Combat Roll Practice (Cape Fear River)
| River: | Cape Fear |
| Skill: | All |
| Trip Date: | 10/23/2021 |
Campbell Falls, Cape Fear River, Erwin, NC
Joe Briscoe ended up being the only taker today but that just means he was the lucky one! Apparently I had helped him recover from a swim on the Haw not too long ago but I guess I’m getting old and paddle with way too many people because it took some stories to remind me of the trip and his swim! At least he remembered me for a good thing. We ended up spending a couple hours of this beautiful day on the river working on some skills in the Class II wave train of Campbell’s Falls. Even though the level is low you can always count on strong eddy lines and a good wave train for combat roll practice(sorry Jerry we did not carry our pistols for the combat rolls). I went out today planning on working on some of my skills that I was not happy with this past weekend but I instead ended up paying it forward to help Joe build his skills. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend 3 hours on the river. Joe showed up today having never completed a combat roll and yet he was able to roll up after flipping 5 or 6 times in the wave train and one time was a back to back flip and roll so great job hanging in there and getting that old school slice upright. He was all over it and never swam despite the multiple times upside down in a strong current and wave train. We got some good eddy line work in today and I think Joe is starting to get a feel for his boat and working that eddy line now, look forward to getting out on the river with him in the future to see him ripping it up(especially after he gets a backband and foot blocks in there!). I was able to get a couple combat rolls in myself and of course the Antix couldn’t see that spot without getting vertical numerous times. As a added bonus for me, being a Redneck, I got to use my childhood skills and pull out a certain vehicle that got a little overzealous on their turn around and ended up almost cooling off the radiator in the river. All ended up great though and as always it was a great day on the river.
As always,
Your Awesome Safety Chair and Fan of the Cape Fear River!
William
