Typical good day on the seaLooking through some old Sea Kayaker mags recently for articles on paddle strokes. It was like a light bulb went on. All the pictures to demonstrate the techniques were shot on flat, calm water in protected areas.
Anyone that's been out in moderately active water and wind knows that things work differently compared to flat calm water. A bow rudder to change direction works very smoothly in calm water. I work on it at Topsail Pond trying to consistently turn 90 degrees. Turning up into a 20 knot wind in 1 metre seas is a horse of a different colour. Maybe its just me but I can't get the same tight turning radius.
What I'd like to see is some discussion and pictures that address paddling strokes and blending in more realistic conditions. Then I'd know if it was just me or that I'm doing about the same as everyone else.
The trick is to learn to perform a maneuver, like a bow rudder, very "cleanly". This takes instruction. Then, drill, by which I mean performing the maneuver so often that it becomes "natural", so that almost no thought is needed to execute it. Then, use it repeatedly on the water. I use a bow rudder almost always when turning upwind. (Down wind, use a stern rudder.) Then, use it in increasingly challenging conditions, step by step. I will now use a bow rudder climbing the face of a steep large wave in windy conditions beacuse it is remarkably effective to turn the kayak quickly and because I have developed the skill and confidence to "commit" as you must do to perform the maneuver effectively in "conditions". It took me several years of effort, but I can do it now.
ReplyDeleteJust two quick additional comments. Sounds to me, Tony, like you're well along the path to being able to use a bow rudder in the rough stuff. Just keep using it! Finally, bow rudders aren't used by the Inuit (Greg Stamer tells me), but they can be performed effectively with a Greenland paddle. The bow rudder is, however, a maneuver where the Euro paddle's large blade face is an advantage. (Another example is in surf.)
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