Weekend at the lake, including long paddles and entertaining friends and family
Heath and I met Jean up at Smith Mountain Lake for a weekend of
paddling and picnicking. (It's kind of like kayak camping for
people who like to sleep in real beds.)
Heath and I on Smith Mountain Lake
After today's longer paddle on Smith Mountain Lake, I decided to
finally give rolling a shot. I'd never been upside down in a kayak
before, either intentionally or accidentally. I felt it was time to do
something about that.
The wind was blowing fairly hard and there was a lot of boat traffic.
Jean's place on the lake has two docks that jut out into the lake. I
decided to tie my bowline off to the upwind dock to keep my kayak from
blowing away. Being between the docks would offer protection from
boat traffic.
I decided that I'd try doing a wet exit just to make sure there were
no surprises. I took a deep breath and leaned over. I was upside
down before I knew it. I grabbed the release loop on my spray skirt
and swam to the surface. No surprises so far.
I grabbed the bow of my kayak, lifted it up while kicking as hard as I
could, and then flipped the kayak over. It was surprisingly effective
at emptying out the water. I pulled my boat back over to the pier
and got back in for my first rolling attempt.
I leaned over to one side, placing my paddle parallel to the side of
the boat. Once I came to a stop, I then attempted some movement that
is sort of like what people do when they roll. I got my head out of
the water, but that was about it. I tried a once more and then popped
the skirt.
Unsuccessful rolling attempt
Rather than climbing out, I decided to try just re-entering the boat
while it was upside down and then rolling back up. Getting in the
boat was no problem, but getting back up never happened. After around
10 more attempts, I was exhausted and ready to give up.
I know I never had a chance. I wasn't even wearing my PDF. I just
had to know if I could figure it out on my own. I still think I can.
I just need more visualization practice.
I wouldn't call all of this a failure. It was at least entertaining
for Heath and Jean. Jean took quite a few videos with her camera. I
will admit, I looked quite inept.