Skills: 3 Greenland Rolls You Need to Know

Skills

All photos this page: Geoff Murray — Skills: 3 Greenland Rolls You Need to Know

Greenland rolling has its origins in the deep survival skills of Inuit hunters plying frigid Arctic seas. The ability to recover from any capsize, in any conditions, was a matter of necessity.

While there are some 35 different Greenland rolls, most are variations of a handful of fundamental rolls. You may want to know these more esoteric options for those occasions when, for example, you’ve had your fingers chomped by a vicious leopard seal (crook-of- the-arm roll) or become ensnared in your harpoon line (straightjacket roll).

But in our experience, mastering just three rolls—the standard Greenland roll, reverse sweep roll and storm roll—will empower you to recover from any capsize where you keep hold of your paddle.

Standard Greenland Roll

The Standard Greenland roll is the easiest of the three rolls to learn. Performed with an extended paddle for added leverage and flotation, it can be done slowly, giving you more time to think. Once dialed, it can be executed with your hands in a normal paddling position. This roll is the foundation for all other aft finishing rolls.

Demonstration of standard Greenland roll

Extend your paddle, gripping the blade shoulder-width apart. Rotate, hold the paddle alongside your kayak and tuck tightly forward to this side. Capsize and hold the tuck.
Pause and let the paddle float to the surface. Maintaining your tuck, move your pivot hand—the hand closest to the stern of the boat—to your pivot shoulder. This hand is like the center of a clock, it anchors to the pivot shoulder and stays with that shoulder throughout the roll. The pivot hand also sets your blade angle, so be patient with your sweep until it is in place. Now your body is ready to uncoil.
Uncoil your body, rotating onto your back just as you would float on your back while swimming. Engage your core muscles to get your shoulders parallel to the surface. The back float is key— utilizing the natural buoyancy of your body, it allows you to gain support from the water to leverage the kayak upright. As you uncoil, keep your pivot hand at the pivot shoulder and open that hip while driving up with your water (or lower) leg. The sweep shoulder moves up toward your sweep hand, finally meeting on the surface. Resist the urge to pull downward as you sweep.
To finish the roll, arch your back, drop your head back deeply into the water and continue to drive up with your water leg. Engage your abdominals and lift your body out of the water onto the back deck. At this point, both of your hands are facing palms up at your shoulders and the paddle is perpendicular to the kayak.

Reverse Sweep Roll

The reverse sweep roll starts with your body rotated and arching back, and finishes with your chest tucked forward over the front deck. The roll is essentially the opposite of the standard Greenland roll; while you again use an extended paddle and your body’s natural ability to float, you move the blade in the opposite direction and float face down. This roll is useful anytime you find yourself capsized to the back deck, as often happens while surfing or if you’ve just blown your standard Greenland roll.

Demonstrating reverse sweep Greenland-style roll

Extend the paddle, holding it with hands shoulder-width apart and palms facing upward. Rotate your body, look- ing back toward the stern, and place the extended paddle tip beyond the opposite gunwale.
When you’re ready to capsize, archback and use your core muscles to maintain this position with the paddle tip pinned to the gunwale. After capsizing, pause here with the top of your head sticking out of the water, close to your stern gunwale. The extended paddle tip should be out of the water, on the same side of the kayak as your head. Extend your pivot hand, on the other tip, straight down underneath your body. Bend your sweep arm and hold this hand close to your forehead without weighting the paddle. Arch your back— think cow pose in yoga—with both shoulders horizontal to the surface.
Sweep forward with your body, face down and shoulders horizontal, keeping the pivot hand below you and the sweep hand near your forehead. As you sweep toward the bow—body and blade in concert—drive up with your water leg.
Continue until your head, torso, and paddle are 90 degrees to the kayak, and then transfer the weight from your pivot hand to your sweep hand. Straighten that arm, pushing your sweep hand away from your face and driving the sweep blade down. Rounding your back—think cat pose in yoga—drive your head down with the paddle. Continue engaging your water leg.
At this point the kayak should be mostly upright and your head and sweep hand deep in the water. To finish, pull the paddle inward across your lap with even pressure on both hands, and bring your body over the front deck.

