You don’t need to be the fastest paddler to lead a trip. You don’t need to roll to lead a trip. You don’t need to paddle in big conditions to lead a trip. You don’t need to be the best paddler to lead a trip. What you do need is the willingness to plan paddles, share places where you like …

Almost everyone wants to learn to roll their kayak. It looks cool, it’s fun, and it’s a way to cool off in the summer. It’s the fastest self-rescue but it’s not the only self-rescue that you should be doing. Rolling is not an essential skill required to kayak safely. (Note that being able to wet exit and keeping control of …