Gear: paddling hood

Winter paddling can be uncomfortable when temperatures plummet and ice forms on the water.
Luckily I paddle in Queensland where winter means seas of minimum of 18C degrees :-)
Typically I can expect a short season where simple long sleeve Lycra rashguard is just not enough.
Winter usually has clear skies but windy conditions.
Our paddling group enjoys outings year round and we like to get wet, no matter what the weather is doing.

Reed tuilik (left) and Lavacore top and hood (right)
Rolling is slightly more refreshing than other times of the year but the effects of the wind on the wet body can be very cooling. Keeping the body warm just enough to prevent overheating (when underway paddling at a brisk pace) is usually not enough for the after effects of immersion.
Wet hair cools our bodies down very quickly.
Regulating the level of warmth needed for immersion and avoid overheating (when just touring) has always been a difficult balance. I would be freezing after rolling when the wind was blowing.
Stopping on the water to remove the PFD and add a layer is not that easy and sometimes dangerous.
Then Greg introduced me to wearing a hood.
Suddenly I was able to fine tune my body temperature. I would slip the hood on before starting to roll and remove it after my body warmed back up again. There is nothing more efficient and easier than resorting to a hood when the temperatures are variable.

The human head acts as a radiator for our body. There is a lot of blood supply to our brain and very little fat to insulate it. The hair on our skull protects some of the heat loss (if you have hair) but becomes rather useless when wet. The cooling effect of water evaporating is phenomenal as we all know how it feel to wear a wet T-shirt in a breeze...
To protect our heads from heat loss is probably the single most efficient way to keep warm.

Keeping warm with a hood
Most hoods are designed for underwater use where a thin layer of water is trapped between the skin and the neoprene. The water does not flush away and is warmed by our body heat thus creating an insulating layer. Neoprene is a fantastic insulator underwater but I find it not the best material for prolonged use above water. Neoprene does not breath and leaves the skin all clammy. Hearing is impaired and often an annoying drumming is heard from the neoprene over the ears.
For non immersion weather protection a hood from Reed Aquatherm seems to be adequate for Queensland winters. What I really wanted was the warming properties of neoprene but the comfortable breathability of Aquatherm.
Recently I found a product made from polyester that gives the insulation of 3 mm neoprene but still feels fantastic on the skin.
The inner surface has the face of short fleece (polyester) laminated to a windproof barrier that lets body perspiration through, mated to an outer surface that is highly water repellent.
The Lavacore hood keeps my head warm when rolling but dries fast when I start cruising again protecting me from the wind. After a short while my exercising body produces enough heat and I remove my hood without even having to slow down.
I believe that a hood  is probably the most effective piece of clothing that a kayaker can have on board for an emergency. It can make the difference between shivering and feeling snug.

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Technique: Greenland vs CtoC rolling

It has been a few years since I have swapped my Euro paddle for an Aleut and Greenland one.
Some initial adjustment was necessary to my stroke to gain the maximum benefit from these new tools.
My forward stroke no longer needed to be so high and I had to learn how to cant the Greenland paddle to achieve a quiet and efficient stroke.
Eventually I started to venture into the surf with the traditional paddles and I now find them easier to use than the big bladed Euro.

The biggest difference however came when I started rolling with a skinny paddle.
I was thought the typical CtoC kayak roll where the emphasis is on the blade and much less on kayak rotation to execute the roll.
Only now that I use traditional paddles I can notice the marked difference between a graceful roll and a forced roll.
The revelation came when a very proficient paddler, surf kayaker and roller could not execute a roll when handed one of my Aleut paddles.
Why could he not roll with my paddle when he was so good with his wing paddle?

I could not figure it out at the time but looking back at pictures of my style then and now I see what was happening.


Sea kayak instructors all over Australia teach the explosive white water style roll where momentum and support from the paddle are essential.
Once I started to roll regularly with my new skinny paddles I looked at my rolls (video footage) and noticed a problem: my paddle would end up vertically before the kayak was rolled.
Through mentoring of the selfless dedicated self taught Greenland roller Greg Schwarz I started to correct my poor style and progress into a direction where body pressure on the deck/thigh braces of the kayak is way more important than pressure on the paddle.
Slowly I gained the knowledge and confidence to roll Greenland style. I watched a lot of videos and started to notice that all good rollers executed their rolls with such grace and finesse, never rushing and never forcing their rolls.
Since there is no formally qualified Greenland technique instructor in Australia most rollers are self taught.
While self teaching has great merits often leads to bad habits if one is not referencing his/her style to the one of the masters.
One such master is Helen Wilson. Her style is incredibly graceful.