Storm Roll

Greenland-style storm roll

The storm roll is the best rough water roll. It requires minimal set-up and is very quick. Use it to paddle out through heavy surf—you start and end tucked forward so your head stays protected the whole time. As soon as you finish the roll, you are looking forward and in position to paddle quickly or roll again if needed.

Hold the paddle with your hands in regular paddling posi- tion. Rotate, tuck forward and reach both hands as far over the side of your kayak as possible, pressing the paddle faces to the hull as you capsize. Maintain your tuck with your face looking at the sky and continue reaching both hands around the bottom of your kayak. Push the paddle past the chine, toward the keel.
Your stern hand is now your push hand. This hand pushes down and forward along the kayak, using the hull to set an effective sweeping blade angle. The push hand moves from behind your hip at set-up to the foredeck at the finish, pressing the paddle hard to the kayak the whole time. Your forward hand is your sweep hand—as you push with your stern hand, you pull with your sweep hand. Don’t weight this hand; just sweep it along the surface.
As soon as you start to sweep, drive up hard with your lower leg. Don’t put any pressure on the other leg—if you find your- self engaging this leg, take it off the foot support or drive it into the bottom of the kayak. As your sweeping blade reaches perpendicular to the kayak, rotate your head to face down at the opposite gunwale, keeping your shoulders parallel to the surface.
The sweep ends just past 90 degrees with your body tucked tightly to the front deck. If your sweep angle isn’t quite right, you may need to add a pry or low brace at the end of your roll.

Cheri Perry and Turner Wilson are featured in a brand new instructional DVD, This is the Roll. Get it at cackletv.com.

This article first appeared in the Summer 2012 issue of Adventure Kayak Magazine. For more great content, subscribe to Adventure Kayak’s print and digital editions here.

Everything I Needed To Know, I Learned At Greenland Camp

Stories

All photos: Virginia Marshall — Everything I Needed to Know, I Learned at Greenland Camp

From our perch in the lifeguard tower over- looking Camp Tamarack’s private lake, the hard-chined, low volume kayaks bobbing in the shallows are too numerous to count.

“How many this year?” I ask James Roberts, co-owner of Parry Sound-based Learn to Kayak and organizer of the second annual Ontario Greenland Camp (OGC). Roberts pulls his eye away from his camera viewfinder and runs a hand through his unruly hair, crunching the numbers. “Sixty-five, plus instructors,” he replies—30 percent more than the previous year. Healthy numbers for a new event in a region not generally recognized for its zealous participation in ancient Arctic traditions.

Greenland-style on the rise

Since Adventure Kayak last took an in-depth look at Greenland-style paddling in 2006, traditional gatherings have been on the rise. Bringing a bit of Greenland to Ontario’s lake country was a no-brainer for Roberts and business partner and fiancée, Dympna Hayes.

“We put Greenland paddles in all our students’ hands on every course we teach,” says Hayes. “It’s easier to learn rolling with a stick, and a lot of our clients now carry one as an inexpensive spare paddle.”

The clincher came when Roberts and Hayes attended a 10-day, build-your-own-kayak workshop with Kayak Ways gurus Cheri Perry and Turner Wilson. The couples agreed on a date for the very first OGC the following September.

“We found an authentic Muskoka sum- mer camp where we could host the event after the kids go back to school,” says Hayes. “It’s more casual, more fun—we wanted it to feel like adults going to camp.”

Already, OGC has all the hallmarks of a memorable camp experience: terrific leaders, aprés-paddle campfire parties, all-you-can-eat-buffets and at least one bizarre or mildly harrowing initiation endured by some of the participants and shared with an appreciative audience. At last year’s event, the lewd, wildly imaginative scribbles on the rafters of the camp cabins aroused only a little less titilation among the clatch of middle-aged paddlers than they doubtless had among their eighth-grade authors.

