"John Fereira" wrote in message
.. .
Stuff deleted

One of the skills you're tested on when taking
a BCU 3 star assessment is paddling backwards in a figure 8. It turns out
to be one of the skills that prevents a successful completion of the
assessment. After a day of training and assessment with 11 other people
the
most common problem was being able to change directions once you started
to
turn. First, if you *want* to turn you should edge the boat to the
outside
of the turn. Once you've started to turn the boat will tend to continue
to
turn in that direction, even if you edge in the opposite direction. The
trick is to bring the hull to a flat position, initiate the turn in the
opposite direction with a sweep stroke, then edge away from the direction
you want to go. Most likely there is something asymetric in your
technique
that is causing the boat to start to turn right and once it starts it
tends
to go that way.

I like using a reverse stroke when teaching beginners torso rotation.
Rotating the torso until the paddleshaft is nearly parallel with the boat,
then present the backface of the blade to the water for the catch, then
uncoil you body and repeat on the opposite side. Start slowly and
gradually
put a little more into the stroke and you should be able to maintain a
straight course.


John, I tried your suggestions this weekend, and it works! My problem with
the kayak turning while going backward was due to an unconsious lean. I
experimented with edging the boat on both sides and once I made sure that
the boat was level, it went backwards in a straight line. However, a bit of
lean, and away in a turn I went! With this new knowledge in hand, it was
time to practice the backward figure 8 you mentioned. Did three in a row,
with the smallest having a radius of about 15 ft. (moving slowly) and the
largest about 25 ft. (moving about 3 mph). And you're also right about the
backward turns using full torso rotation - it didn't work well when I was
lazy and didn't do the full windup - but when I did, the turn was relatively
easy.

On Saturday, my wife went sailing with friends and I went with my kayak.
After a while we parted ways, as a catamaran at speed is 'way faster than a
kayak. So I paddled a stretch of shoreline that I haven't seen before.
Coming back about an hour and a half later, I discovered the cat stranded on
a mud bar about 50 feet from the shore. Put my towing practice into use and
towed the cat away from the mud bar. Since I was going against a 3 mph
current at the same time, it became quite a workout. However after about 10
minutes of work, they were in a clear channel and were able to line up with
the dock.

Yesterday, my wife and I went for an early morning canoe ride on Lake
Champlain. Although her enthusiasm for water is more restrained than mine,
she's a strong paddler and had good endurance. The surface was perfectly
still - just like glass, and the water was clear down to 10-15 ft. It felt
that we were suspended above the lake bottom, with the grasses, fish, rocks,
and thousands of zebra mussels really clear and easy to see. No motor boats
were out, just a few (quiet) fishermen. It felt like the gates of Heaven
opened up and we didn't even notice we paddled through. After about four
hours of paddling, we finally came back for lunch. After a quick lunch, I
went out for a kayak ride as the waters continued to be calm and inviting.
After three more hours on the water, it was time to come home as there were
at least fifty boats going back and forth (ok, maybe not that many, but
there were at least 10 power boat towing tubes or water-skis, a gaggle of
jet skis, maybe 10-15 cabin cruisers, three cigar boats, and a handful of
sailboats under motor). The drone of various motors and whine of the jet
skis (not to mention the continuous criss-crossing wake waves) made any
on-water contemplation to be an exercise in deep concentration. It was time
to catch up with the chores. After this weekend, the boat traffic should be
considerably reduced, and the water will stay warm to the end of September.
After that, it'll be time to get the wet suit and farmer johns out.