Luckily for aspiring G rollers, Helen has produced an outstanding video that specifically looks at the technique of basic G rolls.
Her video might not be the most technically produced footage (some of the audio is rather erratic and hard to hear) but her explanation on how to execute Greenland rolls has helped me and my friends to correct some of our mistakes.
Helen Wilson’s video is available in Australia through :
Sydney Harbour Kayaks (NSW)
Blue Earth Paddle Sports (NSW)
Adventure Outlet (QLD)
and Fat Paddler direct for the other states.
I know that there has been resistance from some instructors in embracing the fast growing following of Greenland rolling but I assume that the reason behind is ignorance in the technique.
I have seen several videos lately where local kayakers have started to explore the use of the stick but are having the same problems I had myself: powering those rolls instead of finessing them.
It seems apparent that they are willing to try the stick but have not understood the fundamental difference between a white water roll and a Greenland Roll.
A well executed G roll will not show force or momentum. The emphasys is on controlling and rotating the kayak to come back up, not on the support offered by the paddle.
If a roll with a skinny paddle is marginal in calm waters it certainly will not work in the surf where aerated water will not offer enough resistance on the pressure applied to the paddle.

Some examples of forced rolls using a Greenland paddle:

Adventuretess in her early rolling days


source: Queensland Sea Kayak Club



I am lucky to have a dedicated group of kayakers that mentor each other with rolling and criticize and correct each other’s mistakes with the goal to gain better boat control and overall performance out of our crafts.
And here is Adventuretess a few months ago:

It looks like her style has improved...

PS Gnarlydog and Team are away on safari right now and will return to MEI Headquarter in early May...

Photo: rolling Greenland style

No force, no rush, no splash. Just a gentle twist of the body with a bit of paddle support...
Slowly learning to finesse Greenland style rolling.

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Photo: surfing wind waves

Who said is no fun kayaking when the wind blows?

surfing small wind waves with a Vanstix.  20 knots it's ideal for this location

GEAR: Reed spraydecks and clothing

Aquatherm is a unique fabric used by Reed Chillcheater to make kayak spraydecks and clothing.
Like no other fabric on the market it addresses a couple of very important features.
The fabric is firstly waterproof but also breathable.
Many fabrics have achieved that (Gore-Tex for example) but what sets Aquatherm apart from the other fabrics is its elasticity.
Almost as stretchy as Lycra the fabric is coated with a unique rubber-like membrane that makes it waterproof and windproof.
What ultimately distinguishes it is the ability to dry very fast compared to other fabrics.
Since the outside of the fabric is smooth (no knit) the rubber sheds water like nothing else.
The face fabric does not saturate with water that would take a long time to dry.
After a few minutes my Aquatherm gear is touch dry.
So what's the big deal of keeping the fabric dry; isn't it enough that water does not get to your body?
You might have noticed how a wet garment chills you when saturated with water if the air is chilly and there is a bit of wind.
Think of a wet T-shirt in a bit of a breeze...
The evaporative action (fabric drying) uses an incredible amount of energy (heat) and that translates to heat loss and therefore the cooling effect.
Just like a "swamp cooler" works on that principle to cool the air, the wet fabric is cooling your body.
Sounds desirable in the heat of summer, but it can prove to be a real bummer (often more than that) when temperatures are in the low teens (centigrade).

With winter approaching, fellow novice paddlers are seeking recommendations on suitable paddling attire.
While I also own a Gore-Tex paddling jacket I always reach for the Reed gear.
Aquatherm tops are excellent for rolling too since they are so much less bulky than a jacket.
Even though they don't keep me dry when rolling (water still goes down my neck) they are excellent for cruise paddling.
In a jacket (unless it's a "dry" top) the sleeves fill up with water and rarely drain..

Being breathable they keep the "steam" that I exert from my body away from my skin keeping my underlayer (when cold) dry.
I find Aquatherm suited for mild weather (read Queensland winter); if necessary I layer with a thin fleece underneath.

Reed also makes spray decks.

If Aquatherm is excellent to keep me warm as a garment, it excels to keep me cool when used in a spray skirt.
How can that be?

As mentioned, the fabric "breathes" and prevents the steam to build under the enclosed deck.
Since I have been using Reed spray decks I have been much more comfortable when paddling in the heat of summer (30C-86F). I no longer feel the little rivulets of sweat drip along my legs...
I am not sure how warm the skirt would be in really cold waters (Qld ocean temps rarely drop below 20C) but its perfectly suited for my paddling conditions.

Now the bad part; there always is one :-)
User reviews say that Aquatherm skirts are not as durable as good quality neoprene skirts.
Despite the manufacturer claiming that they are 5 times more abrasion resistant than neo, I have not found that.
The fabric is rather thin and its fairly easy to puncture when assisting rescues and sliding the rescued kayak over the cockpit rim. I am not the only one lamenting this problem.
Furthermore, a couple of skirts have delaminated prematurely.

While Reed does offer a 12 month warranty against manufacturing defects, it is the fabric in some skirts that failed, in some cases before warranty ran out.
Reed is happy to replace them only within the specified warranty period.
I was hoping that my skirts would last longer than 12 months and that I should not need to replace them soon after.
Interestingly enough only some skirts are effected by this.
Could it be that there was a bad batch of fabric and that the local retailer got the bulk of those defective skirts?
Will I replace the Reed skirts with the same one?
Yes. I will give Aquatherm another go and hopefully my problem was isolated.
The fabric is just too good to go back to neoprene.