In 2011, Roberts and Hayes fly in jet-setting Greenland champion, Maligiaq Padilla, from Alaska to round out the instructor team. I’m looking forward to meeting the famous Greenlander, but I almost lose my chance after he manages to miss his flight in Anchorage and is forced to connect through Phoenix and Buffalo. Thanks to some heroic, over-the-phone guidance from Roberts, Padilla somehow arrives in time for Saturday morning classes.

Padilla is at once worldy and disarmingly naïve. At lunch—over a plate of fries, watermelon and ketchup mopped up with white bread—he tells me about the delicious pizzas and tiny coffees in Italy, the peculiar toilets in the Land of the Rising Sun (he’s been to Japan five times) and his Japanese students’ affinity for consuming huge quantities of beer just before a rolling lesson. Later, at a rope gymnastics demonstration, the champion cracks jokes with the crowd when the ropes pinch in sensitive places.

People Greenland-style kayaking

“It’s the rapid progression and sense of achievement that gets kayakers hooked on Greenland paddling.”

Ontario Greenland Camp students benefit from Roberts and Hayes’ meticulous organization, Padilla’s spontaneous instruction style and Perry and Wilson’s carefully crafted progressions. “The quality of the instruction is incredibly high,” says Roberts, “Cheri and Turner can get anyone rolling.”

By the end of the weekend, of the roughly 50 percent of participants who have never rolled before, most are developing a reliable standard Greenland roll. The more advanced students are storm, shotgun, norsaq and hand rolling.

On Sunday afternoon, I squeeze into one of Wilson’s skin-on-frame kayaks. It’s my first real foray in a hand-built Greenland kayak, and the difference is astonishing. Within minutes, I am able to perform rolls and braces that have eluded me for years.

Hayes says it’s this rapid progression and sense of achievement that gets kayakers hooked on Greenland paddling—and Greenland Camp. She and Roberts are expecting up to 80 participants this year, with many arriving from the northeastern states.

“It inspires paddlers to develop more advanced skills and it’s just a lot of fun,” says Hayes. “Plus, the camp has promised real coffee this year!” No word yet on re-painting the cabins.

This article first appeared in the Summer 2012 issue of Adventure Kayak Magazine. For more great content, subscribe to Adventure Kayak’s print and digital editions here.

Rock the Boat: Inside the Circle

Stories

Illustration: Lorenzo Del Bianco — Rock the Boat: Inside the Circle

My partner says I have a circle fixation. He points to my favorite foods: cookies, pineapple rings, M&Ms, microwave egg McMuffins and bowls of children’s cereal.

Okay, I admit, I took hula-hooping classes to stay paddling fit last winter and I’d rather exercise after work on my backyard trampoline than go for a run around the block. I prefer gathering with friends around a campfire rather than at a coffee table. I love everything about my cat, but what held my gaze in the crowded shelter filled with frenzied felines and the close smell of ammonia, was the roundness of her face.

Lately, I’ve been noticing a circular attraction with kayaking as well.

Case in point, have you ever been to a kayaking event where the group did not—at some point, or more likely, at several points— throughout the day or weekend convene in a circle? On land, before the skills clinic or tour, we circle around to stretch, warm up, plan and practice key stroke dynamics. Later, on the water, we again gather round to debrief, discuss and admire each other’s Kevlar and Gore-Tex.

Even our most prized skill sets are based on the coming-back-to-the-start path of the circle. A kayak roll inscribes a circle through air and water, our head tracing the circumference and our body forming the radius like the hand of a clock. And certainly we’ve all spent consider- able energies focusing on the concept drilled into paddling students by their instructors: rotation, rotation, rotation.

What’s in a shape, you may be wondering? Different sports have different geometries, informed by their respective environments. Whitewater boaters take their cues from the confined, linear spaces of river valleys; lining up along the riverbank in the narrow shelter of eddies. Skiers stand shoulder to shoulder at the precipice’s brink, studying the intricacies and fall lines of the only direction afforded them—down.

