dumping rolling your yak or canoe
been lucky so far only once in the yak and the bad part was i was at the ramp getting in, luckily i had put my shorts and wallet in the truck and had a t-shirt , speedo and sandals on but dumped my drink and cellphone in the water . i think i was more embarassed as i was still at the ramp but as i was stepping in i realized i had stepped wrong and over i went luckily it was a warm day. i think it had been my 5th or 6th time out and was over confident as for my canoe i've been lucky as it is way more tippy than the yak.
Dumping the canoe, then righting it, re-entering it, and bailing it, used to be part of the requirements when qualifying for the Boy Scout canoeing merit badge and I did it quite a few times back then, always intentionally. That was with the old aluminum canoes which were made with flotation chambers at each end which made it somewhat easier. Later on in my naval service I did some cross training with the Australian SAS who used collapsible kayaks instead of inflatable boats and we practiced rolling and righting them as well.
More recently, my wife and I were paddling a rental canoe on the Brazos River in downtown Waco, TX this past summer and rolled it accidentally. It was one of the cheaper plastic canoes made for the mass market; heavy, no flotation, and tumblehome sides. The initial stability was okay but the secondary was severely lacking. When I realized that it was going over I managed to jump clear and come up beside it. My wife stayed in through the roll, came up underneath, and then ducked under to escape. She was wearing her PFD. Mine had been in the bottom of the canoe and floated up underneath it after it capsized. That was fortunate as that was the only flotation other than trapped air. With both my wife and I in our late 60's I doubted that we would be able to board the canoe in open water even if we got it upright and empty so elected instead to swim it over to the river bank and dump it and reboard there. That went without incident and a young couple who were bicycling along the river path stopped and helped us. We got back in and paddled back to the rental outfit. The only casualties were a flooded point and shoot camera and my wife's lost ball cap.
I am still hoping to convince my wife that we need a canoe but am determined, if that happens, to get one with flared sides and good secondary stability.
Dumping the canoe, then righting it, re-entering it, and bailing it, used to be part of the requirements when qualifying for the Boy Scout canoeing merit badge and I did it quite a few times back then, always intentionally. That was with the old aluminum canoes which were made with flotation chambers at each end which made it somewhat easier.
I earned canoeing merit badge, and later taught it. Those were the ONLY times I have capsized a canoe. I was on a trip with 20 other canoes one time, and it was a zoo. I quickly got to the rear of the procession and let them get far enough ahead to barely be in earshot (they were very vocal). I could get naked at that point, and I had a fairly nice day. I dressed right before I met up with them at lunch, and again stayed in the back. There was a bridge near the end of the route, and most of the people were waiting on the bridge for the last canoeists to come in. I knew of the bridge and was dressed before getting there. Everyone could see down into my canoe, and they knew I had been paddling all day like they had. Someone noted that my canoe was bone dry inside, and pointed it out. Then they were all asking "how come your canoe is dry?" I just shrugged and asked "why wouldn't it be?"
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