Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Introduction To Canoeing


Who can't paddle a canoe? You sit in it, put the paddle in the water and pull. What's so hard about that? Basically, that is all you're doing, but, there's more to be considered. Put a loving couple who have never canoed before, into a canoe on a tight meandering river, and you are faced with a possible divorce within ten minutes.


The problem is that you have to understand your role in the canoe and how to perform your designated tasks. Generally, one person sits up front (bow), and one at the back (stern). The bow paddler need leg room which is why the seat is set back from the bow. If you are paddling up front and have your knees up your nostrils, then you are paddling the canoe backwards and need to turn it around!


Roles: While both paddlers are hopefully providing the energy needed to move in the desired direction, each has specific functions they need to focus on. These include, steering, navigating, stabilizing and observation.


Bow Paddler: The person sitting up front does not control the steering. They are the "eyes" of the operation. Because they can see what's coming up before the stern paddler can, it is their responsibility to look for shallow water, rocks, logs and other obstructions. They also need to identify the direction in which to travel, based on what they observe in and around the water. This part is pretty easy. The difficulty comes in transmitting this information to the stern paddler, who is in charge of steering.


Remember, as a bow paddler, you are facing in the same directions as the stern paddler. Therefore, when you speak you are talking away from them. With noisy surroundings, it can be difficult for the stern paddler to hear what you're saying and frustration builds very quickly. If you need to speak, turn your head and face them. Use hand signals, particularly when indicating a direction to be taken.


Often the bow paddler will need to assist in steering by using various stroke techniques. This is common in tight situations with narrow channels, or after running aground. You can also assist in steering by paddling on the same side of the canoe as the stern paddler.


Stern Paddler: The person in the stern, is primarily responsible for keeping the canoe going in the required direction. They also help stabilize the canoe. As a stern paddler, you can't see what's coming up, as well as the bow paddler, so you have to rely and trust their judgment. Know their hand signals and how to respond to them. Steering the canoe is most commonly accomplished by changing the side you paddle on. Paddle right and your canoe should go left. While the bow paddler has less effect on steering, they can assist by paddling on the same side, to make a sharper turn. Using your paddle as a rudder or brake can also assist in making more drastic changes in direction.


Wind: When paddling into a strong headwind, it can be very tiring, and also very frustrating. The wind will want to catch the front of the canoe and whip you around, pushing you broadside. No matter how hard you try and correct, by both paddling on one side, the wind often wins. You expend and enormous amount of energy trying to continually correct the canoe's tracking. When faced with this situation, try and keep the bow tracking directly into the wind for as long as possible. If it veers to one side, try and quickly correct before the wind catches any more of the side of the canoe. If you have a light person in front, add some rocks or other weight to the bow, to keep it riding lower in the water, and not act like a sail.


By alternating the side you paddle on, you can rest your arms and also help track the canoe in a straight line. If you both people paddle on the right all the time, you will tend to go left. If paddling with kids, keep them in front so the stronger paddler is in the stern. There are particular stroke techniques you can learn to improve your paddling skills, but master the basics first.


Communication is the key to successful paddling (and remaining friends). understanding your role in the canoe ensures you get where are going and have fun doing it. It is a good idea to discuss these roles and what hand signals and commands will be used, before you get into the canoe.


Happy paddling!








About The Author


Graham Armitage, is founder of the family outdoor website, Georec. The site allows anyone to discover new outdoor places and invites you to review and comment on outdoor locations. To access all the free hiking, fishing, paddling and other information available, or to add your own content, visit http://www.georec.com


Copyright 2006 - georec.com. All Rights reserved WorldWide. Reprint rights - you may reprint this article as long as you leave all of the links active, and do not edit the article in any way, and give credit to the author.

No comments: