‘Q&A’

Question: I have a Current Designs Solstice GT, with what I would consider a high back deck that does not lend itself to a standard lay-back finishing Greenland roll. What roll would work so that I don’t have to finish laying back? Obviously I’m talking about a forward finishing roll, but which would be the most reliable, easiest to do?

Answer: The Current Designs Solstice GT should be fine for the Standard Greenland Roll. Next time you’re in that kayak, let your head hang back so that your chin is in the air. Allow your back to arch naturally, and relax to the point where your body settles as if you were asleep. If your forehead is on the back deck, then great! If not, but you’re relaxed, then that is great too. Remember that you don’t have to finish the roll touching the kayak, you only need to finish it in a relaxed position.

That said, if you want to start playing around with forward finish rolls, I’d suggest the Storm Roll as your first. It’s the most common forward finish Greenland Roll, and I think that it’s the easiest. If you have my DVD, there are directions on that roll in the bonus section.

Then get in touch with Helen or Mark at info@greenlandorbust.org.

We look forward to any questions and hope you enjoy reading our answers.

Question: As promised at the Storm Gathering, I’m trying to hand roll. I’ve been using a single paddlefloat on my right hand, and successively reducing buoyancy until it’s probably got about a litre of air left in it. This works fine – I can do a “hand” roll like that and am happy with a Balance Brace. However, when I decrease the air to nothing I can no longer do the balance brace, my nose ends up a couple of inches underwater and I can’t get myself back up. Interestingly, in the same pool session I was trying re-entry and roll and with a half-full kayak the balance brace without paddlefloat was no problem – presumably because more of me (at least one leg) is already below the water line at the other end, and the lip of the cockpit is lower. In fact I did manage a slow but full 360 hand-roll like that. So am I doing something wrong, or is it quite likely I simply can’t balance brace with no flotation support?

Answer: It’s great to hear that you’ve been working on your rolls. When doing a Balance Brace, you want to think about your upper and lower body being separate (the division is at the waist). Your lower body should stay engaged, keeping the kayak as upright as possible. Your upper body should float on the surface. This means that you need to bring your upper body as perpendicular as possible to the kayak, so that both shoulders are flat on the surface. You may need to arch your back fairly aggressively to get your body over the cockpit and into the water while keeping the kayak upright. Your arms should be relaxed, and your head should be in the water without any tension. A couple of common mistakes with the Balance Brace are not having both shoulders flat on the surface and not having both arms relaxed. If both shoulders are not flat, your body is in a sinking position, not a floating position. If both arms are not relaxed, then the tendency is to pull down on the paddle/paddle float/etc. Play around with body position, and keep practicing… it’ll come.

Question: I’m using a Tahe Greenland for rolling and daytrips along the Baltic and North seas. For rolling I use a Brooks tuiliq. I think that I can wear it also above my drysuit. But for the daytrips I have when there are just small waves, I get a lot of water in the cockpit. So I’m looking for a new sprayskirt, and I hope that you can recommend one for the Greenland with the LC cockpit.

Answer: The Brooks tuiliq is wonderful for rolling, and we wear ours over our drysuits all the time. For paddling however, sprayskirts are often more comfortable. We use the ones made by Snapdragon, and prefer the all neoprene ones. You’ll need to get the cockpit size xxs, and the tube size will depend on your size.

Question: I am in my mid-40s, and fairly new to kayaking. I built a touring kayak from Chris Kulczycki’s book, “The New Kayak Shop.” It’s a large volume boat, and has a fairly high rear deck. Also, I’ve played hard over the years, and my back isn’t a flexible as it once was. Do you think rolls that finish forward are a better place to start given the high deck and less-than-super-flexible back?

Answer: I would suggest a layback roll if you can do it safely, even with limited flexibility. Your finish position will be with your head back, chin in the air and eyebrows hanging down. It is not so important that you are able to touch the back deck as it is that you are able to be floppy over it. If you can hang in this position and not be in pain, this is the route that you should take.

In rare cases a forward finish roll is better as a first roll. These rolls are good for people who have had back injuries, or other issues, that prevent them from being comfortable in the layback finish position. For these people, I teach a forward finish roll as a first roll. Some flexibility is required for forward finish rolls as well, since the paddler needs to be able to come up hunched forward on, or close to, the front deck.