A sea kayaker’s environment is fundamentally different. The wide expanses of open coast or labyrinthine archipelagos offer endless possibilities, infinite directions. Perhaps the circle is our attempt to contain some of this, to lasso it with our mastery and equipment. How else to explain the kayaker’s fixation with circumnavigating things? Or perhaps it is rooted in the origins of our craft, of the small bands of hunters pursuing their leviathan prey with only hand-thrown harpoons and teamwork.

Or maybe, as one of my fellow hula-hoopers—a middle-aged woman wearing flowing, hand-sewn skirts and braids in her waist- length silver hair—exclaimed after a particularly moving session, “It just feels so good to be inside the circle!”

Whatever the case, across oceans and years, the circle simply seems to make sense. If you don’t feel like joining, please, have a cracker (not a Ritz) and keep your derisions to yourself. We are not “circle jerks” and—apologies to Huey Lewis fans—it’s not hip to be square.

This article first appeared in the Summer 2012 issue of Adventure Kayak Magazine. For more great content, subscribe to Adventure Kayak’s print and digital editions here.

Blazing the Trail: Connecting Washington State and Alaska

Stories

Photo: Sander Jain — Blazing the Trail: Connecting Washington State and Alaska

The numbers are staggering: an estimated 27,000 kilometers (16,750 miles) of coastline; 1,500 potential sites, including launch points, rest stops and camp sites; 10 paddling clubs and two official trails already open with a combined total of 179 sites. The British Columbia Marine Trail Network (BCMTN) has arrived.

Born nearly 20 years ago in the tidal mind of West Coast kayak pioneer and author of Kayak Routes of the Pacific Northwest Coast, Peter McGee, the BCMTN vision has been a long time coming. In the early 1990s, McGee envisioned a marine trail that would connect paddle strokes from Washington to Alaska. McGee’s ambitious project foresaw increasing pressures on popular and critical kayaking campsites and rest stops from both private land interests and heavy industry, and had the goal of mapping and securing permanent access for paddlers up the entire coast.

After a flurry of activity, including a mid-coast survey and the creation of a campsite at Valdes Island’s Blackberry Point, as well as a rest stop and toilet on Saltspring Island’s Musgrave Point, the association lost steam and by the late 1990s the BCMTN vision began to blur.

Nearly 15 years later, with pressure mounting on popular paddling sites, mainly by private landholders, the movement reawoke with new energy and support from the B.C. Government’s Recreational Sites and Trails program.

Parksville’s Stephanie Meinke is the president of the BCMTN Association and has been working hard with a small army of volunteers to identify, ground-proof and begin adding the sites to the growing list of official B.C. Marine Trails Recreation Sites.

“Campsites vary,” explains Meinke.“Most do not need any form of booking as they are completely undeveloped wilderness sites. Other sites in parks may require a fee and may have pre- booking options, such as those in the Gulf Islands National Marine Park Reserve. We will be adding some commercial campsites and even strategically located B&Bs and resorts shortly.”

“We are continuing to identify prospective new sites to propose to Recreation Sites and Trails B.C.,” says Meinke, “concentrating on the rest of the Vancouver Island coastline and adjoining islands for now. We are also developing our website to become a comprehensive first stop for information on the B.C. Marine Trails Network and its sites.”

The B.C. Marine Trails Network website and online interactive map launched this spring at bcmarinetrails.org. With detailed satellite imagery and info on access, water availability and marine hazards, the map offers paddlers a glimpse into the grandiose scheme of creating the world’s longest marine trail.

And the association never rests. Due to the scope of the initiative, they anticipate the com- pletion of the trail to take several years. The seemingly endless work of installing signage for access and launch sites, filling in the existing network of sites and, finally, expanding the BCMTN north to Alaska is ongoing.

Dave Quinn is a wildlife biologist, guide and writer based in Kimberley, British Columbia.

