Adventure Kayak reader Catherine Tortet sent this photo all the way from France: “Descent of the Loire River, a UNESCO world heritage site.” In North America, castles like that only exist in fairy tales.
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This jam-packed app provides access to thousands of real-time streamflow gauges throughout the U.S., reporting flow rates and relative levels. RiverGuide can save a list of favorite rivers for quick access, provide flow forecasts and find nearby runs using your device’s GPS signal.
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One of the most sophisticated apps we’ve seen, Trip Journal includes Google Earth-integrated features like GPS route tracking, photo and video geo-tagging, trip sharing and synchronization with social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.
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Alright, time for a little shameless self-promotion. The Paddling Magazine app gives you access to current and 32 full back issues filled with techniques, stories, tips and more. Access Paddling’s special digital extras including bonus video and photo galleries. You can download the app by searching Paddling Magazine.
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MountainBuzz.com is a community for western U.S. whitewater paddlers. This app allows users to access online forums and post questions, upload photos, access river beta and connect with other paddlers, all from the riverside.
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This app provides clear, step-by-step instructions for hundreds of first aid scenarios. It asks straightforward yes or no questions to provide real-time coaching through situations and provides audible proper CPR pacing and instructions. ResQr can also use your connection to locate the nearest emergency room and other services.
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Trimble’s app turns your smart phone into a full-featured GPS device, assisting in recording routes and navigating. Accompanying web software allows you to plan, post, track and share your trips as well as view and discuss others’ online and post trip updates to Facebook.
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Okay, this one’s more fun at the campsite after a day’s run. Hold your device up to the night sky and GoSkyWatch will tell you what constellations, planets and other objects you’re looking at. You can view the app in red light mode to save your night vision and search the extensive database for individual stars.
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If you’re stuck in the back seat on a long shuttle, pass the time with this awesome game featuring 20 original slalom courses. Use your thumbs to control your paddle, navigating your kayak through gates and around rocks in the fastest time possible.
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This app extends battery life by intelligently managing the battery-draining components of your device. Five preset modes let you balance functionality with power conservation and scheduling lets you preserve power in nighttime/peak time settings.
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The high brace is a pre-emptive self-rescue sea kayak stroke used to stay upright when waves or current have pushed your kayak over to the edge of capsize. Responding with a high brace allows you to recover before falling into the water.
The technique is described here on the left side of the kayak. Simply reverse the lefts for rights for a right high brace. For a brace to become an instinctive response, you need to practice these three phases: the set up, the fall and the recovery.
From your normal paddling position, move the paddle into a chin-up position. Your paddle should be parallel to the water, with the blades’ power faces facing the water and your hands above your elbows. Lower the paddle as far as you can comfortably go so the blades are closer to the water. Shift the paddle to the left until your right hand is between your sternum and belly button and your left hand is over the water. The shaft of the paddle should still be parallel to the water. Keep your right arm tight to your body, serving as an anchor for the brace.
Lean the kayak to the left so that you begin to fall toward the water. As you fall, place the left blade at the surface of the water. Use your left arm to pull the blade down against the water so the surface tension is broken and the paddle is just under the surface of the water. Remember, the high brace is NOT an aggressive slap at the surface, but a push against the water to break the surface tension. It is this pressure that slows or stops your sideways fall.
The first part of the recovery is to get the blade out of the water. In the fall phase, the power face is facing the water. In the recovery phase, the paddle is rotated forward 90 degrees and sliced out of the water. Your index fingers are a useful visual reference. In the fall phase, point your index fingers skyward. In the recovery phase, roll your index fingers forward 90 degrees so they are pointing to the front of the kayak. As you are recovering your paddle, finish the brace by driving up with your left hip and leg to roll the kayak back under your torso. Visualize flicking an imaginary candy from your left knee up into your mouth.
A solid high brace relies on keeping your paddle shaft parallel to the water. This is accomplished by anchoring the paddle with the right hand. Imagine keeping a golf ball secure in your right armpit throughout the brace. Finishing off with a deliberate roll of your left hip will reliably prevent most capsizes.
