Hey John:

I sincerely apologize if I sounded condescending re rolling. That was not my intent.

Yes, I am referring to the Black Pearl. And yes, it does have the ocean cockpit. This complicates rescues like the back deck scramble as the cockpit is so small that both legs have to be slid in at the same time. Still, I can do such a self rescue with the aid of a paddle - sans float - but only in the pool or other still water!! You have to be careful climbing up the back as the low volume can easily submerge the coaming and quickly flood the boat!!

I've easily managed assisted rescues like the "t rescue" with no incident. The re-entry and roll is by far the easiest with the Black Pearl. I find that a good quick roll will help eject a lot of the water and you're only left with a few inches of water which is not too bad given the size of the whole cockpit area.

Our salt water right now is about 2 degrees Celsius and only gets to around 13 at the height of summer, so I know about cold water. It's funny that when you are floating, feet down in such water, that you can really notice the drop in temps as you go down a few feet. In which case, getting your body out of the water and into a flooded boat is still better than being in "deep water".

I heartily agree that practicing in conditions is the way to go. We paddle year round here which often includes cold water paddles in adverse conditions. We also practice various rescue techniques in said conditions. Just last week we were practicing rolls in 2 degree water. Even with a full hood, ice cream headaches ensued!! Where we paddle in adverse conditions, we all like to know that we can depend on each other if the need arises for rescue. That is why we practice. Also, paddling in cold water can be quite deadly and we take it very seriously - obviously!!

Just last week we had a new paddler with us on our Thursday night practice. This young man is in his early teens but is a ravenous kayak student. He was put through several rescues - the first for him on the cold ocean - and he loved it. Nice to see young people taking an interest. He tried my Black Pearl in the pool and did not want to give it back (can't say I blame him) and now he wants to build a boat!! You go, boy!!!

Here's a friends blog entry on the evening. That's me in the yellow suit and Black Pearl. It was a nice night - about 5 degrees Celsius but the water was pretty damn cold!!

http://mynewfoundlandkayakexperience.blogspot.ca/2013/04/starting-young.html

Cheers and, once again, sorry if I came off to harsh,

Sean