This article first appeared in the Summer 2012 issue of Adventure Kayak Magazine. For more great content, subscribe to Adventure Kayak’s print and digital editions here.

Where Are All the Young People Paddling?

Stories

Photo: flickr.com/umnak — Where Are All the Young People Paddling?

I’m right here. I’ve been a sea kayak guide since I was 19 (I’m 23 now) but I wonder where are the other paddlers my age. Most of the people I instruct are twice my age.

It seems as though the sea kayaking crowd is older and it’s whitewater that attracts younger, adrenaline-seekers. Perhaps this stems from the fact that often, people who get into sea kayaking are looking for a relaxing activity. Drifting quietly across a placid stretch of water sounds calming for many parents, but for their kids this might just mean being bored to tears.

I learned to kayak  in a bubble—a knowledge bubble. All I knew is what I had been taught in a few pool sessions and figured out on my own. My transition into guiding was the big bang of my paddling career and the beginning of the expansion of my skills. Suddenly, there was so much out there for me to discover. I learned of the Tsunami Rangers and watched all of the This is the Sea movies; there was Dubside, Maligiaq and QajaqUSA; I visited symposiums and joined the ACA. I rolled and surfed, went on expeditions and taught, and I did it all from the same kayak. The more I learned about the paddling world the more I realized that it’s impossible to define the kayaking experience as simply as most people do.

Sea kayaking needs to be seen as exciting and challenging, requiring us to let go of the stereotypical notions of flat water and sunrises

The view that kayaking should be purely about slowing down is too cut and dry, in my opinion. I get shudders from many sea kayakers when I explain what being back-endered in surf is like, yet nothing but praise from my whitewater paddling friends. To get younger people into the sport, it needs to be seen as exciting and challenging, requiring us to let go of the stereotypical notions of flat water and sunrises, and accept the multiple facets of sea kayaking.

I choose not to look at sea kayaking as any one of these aspects but as a means to having fun, no matter what that may imply. That’s what gets me excited about kayaking—it is whatever I want to make it. You can be young or old, an expert or a novice, Euro or Greenland, enjoy the rough and tumble world of surf and rock gardens or the quiet Zen of glowing sunsets and still be a happy paddler. Many even find an adrenaline rush and Zen in the same moment. When we choose to look at kayaking in this light, stereotypes disappear.

The challenge is trying something new. Trying different boats, paddles, partners and routes. Sea kayaking doesn’t have to fit any- one’s archetype, nor should it. We run the risk of letting the paddling world stagnate by having too many rules, stereotypes and expectations. Try a Greenland paddle in a surf ski or a wing paddle in a skin-on-frame. Try a playboat or an SUP. Find your own balance of adrenaline and Zen.

Tim Gallaway is an ACA level 4 instructor, a Greenland-style paddler, expedition sea kayaker, whitewater paddler, kayak guide and freshly graduated engineer.

This article first appeared in the Summer 2012 issue of Adventure Kayak Magazine. For more great content, subscribe to Adventure Kayak’s print and digital editions here.

Best Designated Canoe Routes

Trips

Dodd Lake on the Powell Forest Canoe Route. Photo: Ziemak Trzesicki — Canoe route in Powell Forest.

This canoe trips article originally appeared in Canoeroots and Family Camping magazine.

Water trails, blueways, canoe routes…whatever you call them, designated routes with facilities for paddlers are cropping up on waterways across the country. Presently, there are more than 150 water trails throughout the U.S. alone, with more in the works. Last year, as part of the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative, the U.S. Department of the Interior designated two rivers in each state for blueway status, giving local groups direct access to federal planning resources.

POWELL FOREST CANOE ROUTE, British Columbia

What’s a former timber town to do when the logging industry goes away? On B.C.’s Sunshine Coast, residents and ex loggers in Powell River have taken the future into their own hands, redeveloping their forest and lake system for the benefit of canoe enthusiasts everywhere. This five-day, 57-kilometer water trail traces a semi-circle through eight lakes, featuring soaring mountain scenery, lush coastal forest, well-equipped campsites and five portages en route. www.trailpeak.com/trail-Powell-Forest-Canoe-Route- near-Powell-River-BC-241 or www.canoeingbc.com/canoeroute.html

JEFFERSON RIVER WATER TRAIL, Montana

Two hundred and seven years ago, while on expedition to map the West and reach the Pacific, Meriweather Lewis and William Clark paddled dugout canoes up the Jefferson with a crew of 31 aided by a 16-year-old Shoshone female tracker/ translator named Sacagawea. Today, members of the Lewis and Clark Heritage Foundation are working to develop a six-day canoe trail on the Jeff from Twin Bridges to Three Forks at the Missouri River headwaters, passing through the Tobacco Root Mountains en route. At present, primitive camping is permitted on gravel bars below the high water mark. www.jeffersonriver.org

ROOT RIVER WATER TRAIL, Minnesota

The 80-mile Root River Water Trail runs from Preston on the South Branch to the Lower Mississippi Wildlife Refuge. Attractive campsites along the way make it easy to enjoy a relaxing multi-day trip with opportunities to stop and explore a variety of riverside villages. The route is also flanked by a paved bike path for its entire length, making a paddle and pedal trip a fun and environmentally friendly shuttle option. www.dnr.state.mn.us/watertrails/rootriver/more.html

THOUSAND ISLANDS WATER TRAIL, Ontario

Rumrunners used the back bays and hid- den channels of the lower St. Lawrence River islands to hide from the law during U.S. prohibition. Now, those same hiding places are part of the 1000 Islands Water Trail. The trail’s nine short routes are accessible for day tripping, or link them together for an extended paddle between Brockville and the historic fort city of Kingston. Combine sections six through eight for a terrific weekend trip, staying at scenic St. Lawrence Islands National Park campsites, seeing the Ironsides heron colony, stopping off at Boldt Castle and viewing the petroglyphs at Tar Island. www.paddle1000.com

DELAWARE RIVER WATER TRAIL, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania

The Delaware River stretches 326 miles from the Catskill Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean. The upper section is a Blue Ribbon trout stream and provides some challenging whitewater, with public access and private camping facilities from Hancock to Port Jervis. The middle section from Milford through to Kittatinny passes through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area with facilities for paddlers and campers. www.delrivgreenway.org

This article originally appeared in Canoeroots & Family Camping, Early Summer 2012. Download our freeiPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.

Old Town Saranac 160 Canoe Review

Boats
Canoes

802a9daf23bff040c546f525d4bd22bc_XL — Old Town Saranac Canoe

A review of the Old Town Saranac recreational canoe from Canoeroots & Family Camping magazine.

Designed for affordable family fun with a narrowed shape and slightly lowered seats, the Saranac paddles better than most recreational canoes. A center bench seat perfect for smaller passengers with a hatch-accessed storage compartment, plus molded-in rod and cup holders, adds convenience and versatility.

A VIDEO REVIEW OF THE OLD TOWN SARANAC RECREATIONAL CANOE

OLD TOWN SARANAC 160 SPECS

LENGTH: 16′

WIDTH: 37″

MATERIAL: Thermoformed Polyethylene

WEIGHT: 89 LBS

MAX CAPACITY: 800-850 LBS

MSRP: $699

www.oldtowncanoe.com

This article originally appeared in Canoeroots & Family Camping, Early Summer 2012. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.

Nova Craft Teddy Canoe Review

Boats
Canoes

7ae73efe4c50580e061849ef2d5b5ea4_XL — Nova Craft Teddy Canoe

A review of the Nova Craft Teddy recreational canoe from Canoeroots & Family Camping magazine.

At 12 feet, the Teddy is specifically designed for young paddlers. A scaled-down version of the famous Bob Special, the Teddy is suitable for paddling tandem or solo. It performs like a standard size canoe but with less effort for smaller paddlers. It maneuvers easily and tracks well without compromising the space needed for a multi-day trip.

