THE ASSISTED REENTRY-AND-ROLL
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loading of the lead paddler’s blade. At that point, the following paddler jumps into their roll. It doesn’t matter what style of roll each paddler chooses, C-to-C or sweep, as long as at least one of the paddlers has a really strong roll. Try different rolls and see what works for your team. Obviously all the usual rolling rules apply— reach for the surface, keep your heads down and drive the knees for a good hip snap. Without that hip snap you are never coming up. And if one paddler is pulling their head up too early, straining to get upright and leading with the noggin, it’s gonna be wet for both boaters.
All the little “cheats” apply too, and maybe even more so. If you find yourselves almost up, but not quite, keep those heads down and a quick scull will almost always get you the rest of the way upright. With two paddlers, you have a lot of lift on tap, but only if you can work together cooperatively.
If you’ve got the timing down, have strong solo rolls, and are both starting your rolls at the same time (and on the same side!), you are almost guaranteed success.
The tandem roll is also a fun teaching tool. With a strong roller in the boat, the newer paddler can go through the rolling motions, getting the feel of the hip
snap, over and over again without the usual hassle of a wet exit after every failed attempt. If the bow person is very inexperienced, it is far easier to have them simply hug the deck while the stern paddler rolls the tandem alone. If this sounds overly macho, try it. You’ll be surprised how easy it is.
THE ASSISTED REENTER-AND-ROLL If you do blow your roll, the “reenter and roll”
is an alternative self-rescue that works really well with a double. Why? Because you have an extra set of hands and a great big talking paddle float! After a capsize and wet exit, have the stern paddler reenter and roll the boat as the bow paddler, still in the water, helps out by simply grabbing the bow cockpit rim and flipping the boat in sync with the roll, or by acting as a great big paddle float, as shown here. With the stern paddler ready in the overturned tandem, the bow paddler moves in behind their partner, guides the sweeping paddle onto their shoulder and holds it at the surface. The bow paddler wearing a PFD represents a lot of flotation—the stern paddler now has an almost guaranteed roll. The stern paddler, now happily upright in the boat, stabilizes as the bow partner scrambles
aboard. As inelegant as this self-rescue may seem, it is fast and effective with a well-practiced team, and eliminates fumbling around with a standard paddle float.
At least once (if not always) practice pumping out the fully swamped double. In many rescue practices, people fail to actually fully empty their kayak with a pump. It is a daunting task, and enough to inspire you to start working on a tandem roll.
Once you get comfortable doing rescues and rolls in a tandem, you’ll also be putting the boat on edge for lean turns, sprinting to catch wind waves, seeking out currents to play in and generally having more fun than you ever thought possible in a double sea kayak. You’ll be paddling just as playfully as you would paddle solo and enjoying the double’s extra power and speed. You may even be more daring, what with a
partner in crime right there in the same boat to egg you on. Even if you do happen to wet exit, you’ve got two people working together to get yourselves back in the boat and ready for more. After all, two heads are better than one!
Alex Matthews lives and paddles on Vancouver Island with his partner, and much better half, Rochelle Relyea.
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