Question: I’d like to find out what PFD’s are available for a small paddler. I’m considering a Kotatat SeaO2. I’d appreciate your comments. I’m 5’2″ tall, 120 lbs., with a measurement from base of sternal notch to waist line at 13 inches. I have a Kokatat Bahia and an Astral V-Eight. The Bahia is good on the back, great for lay back rolls, but the front is too bulky. With my short arms, a self rescue with paddle float and a hand of god rescue would be challenging. The Astral’s back is too long even with the mesh at the bottom. Dubside has a MsFIT which I tried and I liked, even with no mesh on the back. His is old, however, and with the manufacturing/design changes, the MsFit may be bulky these days. Your thoughts?

Answer: There are many kinds of PFDs out there, and most would be fine for a small paddler as long as it is the right size. I have a Kokatat SeaO2 and love it. That variety provides built in flotation, but it is low volume. More buoyancy can be added by pulling a cord to release the CO2 cartridge, or by manually inflating it. For a PFD with set buoyancy, I’d suggest the MsFIT. I have one of those as well, although I tend to wear my Kokatat SeaO2 more often. Your other option is to get a PFD with no flotation except for what is provided by the CO2 cartridge or manual inflation. I wear a suspender type. However, because of the lack of buoyancy, I wouldn’t recommend this option unless you have additional flotation, such as a neoprene tuilik.

Question: The 2007 Chatham’s have a different seat design which in a weird anomaly, allows for giant black brackets (whose purpose we can only assume is to hold the seat straps, away from the body). My question is about flexibility training. Are there any tricks and techniques for stretching that could be used to optimize technique?

Answer: Yeah, I think those brackets are a bad design. My Chatham 16 has them too, and I’ve been meaning to remove them. I believe they create a safety hazard for women with rear relief zippers (butt entrapment issues) as well as cause unnecessary rubbing on a drysuit. I’m also not big on the long straps used to adjust the outfitting. They can hang out the side of the sprayskirt and be mistaken for a grab loop, causing a person upside down in the water to be unable to wet exit easily.

With rolling I have found that a person’s size has very little to do with ability. A person’s flexibility however can play a huge role. For advanced layback rolls the ability to twist out to the side keeping the shoulders flat is a huge advantage. To test your flexibility in this region, lie flat on your back on the floor and twist at the waist to put your body in an “L” shape. If you can get your body all the way out to the side with your shoulders remaining flat on the floor and your legs straight (knees facing the ceiling), then you are in very good shape for advanced layback rolls. If you can only twist a little out to the side, or your shoulders are not flat, then this is a good exercise to work on. Practice it often, on both sides, and flexibility will slowly come.

For forward finishing rolls, it is good to work on hamstring flexibility. The simple exercise of sitting on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you, holding your feet and putting your head on your knees (or as close as you can) with your legs remaining straight is a great way of increasing this flexibility (flexing your feet will make it more challenging).

If you have the time and interest, sign up for a yoga class at a yoga studio. There are many different styles to pick from. I practice Hatha Raja. A good “at home” yoga program is OM Yoga in a Box (these come in several different levels). I have found that these programs are simple to follow and beneficial for increasing flexibility, especially if they are done 3 or more times a week.

Question: What do you wear under the tuilik in cold water? I have always used a drysuit and this is my first time using the tuilik in cold water. Any suggestions?

Answer: I typically wear my drysuit under my tuilik. Under the drysuit, for the top half, I dress according to air/water temperature, wearing either just an inner core layer, just an outer core layer or both. For the bottom half I wear just capilene, just an outer core layer or both. And for the feet, SmartWool socks.

Question: I love my thin stick, but in the reading I’ve done, I’ve not been able to establish if they are faster than a fat blade. Do the Greenlanders use them only because they enjoy them or because they are faster as well? They are so delightful to use and easy to make I can’t understand why more people don’t use them. Thanks for any help you can give.

Answer: The speed of a kayaker has to do with many factors; including the kayak itself, but mainly, the technique of the person paddling it. The three main types of paddles are traditional paddles (Greenland sticks), European paddles (the Euro blade) and wing paddles. It is believed by many that of the three types, the wing blade is the fastest. Of the other two… it depends who you ask. I believe that it comes down to technique.

When I was in Greenland I only saw Greenland paddles. The purpose of the Greenland National Kayaking Championship is to preserve the traditions of the Greenlandic culture, and therefore, only traditional gear is used. However, the Greenland paddle is a remarkable tool, and so my thought falls to the common saying, “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.” This might be part of the reason that the European blade hasn’t become popular in Greenland.

As you said yourself, “they are so delightful to use and easy to make.” I have found that my Greenland paddles works well in everything I paddle in, from flat water to surf, and I don’t use any other kind of paddle. Hope this helps.