BaffinPaddler - http://baffinpaddler.blogspot.com

Here she is, your warm, dry, happy, puppy pic. There is nothing better than being warm and dry after you've gotten a little (or a lot!) cold and shivery during a rolling lesson or practice and find yourself getting even colder soon after you've gotten out of your boat as you pack up your gear. At the very least, this is your top concern of the moment. Even on what seemed like a fairly warm day when you started, in a not so cold lake in which others are swimming in Speedos, you can get pretty cold during a rolling lesson. A rolling lesson for the rolling challenged is not the same thing as rolling practice for those who can roll. We, the "rolling challenged", tend to spend more time in the water, which is usually cooler than our body temps, and so do our great coaches in the shallows at our decklines! (Mine are getting pretty stretched out . . . ! I mean the decklines!) Why do we get cold? At least me. I don't know about you. Because we aren't really...

Here's your "Wet Puppy" pic. She doesn't seem to like it either . . . getting used to water. Is this how you feel sometimes after a rolling lesson, whether you have successfully rolled or not. . . when you get out of your nice snug boat? And she hasn't even experienced upside down underwater. But, she's a happy pup just the same . . . a little surprised, a bit confused, sometimes worried and whiney, needing a bit of support, love and understanding, and trying to get used to a whole new world, just like us! You gotta love a newbie to something. I just wish she wouldn't sip my coffee! A warm dry happy puppy pic will appear soon. The same way I feel after rolling practice and a great big towel! Why puppies? They just make you feel better don't they? And they share some of the same emotions we do. Even if you are feeling great, they make you smile harder. Happy rolling practice and staying warm and dry! The BaffinPaddler

The Half Roll I'm starting to be able to half roll my new Maelstrom Vital . What a nice feeling, especially when the coach says, "you did that by yourself." And despite a weak sweep, and a barely there hip flick, I can get up in my Maelstrom with a half roll. "It's the sea kayak," I say. "It is very forgiving. I don't need much. It will spoil me." To practice a half roll, my coach pulls me over, asks me to count to three while I'm upside down, then start my sweep and hip flick. What I like about the guy in this video, is that he actually smacks the side of his boat with his leading blade before the sweep. Cool! That little move might just help me figure out where my leading blade should be, as I tend to let it drift away from the boat before I start my sweep, which leaves me with only a weak half sweep. Why Practice Half Rolling? Finding your way with half rolling builds confidence and helps you get the feel of the paddle swe...

I bet you think this post means, “So, she finally rolled her sea kayak!” Nope. I’m still rolling challenged. It just means I’m finally starting to recognize “trying to learn how to roll” as a reward rather than an intense feeling of dread, dry mouth, and nausea. Now, even after a practice session in which I don’t roll, I’m still smiling and very comfortable with whatever audiences I’ve gathered along the way. No matter how much I’ve messed up, I’ve managed to gain something each time. (Even if I’m the only one who thinks so!) One day I’ll post a video or two. Good, bad, or ugly. In the past onlookers have asked me, “So, how is it trying to learn how to roll?” Me, “It really sucks!” And I forgot to add, “peeling yourself out of wet neo afterwards in a dark smelly outhouse after the sun has set and you can’t find your undergarments while others are waiting in line to use the facility isn’t so much fun either! And it really messes up your hair!” They thought it was ...

People with GPs seem to like to make them. Greenland paddlers are special and fun to paddle with. I admire them. Let someone try yours. Here are some good resources handed on to me and now on to you. Making a West Greenland Paddle, by Chuck Holst Cape Falcon Kayak, Oregon, Greenland Paddles The Weathered Paddle, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A. Adanac Paddles , Dover, Ontario, Canada, all about GPs and a paddle maker. Buy the wood in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada at: KJP Select Hardwoods Check out Gnarlydog's posts, images, and videos on different types of GPs and Aleut paddles, technique and how they perform in surf. Visit GreenlandPaddle.com for a great explanation of the canted stroke, and much more. See my more recent post, Let's talk yoga, a Greenland paddle, and healing a wrecked shoulder Looking for Greenland Paddling and Rolling Clinics? June 25, 2011, Greenland Paddling and Greenland Rolling Clinics , Back by popular demand at 1000 Islands Kayaking Compan...

Here's a HEAD'S UP for the 2011 Greenland paddle techniques and Greenland rolling clinics back by popular demand at 1000 Islands Kayaking, in Gananoque, Ontario, June 25, 2011. Contact www.1000islandskayaking.com for more info.  The Greenland paddle techniques clinic is from 12:00 - 2:00 p.m., and the Greenland rolling clinic runs from 3:00 p.m.- 5:00 p.m. The clinics are held outdoors on the beautiful St. Lawrence River, in the 1000 Islands region, just off the shore from the quaint little town of Gananoque, in the province of Ontario, Canada. Greenland Rolling Video Feature with 1000 Islands Kayaking  This video was filmed April 2011 in an indoor pool in Kingston, Ontario. In this video, you can watch Tom Gartley and Alfred Cheung in his yellow Boreal Baffin do some awesome Greenland rolls! They'll be your teachers for this year's Greenland rolling clinics at 1000 Islands Kayaking PaddleFest 2011, June 25. ENJOY! Now back to last year's repor...

Here's that sneaky Current Designs Suka still teasing me by staying well out of my reach and it's in pink (some would call it magenta). Pink would so clash with my red PFD. I've heard this boat is hard to demo and finding it so for me, but those who have give it good reviews. I'll catch up with it eventually. Smaller paddlers seem to have to work harder to meet up with their boats. Suka means fast in native Alaskan (Inuit), so of course, I'm going to like it. I'm also admiring the secure hatches on the Current Designs boats and other boat models after easily popping off the super soft and sticky Kajak Sport rear hatch on my new Maelstrom Vital and piercing a big hole in it at the same time with my kayak knife (still secure in its plastic sheath on my PFD) while practicing a simple cowboy scramble re-entry up the back deck in calm water. I sat there straddling my fantastic new boat on a beautiful day thinking, "Great, I've rescued myself, and seriously...