Michael Pardy is a Paddle Canada Senior Instructor Trainer based in Victoria, BC, where he runs SKILS.ca, teaches, paddles and spends time with his family.
I have oceans of respect for Michael Pardy, but I believe the high brace can be done safer and more efficiently than described here.
Instead of levering down on an extended arm to regain the kayak’s orientation and tipping ones hips as part of the recovery, I suggest two modifications.
One, the hips are crux of this maneuver. It is the body that recovers the kayak while the paddle provides a grip on the water. Core and hips are more powerful than shoulders.
Two, keeping the arms centered in the usual paddling position connects them and the paddle to the intrinsic strength of the core and reduces exposure to shoulder injury. An overextended high brace is a classic cause of shoulder dislocation. The suggested position also unnecessarily crimps the inboard wrist (right, in the given example), while a centered stance would allow the wrist, a relatively weak joint, to remain more neutral and transfer the force of the recovery to the core.
I agree that it is critical to keep the paddle parallel to the water and the inboard hand lower than the shoulder. Note that the further over the kayak falls, the more the inboard elbow and hand wrap around the hull to keep the paddle horizontal. Imagine the setup position for a C-to-C roll, where the inboard or anchor hand begins wrapped as far around the hull as one can reach. A C-to-C roll is an extreme form of a high brace
Technique aside, I prefer to use and teach the low brace for general balance recovery because of the reduced opportunity for injury and because it is closer to the water to better catch those little bobbles without drama. However, there are instances when the high brace makes more sense, such as during a sweep stroke when one has edged the turn a little too far (drop your outboard elbow below the wrist and you will have the support of a brace), and to regain balance that was lost while moving in reverse. —Ginni Callahan, BCU level 4 coach & ACA level 5 instructor, Cathlamet, WA / Loreto, Baja
Another way of visualizing the hip flick portion of the high brace is as a sideways crunch. As you gain some stability from breaking the surface tension of the water with your paddle, crunch the (in this case left) side of your torso, pulling your shoulder down towards your hip and your hip towards your shoulder. Your head can exaggerate this movement by dropping towards your hip as well. To recover from the crunch, move your center of gravity (your shoulders) back over your center of buoyancy (your kayak). —Meaghan Hennessy, Paddle Canada level 2 instructor trainer & BCU level 3 coach, Vancouver, BC
The technique is presented as a blade-centered approach with most of the discussion and initial forces being centered on the blade. We feel a body centered approach to technique leads to greater efficiency, success, and less risk of injury.
Michael leads his recovery with the blade and follows with the body. He says, “the first part of the recovery is to get the blade out of the water” and “finish the brace by driving up with your left hip and leg to roll the kayak” For reasons of good biomechanics, we would reverse the order on these two points, by first focusing on righting the kayak with your lower body and finishing off the brace with an unloaded paddle.
