MichiganKayaker.com

The day I after I learned to roll at the Civic Center pool, I had to go out again. There is a lake by my house with pretty warm water, and I have a wet suit, so I decided to go. I called up my friend Matt Durand who is an expert canoeist (correct term?) and EMT, and he agreed to go with me. Once out in the water I became a little apprehensive due to what felt like very cold water. We found a shallow spot in the lake and he encouraged me to go for it. I started with a side scull which got the adrenaline flowing and also got me ready for the water temp. It really wasn't all that bad so I just went for it. I hit my first one on the third try. I could still hear Dave in my head telling me to keep the paddle up to my chin and my head back. Once I had the proper body position I rolled so fast I almost window-shaded. I did it a couple times and feel a lot more confident about rolling now. I can't wait to go out again.




However....the Acuta was damaged during this paddle. I am taking some advice from the message boards on how to fix it, but I am worried about the future of this boat. I can still use it for rolling but I am sure the tracking will be affected. I ran onto a log at high speed and it crushed the keel and dented the two bottom panels. It has gotten me motivated to finish my other two boats.

I didn't get any rolling pics unfortunately. Matt was too busy making sure I came back up. He is a great guy to paddle with.