Learning to roll with it

Oh! Very quickly, I DID have a wonderful rolling clinic back at the start of June.

I learned how to do a 'wet exit'- how to get out of the kayak while upside-down, if I can't flip back over. I also learned a basic roll. My instructor was very encouraging- he said that most people don't get the wet exit and roll down so smoothly in just a couple of hours. I guess there are a lot of folks who have to get their primal panic under control when pinned in an object upside down.

I also learned some basic strokes for how to paddle a rudderless boat on flatwater, which is maddening.

I did make it out onto the Boulder Reservoir one time this summer, and did drills from one bouey to another for an hour, trying to keep the kayak moving in a straight line. Oh, what a difference a skeg would make! Oh well. If I can master this, then I'm ready if there's a problem during the race.