A while back I wrote an article based on the Qajaq USA fueled discussion about Mentally Preparing to Eskimo Roll. For the uninitiated. An eskimo roll is the ability to right your kayak without exiting. Essentially it is a finesse maneuver where the paddler floats their body at the surface alongside their kayak and aggressively …
Category Archive: Eskimo Rolling
Jan
27
Shawna Franklin and Kathy Miller Rolling Double Greenland Style
The technique to rolling a double sea kayak is no different than rolling a single kayak, with one exception. Syncopation. You have to roll together or all bets are off. The other technique is that either the front paddler tucks forward and the rear paddler rolls both up or vice-versa. Obviously Shawna and Kathy have …
Jan
12
Winter storm misfortune WMCKA Pool Sessions
We tried to go to the pool in GR. Laura and I kept going back and forth about whether or not to go. It’s too snowy, I thought, then I got bummed because I really wanted to get in the pool and practice my rolls. Isabella was all gung ho! She was ready to paddle …
Sep
02
Naturally Superior G-Style 2008 Day Three
Continued from Days One and Two Day Three We suited up to work on doing open water rescues. We headed out of the channel with around 8 students. We teamed up to do t-rescues. The swells were gentle and slow, but fairly sizeable for the Great Lakes 3-5 feet. Only sizeable in that they weren’t …
Sep
02
Naturally Superior Symposium G-Style 2008 Days 1 and 2
Sand River Falls The whole family decided to do the Circle Tour of Lake Superior for our end of summer vacation. We loaded up the van with all our gear, four kayaks, (alas and ironically no room for the mega maverick) and drove up to Wawa. We made a quick stop over at the Sand …
Jan
20
Eskimo rolling-Form over strength.
My forward forward rolls have been suffering it seems from a lazy form. I finally hit the sweet spot this weekend by really tucking in tight to the fore deck. By not coming as far off the deck of the kayak when I initiate the sweep for my hand roll I was coming up with …
Dec
20
Practice Practice Practice
I spent last Saturday in the pool in my sea kayak. It was a frustrating couple of hours relearning skills. I considered myself someone who spent the time in the seat working on their skills. And there I was having to relearn some of the harder rolls I thought I’d already mastered. I hit maybe …
Oct
12
Surfing Sucks, well Suction…
Surfing hydraulics are indeed the stuff of legends. Once the waves start to top out at 8 feet or so they can do some pretty impressive things. When the waves spill the forces within are quite strong. This is an understatement of Olympian proportions. The forecast was for 8-10 foot waves with wind at 30 …
Oct
02
Wind, Waves, Wine 2007
This year’s Wind, Waves, and Wine event was moved to Lake Michigan Recreation Area north of Ludington. Blessed with fortune I left work on Friday to arrive at exactly the same time as Henry Davies. We drove over to the beach and quickly assessed that surfing was out, but paddling would happen. We set up …
Sep
19
Wawa, Greenland Style Kayaking Symposium 2007
Doug Van Doren and I arrived in Wawa Ontario midday on Friday. We stepped out of the car to view Rock Island Lodge’s panoramic view of both the Michipicoten River mouth and Lake Superior. The dappled gray rocks, with pock marks of orange lichen and moss stripe the pillowed rock formations the lodge sits upon. …