Because Michael describes moving the right hand to the sternum, we feel that this would comprise the left shoulder as he would be extending the left arm and paddle too far out for leverage. The shoulder at risk and in need of protection is the left shoulder. An alternative position for the right hand is to drop it to the deck at the right hip. This will keep the left shoulder in a more stable position throughout the brace. Place a sponge under both armpits, drop the right hand to the deck, fall to the water, roll the kayak with your lower body and come up without losing the sponge under either armpit. —Shawna Franklin & Leon Sommé, BCU level 4 coaches, Orcas Island, WA
Michael describes the High Brace well and has some key points to help people master this stroke. Breaking it down to the ‘Set Up’, ‘Fall’ and ‘Recovery’ is a great concept to help people see the key stages for success. In the set up highlighting the need to keep the right arm tucked in tight to the body and left arm not over extended is great to maintain the ‘safety box’. At the fall stage again it is good to hear the move away from the old ‘slap’ for support and a clear message for the progressive and controlled pressure on the supporting blade. At the recovery stage I agree with everything said, and like the visualization at the end. For myself I would tend to prioritise what happens to the knees/legs/feet within the kayak to stop capsizing and start the righting of the kayak, this must happen before the pressure is taken off the blade and it is recovered. I believe this is the key stage of the high brace and similar to a roll it must start with the boat being brought upright, followed by the body and the head coming up last. I would encourage people to practice this righting the boat first with knees, legs and feet whilst relaxed at the hips. Often I get people to rest their paddle in a high brace position on the bank, partners boat or being held by a partner so they can focus on the boat righting manoeuvre without the fear of falling in. To help with the head position in this visualise catching that candy in the mouth, but then needing a drink and therefore imagine drinking through a straw over the side of the kayak until back in balance again. —Doug Cooper, BCU level 5 coach, Aviemore, Scotland
I teach and use the high brace in a somewhat different fashion from what Michael Pardy describes. In smaller conditions I prefer to use a low brace. However, when faced with significant waves, I have found that I am far more successful with a high brace when I let my body—specifically the posterior quadrant of my shoulder and back hit the water before attempting to brace. In this manner, I allow the natural buoyancy of my body to slow the capsize. When my downward momentum has either been stopped or significantly slowed by the surface tension of the water, I then make use of my high brace.
Three things are helpful to ensure a successful high brace at this point:
—Bonnie Perry, ACA level 4 instructor trainer / BCU level 3 coach, Chicago, IL
This article originally appeared in Adventure Kayak, Early Summer 2012. Download our freeiPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.
“Maribojoc, a town on the Philippine island of Bohol, celebrates annually a “Bugsay” (Paddling) Festival,” says Adventure Kayak reader Rey Donaire of this image captured at the festival’s sea kayak sprint race. Paddling in Maribojoc is available through Kayakasia Philippines’ Abatan River Station (https://www.facebook.com/kayakasiaphilippines).
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After 43 days on the water, eight weary paddlers arrived at the Capitol Building. They traveled 1,000 miles via the St. Lawrence Seaway, Lake Champlain, Hudson River and Chesapeake Bay in a 35-foot voyageur canoe. And they were on time.
The 40th anniversary celebration of the United States’ Clean Water Act on October 17 on Capitol Hill was their welcoming party. “I challenge the Riverkeepers of the Potomac and Ottawa to make these the cleanest rivers in the world that flow through national capitals,” Max Finkelstein, the trip’s organizer, told the crowd to applause. They’ve got a ways to go.
Sponsored by the Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF), Capital to Capitol by Canoe raised awareness about the health of the waterways shared by Canada and the United States. “It’s important to keep our waters drinkable, swimmable and fishable,” says Pam Logan, a spokesperson for the CWF. “The trip was a tremendous success.”
Finkelstein and the group spoke at paddling clubs and met with political organizations along the way and blogged about their journey. “We advocated for more cooperation between Canada and the United States to take better care of our waterways—from the community level to the political,” says Finkelstein. “Water knows no national boundaries, neither should we…”
Finish reading this article in the 2013 Spring issue of Canoeroots & Family Camping. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.
Provincial and state bans that make it illegal to chat on cellphones while driving make perfect sense—conversation is a distraction that increases your risk of an accident. If this realization seems long overdue on our roads, it is equally overdue on our rivers.
It’s a challenge to process incoming verbal information while at the same time focusing on technique, river reading and feel. The outcome of these verbal distractions while paddling is similar to talking on the phone while driving.
On the river, discussions between paddlers in a tandem canoe often flow only one way…from the stern. There are two possible reasons for this: 1) the bow person is facing away from the stern, making it difficult to be heard over the roar of the water; 2) someone told the stern person that he was in charge.
It’s very difficult for a bow paddler to develop feel for the water and timing if he is reacting only to directions from the stern. The skills of river reading and developing personal judgment—how to help with the directional control of the canoe or how to cope with potential obstacles—are not learned by a bow paddler blinded by commands from the stern.
