I'll take your advice, Dave. I can do a roll in calm waters but have a heck
of a time in rough conditions. A river kayak is so much easier to do a roll
with than my rather wide ocean kayak. However, I love paddling in the
ocean. There's a feeling of serenity and solitude that I find appealing at
this point in my life. I am also drawn to the strength and vitality of the
ocean. It appeals to me...but I have a healthy respect for its strength. I
live in a great area for ocean kayaking...at least in terms of the beauty of
the coastline. However, it's a treacherous coastline as well...one that has
taken the lives of a number of persons in more stable craft than an ocean
kayak.

Barry


"Dave Van" wrote in message
...
in article . net, Barry at
wrote on 8/7/04 12:13 AM:

....guess I should become more confident in my roll....not just for the
sake
of keeping cool but for safety reasons...and I'd feel more secure as
well.
Right now, I go out with a couple of guys that have more experience than
I
do and they are helping me along. I suppose in the mean time, I'll
swelter
in the sun while they enjoy a roll in the cool water g.

Barry

If you're paddling with a couple of experienced chaperones, have one of
them
spot you while you roll so you can grab their bow if you blow it. You'll
get to cool off, practice your roll in conditions that you actually paddle
in and you'll likely receive tons of free advice on improving that roll
from
them while your at it. I have yet to meet a kayaker that wasn't willing
to
help another paddler improve... or cool off for that matter.

Cheers

DV




"Brian Nystrom" wrote in message
...
Barry wrote:
How can I deal with the sauna that is created below my skirt when out
in
ocean waters and the air temps are high? I know there must me a way
to
deal
with it. I suspect that I can have someone make a custom skirt out of
Gortex or similar material but it would probably be expensive.

Opening it periodically helps. Rolling or sculling periodically to wet
the skirt and deck will help keep the temp down. For summer use, we had
Brooks make us a couple of white neoprene skirts. They work quite well.

The problem with using any kind of fabric skirt is that they leak
around
the coaming and at the top. If you don't consider that a problem, there
are waterproof/breathable skirts on the market.