9 degrees at Scapa

Today I thought I’d take the opportunity of having a boat carrying friend visiting to go to Scapa and practice some sea boat rolling.  The wind has dropped a bit today but there was still a fairly gusty Northerly coming in.   I dressed for emersion.

Dressed to kill

I am a great believer in wind assisted rolling so I started on my good side and thought about my start and finish position.  Thinking startThinking finish

The first few rolls were smooth and felt a doddle compared even to a pool boat. 

I then tried a roll on my offside and must have been hit by a wave because I fell straight in the other way!

The air temperature was around 1 degree and the sea is reported to be 9 degrees (but it felt colder).  As I stayed out, I began to tire and my roll failed me.  My hands went numb very quickly in the water and I found it hard to set up for re-entry and roll when I couldn’t feel them.It all starts to go wrongSwimming around in Scapa Bay

I think my head is the problem again, I am sure it is coming up too fast as I was righting myself and falling back in.  I shall think more about this in the comfort of a warm pool……

I am remaining positive though – I went out in not flat water, with a stiff wind and I rolled on both sides – it’s a start!