Back in the yak

After nearly a year, I finally got a chance to get out on the water. I was a little nervous that I had lost my mojo. I was also suffering from a bad case of kayak withdrawal, so all of my anxieties have been on overdrive. I was mentally twitchy on the drive down, while getting myself ready, and for the first few minutes of the paddle.
My anxiety melted away after I made my first tight turn. The boat leaned just enough for me to feel the edge and the stern slipped right around. I was a little jerky when I righted the kayak, but I knew most of the skills were intact if a little rusty.
The rest of the day served to build my confidence. We were doing a coordinator practice chat involved a lot of rescues. That gave me plenty of time to shake the rust off my skills.
TM did a great job of explaining the basics of rescues and keeping the smarty pants in check. He had us working on the new version of the basic T rescue. The swimmer rights their kayak, to make it easier for the rescuer to grab and drain. While the rescuer is manipulating the swimmer's kayak, the swimmer hangs out on the rescue kayak where the rescuer can keep an eye on them. Once the swimmer's kayak is empty, the swimmer makes their way to the back deck of their kayak. Then they flop up on the deck and slide into their cockpit.
One thing that TM stressed was that in a rescue situation everyone has a job. That includes the swimmer. They need to be able to assist in their one rescue. That is one reason why everyone practiced being a swimmer as well as a rescuer.
After lunch we practiced in rougher conditions. The wind had picked up and the seas were choppier. Conditions do make things harder. It is harder to reach the swimmer. It is harder to manipulate the swimmer's kayak. It is harder to get back into the kayak. It is also more nerve wracking knowing that you are being blown into potential hazards.
Once we were safely back at Bay Campus, I felt like I needed to see if the most finicky of all kayaking skills was still intact: my roll. I flopped over, set up, rotated around and popped out of the water just like old times. Now that I was feeling cocky, I decided to give the other side a try.... I flopped over, set up, jerked the paddle under the water, and went nowhere.... Still retaining a smudge of cockiness, I switched sides and executed a relaxed roll up. So, my roll is half OK. I suspect the fault was more mental than actual...
It appears that kayaking is like riding a bike. I'm glad because I'm hoping to spend more time on the water this summer.