NOVA CRAFT TEDDY CANOE SPECS

LENGTH: 12’
WIDTH: 34”
MATERIAL: Aramid Lite / Blue / Steel / Spectra / Aramid / Royalex Lite / Fiberglass
WEIGHT 29–47
MAX CAPACITY: 490 LBS

MSRP: $1,059 / $1,299 (Fiberglass / Royalex Lite)

www.novacraft.com

This article originally appeared in Canoeroots & Family Camping, Early Summer 2012. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.

Top Notch Dry Tops

Gear

Day on the river or expedition, these dry tops are up to the challenge. (Photo: Dan Caldwell) — Top Notch Dry Tops

NRS REVOLUTION

As soon as we got our hands on this dry top, we knew it was expedition-grade. The hefty 400-denier body and Cordura elbow patches provide protection from creek beds, canyon walls and over- growth on portages. Redesigned for 2012, the Revolution is equipped with a standard neoprene collar and a Velcro, neoprene and nylon tunnel. Not so standard are the liquid-sealed seams. Rather than just using seam tape to seal the jacket, NRS has applied liquid rubber sealant to the seams and gaskets for extra leak-proof insurance. High Sign: So heavy duty you may never wear it out. Low Sign: Heavyweight protection means, well, heavy weight. www.nrsweb.com • $330

Bomber Gear BOMB LONG SLEEVE

Bomber Gear splashes back onto the whitewater scene with a new line of dry gear including this flagship dry top. We found the Bomb’s highly water resistant, Sub-screen treated neoprene cuffs protected the wrist gaskets and improved fit, helping the sleeves stay put on our wrists. The sticky neoprene outer tunnel did a great job saving us from the crop top effect of bracing and rolling. The inner liner is a light and silky Tricot waterproof- breathable nylon that doesn’t bunch or chafe against bare skin. High Sign: Bomber Gear’s gaskets aren’t glued; they’re chemically fused for longer-lasting protection. Low Sign: No elbow or forearm reinforcement may lead to premature wear. www.bombergear.com • $390

Kokatat ROGUE

The lightest of the tops we tested,  Kokatat’s high-performance expedition top offers an ideal mix of protection where you need it with breathability where you want it. High wear areas like the shoulders, elbows and fore- arms are Cordura-reinforced, while  the side panels are made of ultra- breathable Gore-Tex XCR. Attention to details like a key lanyard in the self-draining chest pocket and a taste ful reflective logo make this one classy jacket. High Sign: Unsurpassed fit that feels tough without any unwanted bulk. Low Sign: No imported beer for an entire season to afford this one. www.kokatat.com • $425

This story originally appeared on page 25 of the Early Summer 2012 issue of Rapid magazine. Read the entire issue here.

Recovering a Runaway Boat

Skills

Watch out! (Photo: Ryan Creary) — Recovering a Runaway Boat

When it comes to dealing with a runaway boat, think physics. I’m not talking about the space-time continuum, but simple energy and force. A boat full of water is out of control: mass × force = life of its own. You can’t change the force of the river, but you can change the mass of the boat. An authoritative boat-over-boat to dump the water takes just 10 seconds—practice is key, which is why kayak instructors have this on lockdown. Flip the boat onto your deck, rock it back and forth just once and then flip and fire it off into the nearest eddy. This works on all but the juiciest of rivers.

Tethered towing has fallen out of favor un- less the river is pretty mellow (do you really want to be tied to that sea anchor?) but you still have to get the water out first.

The last option is the bow plow, but all you can reasonably expect is to direct the energy, rather than control it. Again, think physics: set the swamped boat on a ferry angle and make the river do the work. Your job is to bump and prod it to keep the angle. If you’re downstream, you can try ramming your bow into the open cockpit and then working it to shore. Beware, though, heavy boats have a life of their own.

This story originally appeared on page 23 of the Early Summer 2012 issue of Rapid magazine. Read the entire issue here.

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