Hang in there

Ralph watches Gerard in the soup

At the pool again last night to work on rolls from non-set-up positions. Malcolm was there and asked if I had read his comment on a recent swim I took playing behind some rocks at Witless Bay. A wave reared up bigger than expected and faster than a speeding bullet, I was over.

Malcolm wrote: "First rule: unless you are quite confident about your orientation under water, take the time to set up properly. That usually means waiting to let the boat settle upside down. Second rule: if you fail on your first roll attempt, take the time to set up properly. That means waiting to let the boat settle upside down. The shock of hitting the water unexpectedly tends to cause us to rush the set up and thereby fail to execute a roll that we are quite capable of performing."

His comment is very applicable. The suddenness of the flip combined with the moving waters caused me to become disoriented.

Sometimes learning is a byproduct of making a mistake. The next time this experience will give me the confidence to maintain control, to hang in there and let things settle before rolling up. I know I have the hang time.