This is a continuation of the article on kayaking skills that will open up new places to paddle, such as surf and open water. To learn more about rescues and rolling, I recommend John Lull’s Sea Kayaking: Safety and Rescue. All of the rescues I describe require your kayak to have flotation, either sealed bulkheads or inflatable bags. NEVER paddle a kayak without adequate flotation.

Rolling

Rolling is one of the skills that takes your confidence to the next level. Once you have a reliable roll, the fear of capsize is greatly diminished. A roll is a way to right your kayak without exiting the cockpit. This is where a closed-deck kayak realizes its maximum potential; you can take on rough water and stay sealed up in the relative warmth of the kayak. This level of sea worthiness is surpassed only by submarines. The roll is an integral part of the kayaking heritage passed down by Inuits. While it is possible to roll only using your body, most of us will use our paddles.

Types of rolls

The Inuit have dozens of ways to roll a kayak. Look some up online; to me it looks like magic. Most of them make use of lift generated by a paddle stroke and body movement to flip the hull and regain a stable position. The most commonly taught are the C-to-C and the screw roll. The C-to-C involves a paddle slap coupled with a smart hip snap, while the screw roll uses a sweep stroke and twisting of the torso. You may find that one is easier for you than the other. I was taught the screw roll, so that is what I will refer to from this point forward.

Learning to roll

Anything is possible, so you might be able to learn rolling from a video or book. I was taught by an instructor. Let me share how. We were in river kayaks in a swimming pool. First we hung on to the edge of the pool, flipped over, and pulled ourselves back up. This introduces the hip action required to snap the boat upright. Then, we were taught how to set up with our paddle face parallel to the water, tucking our torso as far forward as possible. Last, we capsized with our instructor standing in waist deep water, guiding our paddle as we tried to roll up. Of course, this requires the presence of mind to keep calm while inverted, attempt the roll, and wet exit if we fail. After a few guided tries with the instructor, you just keep practicing on your own. In the span of an hour, I was able to “hit” my roll once. With a jubilant shout, I was quite pleased with my success. That was it for a while.

Persistence pays off

6 or 7 years later, I own my own sea kayak, and I’m determined to learn how to roll it. Every time I go paddling, I try to roll. I ask a buddy to stand by for a bow rescue if I miss my roll. The bow rescue is done by sticking your hands out of the water, waiting for someone’s bow to touch, grabbing the bow and rolling back up. It is an effective rescue in its own right, provided the paddler can keep calm while someone paddles over to them. I keep practicing for the better part of a year in the questionable water of Oakland Estuary. After this, my roll is pretty reliable.

Off-side

Now that I am good on my dominant side, it is time to learn to roll on my off-side. Just do the mirror image of what I mastered… easy, right? It’s a challenge for some more than others. I visualize what I will do, and think about the timing of my actions. Over time, my off-side roll has become more reliable and mechanically sound than my on-side roll. The reason you want to roll on both sides is because of what tips you over: waves. Rolling up against a wave is impossible, while rolling up with a wave is easy, even with poor technique. Waves have a direction, and you can’t choose which side you capsize on. If you flip over on your off-side, you will need to wet exit if you don’t have a roll.

Re-entry and roll

With a reliable roll, you can now consider another type of self rescue: re-entry and roll. Should you wet exit, take a deep breath, go under, insert your lower body back into the cockpit, and roll back up. It sounds difficult, but is rather straightforward if you have a reliable roll. A variation of this is to attach a float to your paddle, re-enter, and roll back up. You will end up with a cockpit mostly full of water, so you will have to quickly pump out to regain stability. The reason I like this rescue technique is that it minimizes the time you spend in the water. You can be back in your boat in 10 seconds with your strength and confidence intact.

The finer points of rolling

When I first learned to roll, it was done with desperation and maximum effort. With experience, I realized I did not need all that power, that it is more about feel and coordination. Once I feel the lift of the paddle, I turn my hips and lay back; the kayak almost rights itself. This is where my off-side roll surpasses my on-side. I need to rely on technique on my off side, while I am used to muscling my way up on my natural side.

A common mistake people make when trying to roll up is to lift their head up right away. It is a natural urge, but you need to resist it. Lifting your head prevents your hips from drawing your hull underneath you, and you end up falling back over. Keep your ear tucked to your shoulder for as long as possible to complete the roll.

Try asking someone to watch you as you roll. Perhaps they will notice something you are doing, such as lifting your head, or your paddle diving instead of providing lift. Getting over the hump requires persistence, but it is like riding a bicycle once you get it.

The scramble, a.k.a. the cowboy rescue

The scramble is a self rescue where you flip over your boat, pull yourself over the rear deck, and straddle the kayak. Keeping your chest low against the deck, you slide forward until you can drop your behind into the seat. The transition from hugging the kayak to a seated position is usually when this rescue fails. My friend thinks this rescue is not worth learning because it is difficult. I have to agree somewhat; each attempt really wears you out, and you need some flexibility in your hips to keep your body low. Despite this, I naturally want to try this rescue, and it is how I prevailed on the single occasion I needed to rescue myself. I think the main benefit is it gets you out of the water quickly.

Towing

The ability to tow another kayak can save the day if someone becomes incapacitated or is overpowered by the conditions. There are different methods of towing, some are for short distances to extract from immediate danger, while others are for long distances.

If someone loses or breaks their paddle, and are in danger of hitting rocks, they can hang onto your bow while you paddle away from. A short elastic leash, called a cow tail, can be quickly attached for towing short distances.

For longer distances, you will want 30-40 feet of line with a quick release belt. Your line should be attached to the bow of the boat you are towing, while the tow rope should be attached near the cockpit of your kayak, never the stern. This prevents tension on the line from turning your kayak away from your destination. Manufactured towing kits can be purchased, or you can make your own. I have a totally questionable setup: 30 feet of nylon rope attached to a loop that uses a slipped sheet bend as a quick release. I just slip the loop over my shoulder or around my waist to tow. Every time I have used it, it has worked.

I will end with a funny story about towing. I was paddling in the Estero Americano. I had my sea kayak and my friends were in recreational kayaks. The wind picked up, and one person was steadily falling behind. I started towing them, but an unexpected thing happened. In towing, the line is never taut the whole time. The person I was towing stopped paddling and was treating it like a free ride. While the rope was slack, the kayak turned sideways in the wind. A sudden tightening of the line was enough to capsize the kayak. Luckily, people helped me rescue the paddler, and we made it back. The moral of the story is that the person being towed should keep paddling and pay attention. The tow rope is to average out the speed of both kayaks, not to offer a free ride.