Slow Progress

I'm still working on the Greenland paddle. I have the urethane on the tips and I started rubbing in coats of tung oil. The problem is, I will leave a generous coat of tung oil on it overnight, and when I look at it in the morning, it all soaked in and doesn't look like there is any oil on it again, so I rub in another coat. After the third coat, it is starting to look like it is building up, so I will keep at it.

I went back for a second rolling class on Sunday (with a euro paddle). I still haven't been able to get a roll all by myself yet, but I learned some more. With my goggles on and the nose plugs of course, I was able to relax enough and slow down to reduce each stage to simple mechanical steps so that I could assess my form. I still have a problem tucking and extending my right arm far enough during the sweep to keep the paddle at the surface of the water. Each time my instructor(Rob Taylor) would help by positioning my blade at the surface, I could execute the roll with enough force that I would need to brace on the oposite side to keep from capsizing again, but I just can't seem to get into that sweep position on my own yet. So last night I rode my bicycle ten miles and did twenty sit-ups. The only reason I did only twenty, is because I couldn't do twenty one. I'll keep working on losing weight and building my ab strength.