Deep water Re-entry

[Wes]

Ponds are getting warm, time to get out and practise. I did a few this weekend and found it was not as easy as I remembered. I was in very light wind but it was still pretty ugly trying to catch the yak after just 3 or 4 dumps. Just a friendly reminder.

[kayaker]

A paddle leash is a useful and potentially kayak- or even life-saving accessory that I always use when fishing or when kayaking alone. Even if stowed under the front bungees (I fish from a closed-cockpit sea kayak), the paddle usually pops free in a capsize and gives me one more thing to grab onto. If the paddle is in my hand when I dump, I usually hang on to the paddle, and hence the boat, but if I do drop the paddle, with the leash there is no risk of getting separated from both the kayak AND the paddle. And I need the blade for a paddle-float reentry. Wes's experience matches my own: It is physically taxing to race after a wind-blown kayak and THEN get yourself back into it.

[Wes]

Good point. I took it off to make a few poor attempts to roll and to practise using the paddle to swim. I think the paddle on a leash also acts like a drift anchor and slow the boat down a bit. Essential.