Coming up for air

Tuesday was our first pool session going into the winter months.  A few of us will paddle all winter but we'll also take advantage of the tropical conditions.

I recently mailed around a link to the latest Neptune's Rangers video on YouTube.  One of the situations that arose was one kayak on top of another which adds a wrinkle to the roll.  It served as one example of a skill to practice.  It not only addresses this possibility but also having the kayak caught on a rock.

So, here Dean runs up on Shane's read deck to see how it affects ...

... his roll.  No problem.  Then I had a turn but Shane had to haul my shorter Pyrhanna up onto his foredeck because it kept slipping off.

I snap pix of our day paddles, even in the gnarliest of conditions.  There's always the risk of getting knocked over with camera in hand so its a skill I practice.  I asked Dean to flip and so I could take a picture of him upside down, stash the camera away and roll.  Here he sends a wave my way as we're both upside down.

Another opportunity shoot a pic and roll as Cathy does a roll.

Lets face it, rolling in the warm confines of the pool is a world apart from rolling in the cold sea even in flat water, say nothing of conditions where the chances are greater of getting knocked over.  But, its about building confidence in the roll through repetition after repetition.  In real conditions when it counts, its just as much, or more, about confidence as it is about the physical skill.

The pool is also a nice break between winter weekend paddles.