Eskimo Rolls and Self-Rescues

On Saturday, May 17th, about 10 paddlers showed up at the downtown Sioux Falls YWCA to practice rolls, wet exits and entries, and self-rescue techniques.

Personally, it was time well spent as I have never even attempted to roll one of my 12ft. Dagger Deltas (I’m the one in the top right). Surprisingly, when I rolled my Delta, my spray skirt kept out all the water. However, with no thigh braces (and no experience rolling), it’s impossible to roll one of my Delta kayaks upright. Every time I tried to hip flick, I fell right out. The upside to the event was I now know how to renter my boat if it ever capsizes, and I know the limitations of my boat when it comes to tipping and rolling.

I had my oldest daughter tag along to take pictures and video. She got some great shots of me flipping and attempting to roll, but somehow all of her pics were lost before I had a chance to upload them to my Flickr page. So, I’ve been forced to steal Jarett’s instead—thanks Jarett.