Moby


I have paddled both Whitewater and Sea and would advise that working towards
being a proficent roller is a must. It will give you a great boost in your
confidence as well as being very useful both on sea, in surf landing or on a
river. Rolling is rolling, so to starting learning in a whiteboat boat is
ok. The main thing is get the basics and then try it in as may boats as you
can as they all have a different feel and tricks depending on the hull
design and boat volume

I was on a trip when a guy flipped as we where coming into a tight cove
entrance with some rocks. It took two of us to get the guy back in his boat
with a third towing aginst the tide and wind to keep from washing on the
rocks. If the guy had been able to roll we I would have had a far less scary
thoughts as I looked over my sholder a the white stuff breaking behind us.

try the following resouces

The Bombproof roll and beyond by paul dutky isbn 0-89732-085-9

The Kayak Roll by kent ford www.performancevideo.com


The main thing to rember when rolling loaded sea boats is they take a lot
loger to get the momentum going so you need to slow the roll down a bit when
compared to a small pool practice boat. Also extend the lever by moving your
grip to one end of the paddle shaft. the rest is just practice, and don't
forget the nose clip!!!!

I usually do a few parctice rolls on the end of each session just to keep my
hand in with diferent boats.

Try progresing from and eskimo or T-Rescue first, then rolloing and finally
re-entry and roll or eskimo rescue. A paddle float and good pump will also
come in handy while yo get the hang of it.

Best of luck

Gary


"Moby Dick" wrote in message
oups.com...
Looking through the local sports magazine (Boulder, Colorado), I see
lot's of "roll classes" for whitewater kayaks. Do sea kayakers need
this, too. I know what rolling is -- seems to me that if a sea kayak
is flipped due to a wave or something, it'd be good to know how to
roll back up. Or is just getting out of the kayak sufficient?

TIA