The Greenland hunting float, or avataq, is carried on the afterdeck.
One end of the harpoon line is attached to the seal skin float,
so that it can be thrown overboard to act as a drogue for a harpooned
seal. In an emergency, it can be used for rolling up if the paddle
is lost. A fully inflated paddle float can be carried on the afterdeck
and used as a substitute for the avataq.
............To roll up on the right side, hold one end of the
float in the left hand beside the right knee. Hold the other end
of the float in your right hand beside your right hip. Keep a
lengthwise tension between the hands as if expanding an accordion.
To initiate recovery, pull down toward the face sharply with the
left hand, leaning aft as the float clears the front of your torso,
then lean forward as you become upright. At the finish, the left
hand will be beside the left hip, and the right hand will be beside
the left knee, in a mirror image of the starting position. The
hips and trailing knee must rotate the kayak as you roll, and
you must coordinate the torso movement so as not to lean forward
too quickly. Extend the float outward if more lift is needed for
the recovery.
............Try practicing this at home on the floor until the
movement becomes automatic. Holding a pillow to simulate a float,
pretend you are upside-down, and move the pillow from your right
side to your left to learn the start and finish positions. Without
releasing your grip on the pillow, try a "roll" in the
opposite direction by reversing the hand movement.
