Labrador skin on frame kayakAt The Rooms last night (Newfoundland and Labrador's Museum, Art Gallery etc) and got a shot of this authentic Labrador skin on frame suspended from the ceiling. Its actually in the roll position, just not in the water.
I recall many years ago at University I swam a lot. One thing I gradually managed to work up to was to swim the length of the 25 yard long pool underwater. I don't know if that's something I could do today - I haven't tried. But it proved to me that dunk time can be expanded by training.
A roll takes just seconds to perform. A missed first attempt usually results in panic because the urge to breath is strong. There are articles available that deal with mental and physical techniques to extent time underwater and remain calm. These techniques, like any aspect of kayaking, should be practiced.
When I practice rolls at Topsail Pond I include "warm-up" time underwater. I use a plastic bottle as a substitute for an avataq which allows me to come up when the oxygen in my lungs runs out. Roll over, count to 10, resurface. Roll over, count to 20, resurface. You get the picture.
Thanks for posting this photo, Tony! I'll have to visit the Rooms next time I'm in town. I'm not sure if Labrador qajait were designed to roll like the Greenlanders do, but nice to be able to see inside hung this way.
ReplyDeleteMichael, its hung well out of reach so its hard to get a good look. It would be pretty cool to be able to sit in it and take it for a spin. The paddle, also on display, is very narrow and must be all of 12 feet long. Don't know how that would be to roll?
ReplyDeleteThey're a bot touchy about taking pictures so I had to turn the flash off.
Tony :-)