Back To Basics

The tight fit of a skin on frame kayak cannot be beat for control, especially when rolling. When using my Romany primarily for rolling, I have reduplicated this snug fit across my thighs by inserting a rectangular piece of closed cell foam. A few days ago I blogged about needing to beef up the thigh braces in the Cetus as my edging was not as I would want it to be. Brian pointed out that Ben Lawry emphasises edging by un-weighting one buttock rather than using the thigh to tilt the boat. This was best expressed at an instructor's update by a petite young lady who said to tell students that it was like farting on a bar stool. We all instantly got the picture.

Be that as it may, having contact with the thigh braces at least gives (at least, for me) a feeling of solid control and a feel of holding on while edging. So, I used the device in my Cetus the other day, and the results were quite satisfactory. I was edging further and with less effort while not actually using the thighs. Rather, having a feel for where the braces were gave instant feedback as to how much the boat was leaning and that, in turn, let me be more aggressive with the maneuver

I am going to (add it to the to-do list) carefully add a thin layer to the underside of the deck where my thighs (try to) make contact. This has all been part of learning this boat and, I must admit, gradually bringing it under my control in a way that has me paddling better than ever.

Paddle safe...

DS