Now I had to get in the water at least one time before Canoecopia to really get in the swing of things.  After rolling for awhile I thought I’d give a headstand in the Rockpool Alaw Bach another try.

Now if you ever want to try this there are a few things worth knowing. First, if you come crashing backwards over the deck you could get hurt. So I’m not telling you to try it. That said, the lower volume the kayak is the better.  A skin boat sits right near the surface of the water so the paddle laid out across the back right behind the combing works great for stability.  If you have great balance, skip the paddle all together. Good Luck with that!! In a more standard kayak the paddle is way off the surface of the water and is not as much help. You tend to wobble more and need a bit better balance. Of course a small person or child in a big boat will find it much easier. As you’d guess a chubby guy like me also finds it a bit more difficult to get the weight up and centered. Being heavier the kayak also tends to react much more quickly (and decisively) to your movements.  I’d been able to do headstands in my Anas Acuta as it sat really low in the water. I didn’t start having success with my Alaw Bach until this evening.

Now I just have to stay at it for awhile until it becomes as smooth as it was in the Acuta. Thing is after you realize you can do it once, you are much more inspired to stick to it.  Now the only point of the picture below is that I just really love my boat!