Fat Paddler ready to get wet
An early but gorgeous paddle on Middle Harbour with paddling mate JF Englert kicked off just after 6am as the sun was coming up. At the end of it, we decided to have a little rolling practice session so I could try to reinforce what I’d learnt the previous week with Rob Mercer.
For the first dozen or so attempts, I just couldn’t it right, with JF pointing out some issues I had with my action. Then JF had a go and after trying to remember his long-forgotten rolling skills, instead learnt some wet-exit and re-entry skills! Eventually though his persistence paid off and he started to string a few rolls together.
After seeing his success I got back in the boat and started to slowly try some new rolls… hitting it and getting one right. Then the next attempt worked too. And the next. Then finally we started to video my attempts, the montage of which is here for your viewing pleasure.
Needless to say very happy with this next step, although a quick look at the video shows I have a lot to brush up on. But hey, at least I know I can haul my fat self out if I need to – haha! Enjoy – FP
Tags: eskimo roll, eskimo rolling, kayak, paddling, rolling, Video
GREAT VID…Loved the music too
Ragn
Sean – this ROCKS! Execution, footage, music – perfect!
P.S. – Had to watch it a few times – really catches a paddler’s delight! Thanks!
Nicely done Mr Paddler Sir, nicely done
Great job!! thanks for taking the time to video and share your work with all of us
I’m in awe! (not total awe, but awe nevertheless). Keep up the good work, lad. Your summer does not appear to be going to waste. Meanwhile, having already had an opportunity to shovel a little (very little) slushy snow, not only am I in awe, I’m also a bit envious.
Nice work Dude! It a great feeling once you start to get the hang of the roll. It builds confidence and gets very addictive.
Something you might want to consider, rather then doing a complete roll, is learning to side scull. When learning Greenland style rolling, side sculling is typically taught first, then rolling as a natural progression. Once I learned to side scull, rolling got a lot easier. I’ve stuck a short clip from when I was learning to side scull on my blog here…
http://ctravers.net/?p=351
You can also progress from sculling into a balance brace, which can be very relaxing…
http://ctravers.net/?p=288
It’s pretty chilly in Canada (Ottawa, Ontario) right now, so I doubt I’ll get to do any practicing until the spring… but that won’t stop me from thinking about it
Absolutely awesome, mate.
[...] reading this post over at Fat Paddler, I was inspired to watch some of the videos I made while learning to roll and [...]
FP – Great work mate! 1st the HCC, now the Eskimo Roll; what does the future hold next? Who knows, after your opportunity to talk to Freyer this coming weekend, the sky is the limit.
Chris – I definitely want to learn to side scull and the sculling brace. Not sure who will teach me these things, but there’s a whole heap of things to learn so I’ll keep these on the list!
Sharon – cheers!
Owen – thanks mate. The tragedy is I’ll be in Adelaide at a wedding and won’t get to meet Freya, which is absolutely KILLING me inside! But make sure you tell your paddler mates and try to get lots of folks there, as it’s the main fundraiser to help get Freya back home again!
Well done!
Well done ! How long is that paddle ?
It’s a shorty Mick – 1.88m (my Elver Tour is about 2.2m, but I cracked the tip the other day and have retired it until I get around to fixing it!)