March 25, 2000

Practice makes Perfect

There is no substitute for practice. On Saturday Joan and I met to just work on skills. Joan started with sculling, and I would start with rolling. I had brought my Guillemot to get wet and the first roll I tried with it I managed to crack my paddle. Not all the way through. As soon as I heard it begin to crack I let up and wet exited.

After a paddlefloat entry with my sturdy Euro paddle, I switch back to my Gulfstream. My Greenland paddle was not completely destroyed, and I used it for most of the day, but with the 2 hairline cracks across the blade it is suspect and will require getting replaced.

We played around a bunch in the water. The Army showed up at one point with one of their boats on the back of a huge truck, which they launched and took for a spin.

I attempted, and completed, my first reentry and roll. I didn't think I could do it, but it went perfect. As I slid into the boat my feet found the foot pegs, I locked in with my knees and up I rolled.

After about 2 hours we decided to switch to assisted rescues. We were both really tired at this point. Probably too tired. I played victim first and with much trouble managed to scramble back in with Joan holding my kayak bow-to-stern. Joan then played victim and I had a hard time holding the boats close together for her to reenter. She was about to give up and use the paddlefloat when I told her to give it one more try. Success at last. It seemed like I wasn't far enough over Joan's boat during the previous attempts. Getting well over her boat allowed me to better steady it and took a lot of strain off my shoulder.

On going back in near shore, I decided one more reenter and roll was in order. When I rolled up I found a Military Police person walking towards us. "I noticed you having trouble. Am I going to have to jump in and save you?"

Joan assured her we were ok and practicing rescues while I cleared the water from my ears. I couldn't help think that if she had jumped in to save me it probably would have been Joan and I saving her!

I was spent so we loaded up and I headed off to Atlantic Kayak to buy a Euro paddle. At some point in the near future I want to take BCU 3 star training. But I need to get used to a Euro paddle before I can undertake such a feat. I ended up with a mid-Swift in a pretty designer pattern of moon and sun.

26 Mar, 2000

The Open Water non-crossing

The plan: Meet at Leesylvania at 8:00, be on the water by 9:00. This would be Amigh's first open water trip. Wind was a bit high, and I hoped it would calm before the afternoon. Amigh already had her car unloaded when I got there, and we talked about boats, wind, and the park. Joan soon showed and we headed for the water.

About a 1/2 mile from shore Joan felt uneasy in her Gulfstream, so we decided to turn back for shore so she could switch boats with Amigh, who was paddling Joan's Breeze. It seemed to take forever to get back against the stiff wind and I began to think about how hard and long a paddle it would be.

After exchanging boats we headed out again. Again about a half mile out I took up a rear position and started thinking how hard it would be to get people back in their boats in this choppy water. I took out my tow belt in the event someone couldn't get in their boat I could tow them and the boat back into the wind shadow of Leesylvania. I was a bit uneasy with the situation and suggested we turn back for Leesylvania and blow off the crossing. Today would be a better day to work on rough water skills.

Everyone agreed and we again took forever making back to shore. Joan switched boats again and we headed around Freestone point to play in the waves. At least when we got tired we would be able to quickly duck behind Freestone without having to put up with the 1/2 mile of pure wind.

Once I was back in the thick of the wind and waves I started rolling and practicing bracing. I performed a "Queen's salute" on my right side and popped right back upright. I decided to try on my left and when it failed I tried to set up to roll. But I couldn't slip under the boat to get on my _on_ side! I was too buoyant because I had forgotten to re-burp my dry suit when we had stopped earlier. I had filled the suit back up with air when we had stopped because it had began to chafe my arm from being vacuum bagged so tightly.

I would have to bail. Grab the sprayskirt loop and POP! As soon as the skirt had come loose the boat was ripped away from my body. I was up wind and I was shocked at how fast it pulled away before I even came to the surface. As I surfaced I caught the paddle out of the corner of my eye flying end over end. It ended up on the far side of my kayak from me, and both were moving away at a high rate of speed.

I started to swim for it, sort of leisurely at first. But when I realized I might not catch my kayak I dug in hard and finally caught it. I was winded but still needed to catch my paddle. Working my way along the downwind side of the boat I grabbed the toggle and started swimming for the paddle. This was much easier than catching the boat as the paddle was not as fast, but still I was hampered by having to drag the boat. When I caught it, I was exhausted. Joan and Amigh were arriving to help by now. And I figured I would perform a reenter and roll, which I had just done earlier in the calm area near the park.

I burped my suit before attempting the reenter, but I still seemed too buoyant. My reenter and roll failed and I again was beside my kayak. This time I was downwind so the boat wasn't getting past me. I later determined that I think the feeling of extra buoyancy was caused by the tow belt, which was pushing up my PFD around my head. With my head almost surrounded by my PFD I had the illusion of a lot more floatation.

I tried a paddlefloat entry several times before I managed to get back in my kayak. By then I was really exhausted and it took me a while to get my wind back. Amigh wanted to give it a go at a paddlefloat reentry in this rough water so I paddled downwind of her to catch her boat if it came loose. She capsized and held onto everything like I *should* have done. The paddlefloat reentry would prove too difficult though and we would have to T-rescue. I grabbed the bow of her boat with my left hand, and after several attempts to get it across my coaming had to give up and switch to my right side. The boat came across with ease this time and it was emptied and set up bow to stern quickly. This time Amigh managed to climb in without too much difficulty and after waiting for her to get squared away we headed for shore for a break.

We ended the day after the break with a short 4-mile down and back paddle up Neabsco creek, paddling hard against the wind. The return trip was much easier, but the wind seemed to die a little and not give us the planned push for which we were hoping.

Back again for the last time at the beach, I skillfully fell out of my kayak to the thrill of the large crowd that had gathered at the park. A bunch of kids near the water fell to the ground laughing and pointing as I told them I had just showed them how *not* to do it. I laid back in the water and just basked in the humility.

After carrying the boats to the cars, I was happy to park my butt in my truck for the ride home. I think I need a nap...