles weren’t allowed but if the same thing happened today, I’d wear them anyway as I was a pretty new paddler then with little confidence.
After attending a few symposiums and several stand-alone ACA classes, I’ve learned there are some fabulous coaches who are really invested in their students and others who seem to be physically present only, offering little feedback.
While I worked on self-rescues this year, what I haven’t tried is the re-enter and roll using my GP. I normally try new things here at home, but high water has closed the access and I have no way of getting my Prana in the water.
Rookie,
Just a friendly reminder: If you roll you don’t have to do that awful re-enter stuff. I would suggest practicing the roll a lot and that re-entry stuff very little.
@Doggy Paddler said:
Rookie, do you always use the Prana now? Or does the Fathom LV also get some time out?
Oh, absolutely the Fathom gets used. It’s here at home so it’s just 52 steps down to the water. Maybe 51 now since the water is so high. Alas, I couldn’t take it to paddle Lake Michigan even if I wanted to because I have to call the DNR and set up an appointment for them to drive over and unlock the chain they installed across the access road. They require 48 hours advance notice. And I don’t think they would agree to come back out so I could get it back on the lake here given it’s autumn.
I have a good cart and could go that route, but I also have the Prana topside.
@Doggy Paddler said:
Glad you give them both time on the water. But, I don’t understand “topside.” No matter.
Technically, I live on a kettle lake which was formed when a chunk of ice broke off a passing glacier and become embedded in the ground. When the ice chunk melted, a kettle hole was left and filled by water from natural sources. The road and most of the cabins are located at the top of the kettle hole so they look down at the water. Thus my “topside” reference.
In the winter we zoom down the hill to the frozen lake on saucers. Then have to climb back up (gasp, huff and puff).
