"Ewan Scott" wrote in message
...

Nope, I'm a pretty inexperienced kayaker. I'd love to know what
wash
diving
is! I'm one of these people who is annoyingly curious about
everything!

The best way to see what happens is to watch someone in a short boat
paddle
as hard as they can past you. If their boat is trimmed to keep the
nose out
of the water, the stern dips. However what you watch is the series of
waves
created by the boat. The obvious one is the bow wave. But behind the
boat,
just rear of the stern is the transverse or stern wave,. As the boat
speeds
up this wave becomes a "hole" behind the boat. The stern of the boat
as it
dips, drags into the hole and gets held back. Hence every hull shape
has a
maximum speed that cannot be exceeded no matter how hard you paddle.

You can get close to the boat in front and sit on the bow wave and
surf
along, easing the load on your paddling. However, I find it difficult
to
maintain position for any great distance. Alternately you come up
behind the
boat in front an surf in his stern wave. This is easier, but you tend
to end
up running into the back of the boat in front.

It is very similar in theory to riding a bike in another rider's
slipstream.
I find it can give some releif from paddling, and can help slower
boats keep
pace with faster boats - for a time.

At least that's my understanding.

The above is a pretty good explanation.

Marathon paddlers use wash riding (not wash diving, Charlie) to ease the
amount of effort required to travel long distances and to get a rest
without stopping. Sprint racers get disqualified for wash riding.
(Sprint racing takes place in buoyed lanes on a regatta course and
paddlers are not permitted to get within 5 metres sideways distance of
another boat)

A boat produces a wash which is shaped like a V with the bow of the boat
at the pointed part of the V. This wash is highest and has the steepest
slope close to the boat. To surf the front edge of this wash you first
need to climb up and over the back of the wave. A trick to this is to
cross the wash a fair way from the boat you are going to hitch a lift
from. As you get onto the front of the wave, gradually ease closer to
the other boat. you will find as you get closer you start to gain more
help from the wash. The front edge of the wash is getting steeper so as
you get closer you can go faster for less effort. You should be able to
get within a couple of feet of the lead boat, just leaving enough space
to get your paddle in the water. Several boats can do the same trick
ending up like a flight of ducks. Anyone who allows the wash to pass
them will slow down rapidly as they then find themselves paddling up the
wave instead of down it. This is known as falling off the wash.

Another common technique is to stern wash. You basically fall into the
hole left by the boat in front as it moves forward. This can be done at
almost any speed. Practice with a friend or two at low speeds to get the
hang of it. Chains of paddlers can all take advantage of the work the
lead boat is doing. It is normal for different paddlers to take the lead
position so that the work is shared with every paddler getting a rest.

If 4 paddlers go out as a group, one leads, two wash ride at the sides
and the fourth rides behind in the V wash. This 4th position gains wash
from all 3 boats in front and is the position needing the least effort
to stay with the group. It is possible to have bigger groups but 4 is
optimum, with the lead being regularly swapped. In a marathon race the
fastest paddlers will try to get in front of the rest and form a group
of 4, cooperating to complete the course, sometimes not paddling very
hard at all, just making sure they stay ahead of the other paddlers. The
real race comes at the very end when it is every man for himself and a
mad sprint for the finish happens.

What I've been describing is from seeing and paddling racing boats which
are very long so the stern doesn't dip perceptibly. The same principles
will apply to shorter boats but may be harder to put into practice. Try
it and report back. We all learn from others experiences.

David Kemper
Not a fan of falling off.