It’s also particularly important to realize that when a tandem pair is new to paddling, it’s too much to expect the stern paddler to be able to focus on managing his own end of the boat, while at the same time giving accurate information to the bow person about controlling his end of the boat. It’s not uncommon to see the stern person doing very little at his end other than telling the bow paddler what to do.
Talking less on the river starts with understanding the duties of each seat. The stern person is in charge of the big-picture, general direction of the canoe. The bow paddler is responsible for fine-tuning that direction. Both paddlers contribute to momentum as required.
Experiment with silent runs at a location with familiar, easy current. On shore, plan a route that includes a few predetermined eddies and, once you’re underway, negotiate the route without conversing. Debrief at the end, discussing what went well and what could be improved, and try it again.
While I’ve spent the last 375 words extolling the virtues of silence, it should be understood that effective communication remains an important element in tandem paddling.
Learn to be economical and precise with words. Develop a system of communication that involves simple one-or two-word directives. Using this method, it’s possible for the stern person to hear a short directive from the bow. For example, “got it” from either paddler means that you can fix a problem on your own. “Help” might mean that you’re trying to avoid an obstacle and need help with the direction of the canoe. “Back-paddle” is self-explanatory.
Consider avoiding words such as left, right, draw or cross-bow, since many of us need a moment to process which side is in question. As skills improve, a tandem partner will start to intuit the direction his partner is intending to manoeuvre the canoe and can instinctively provide assistance. Tuning into the current and boat, rather than verbal directives, yields a more immediate response.
As a bow paddler, try not to be too attached to a specific or predetermined location. Your stern paddler may have been doing his best to get to that location and made an error, or maybe you were talking about two different eddies. Regardless, as a bow paddler, do your best to go with the flow—try to discern which direction is intended and provide the best possible support for a positive outcome.
This article originally appeared in Rapid, Summer/Fall 2010. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.
This article originally appeared in Canoeroots and Family Camping magazine.
“Can we watch a movie?” We hadn’t even backed out of the driveway and we were only going eight minutes to the general store for a bag of milk. This had to stop.
I could hardly blame them, the seven-inch LCD screen hung there from the ceiling. it was like taking a date to a sports bar and trying not to watch the game. Besides, it was far too easy to stop the whining by just pressing play.
For our family, this habit started innocently enough. We live a five-hour drive from both sets of grandparents. That’s a long way to be strapped into car seats. For long trips, Disney is a good way to pass the time. But, like most bad habits, you think you can stop whenever you want until you realize you’re pressing play on a drive to the corner store.
My problem with in-car entertainment systems is that pressing play turns me into a chauffeur. I may as well be rolling up the Plexiglass of a limo: “I’ll drive. You kids enjoy the movie; help yourselves to the mini-bar.” This is not the way it’s supposed to be.
When I was a kid, getting to ride with my dad on Saturday mornings was a special treat. I looked forward to it all week. The Silverado emblem on the red steel dash, the rumble of the diesel engine and the smell of export a regular smoke that didn’t escape out the triangular, no-draft window he’d crack for me. It was 1979 and I was eight years old, legs dangling from the bench seat and the Gatlin Brothers’ All the Gold in California crackling out of the ac Delco speakers. I don’t remember where we were going or what we did. It didn’t matter; those Saturday mornings I was riding with Dad.
My new DVD player rule—no movies on adventure days—came about last fall on a drive to Algonquin park. We’d planned a hike, playing naked (them, not me) on remote beaches and then a bike ride for ice cream. It was the Daddy day that we’d been looking forward to all week. And it began with, “Can we watch a movie?”
If all I can remember of the trips with my dad is the drive, this is likely to be true for my kids. I don’t want their memories of our Saturday adventures with me to be Finding Nemo piped through wireless headphones.
To make things easier, my new truck doesn’t have an on-board entertainment system. We play eye spy, tell stories, talk, sleep (them, not me) and watch the 3-D super-wide screen—looking out the windows. And, we listen to music.
To our adventures with Dad iPod playlist I’ve added All the Gold in California, but their favorite is Joan Jett’s, I Love Rock N’ Roll. Now when we head to the ski hill or the lake, before we back out of the driveway I hear, “Dad, can we rock it out?” even if they don’t remember our canoe trips in the Barron canyon, and all they remember is singing with their dad, I’m okay with that.
Scott Macgregor is the founder and publisher of Canoeroots magazine.
This article appeared in Canoeroots & Family Camping, Late Summer 2011.
With over 40 years as a highly successful kayak manufacturer, Graham Mackereth should be familiar to most paddlers. And yet, he isn’t—probably because he’s been too busy building boats.
Mackereth, 63, founded the iconic whitewater company, Pyranha Kayaks, in 1971 in Warrington, England. For the past decade, he’s also been at the helm of P&H Sea Kayaks and sister brand Venture Kayaks, producing some of the hottest long boats on the water today.
You purchased P&H in 2003. Why buy a sea kayak company?
Dave Patrick [the original owner of P&H] called me and said he wanted to retire, and could I keep his staff busy. I’ve always had a good relationship with Dave and respected his team, and I was excited for a new challenge. I felt the market was underdeveloped, and I was excited about sea kayaking and realizing its potential.
You’ve always been an innovator, producing designs that have changed the sport. What makes you such an effective designer?
Perhaps I look where others don’t, but more importantly these days, I make the decisions in my business, and in other companies those designing don’t. Our decisions are usually focused on sport and performance progression, and we hope that profitability follows.
What are the differences between P&H and the other bigger kayak companies?
We’re run by paddlers for paddlers and I’ve yet to pay myself a dividend. Their rules don’t apply to us.
Many manufacturers have production in China or Thailand where labor costs are lower. Have you considered offshore production?
I tried it for a year and found it would be 95 percent right, but the five percent wrong would be a moveable feast depending on how they were trying to shortcut. The only way would be to live in China, which was not for me. Perhaps I’m a control freak, but I like building in the U.K.—government regulations and red tape aside.
After 40 years of manufacturing kayaks, you seem as fresh as ever. What’s the secret to your success and longevity?
The excitement of the next design, and with designers Rich Taylor and Robert Peerson alongside, we’ve got lots we’re excited about.
You keep a very low profile—certain names are associated with specific designs, but yours is seldom seen.
OK, I have been the inspiration for a lot of it, but it’s a team effort. For example, the Delphin is a big success at the moment. I did most of the shaping, but that story started with [P&H team paddler] Ben Lawry saying we need a sportier sea kayak, then trying a few ideas, bouncing them around the team, trying a prototype or two with their input, and finally out came a very radical design. So who’s the designer?
How did you know that the timing was right for the Delphin/Aries?
You never do, and I didn’t think it would be received so well!
Sea kayaking can be an infamously conservative community…
Indeed—that’s why I waited a while until I felt we’d got some credibility with the Cetus and Scorpio designs.
Do you have anything new coming that you can hint at?
Yes, it will open up a new market sector, it will be expensive and it hasn’t been done like this before.
Watch for a full review of the revolutionary, new P&H Hammer surf sea kayak in an upcoming issue of Adventure Kayak magazine.
This article originally appeared in Adventure Kayak, Early Summer 2012. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.
A preview of the Therm-a-Rest Antares sleeping bag from Adventure Kayak magazine.
Mattress manufacturers for over 40 years, Therm-a-Rest introduces sleeping bags for 2013. Rated to 20 F (-7 C), the Antares’ 750-fill goose down insulation is concentrated on the top of the bag where it’s needed most. Two integrated fabric straps on the back fit snugly around your pad—say good night to sliding, twisting and cold spots.
www.thermarest.com | $349.95
This article originally appeared in Adventure Kayak, Early Summer 2013. To read about the full Therm-a-Rest sleep system, download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.
