I think most canoeists would agree that what makes a day on the water a day to remember is an extended and controlled front surf with great side-to-side and back-and-forth movement. you can improve your odds of capturing these prized memorable moments of the big ride with a better understanding of the surf wave and how to control your movement up and down and side to side on its face.
when sizing up the perfect wave from the shore or eddy pool, the physical features of the wave appear deceptively static and unchanging. the position of the trough does not move; the depth remains the same; even the crest—though perhaps break- ing—appears to change very little. the problem is that once you ferry onto the wave, the weight of the canoe changes its shape. the wave flattens out and the canoe leaves a deep crease trailing downstream weakening the wave’s grip on your canoe.
For really good surfs you may need to keep actively moving the boat around to keep pace with the altering wave. Forget about finding a wave that lets you just sit passively in the current; it’s a rarity and besides, those snoozey surfs are not the ones memories are made of.
holding your position on the face of the wave between crest and trough can be tricky. Often on large, steep waves, gravity combined with a fast canoe hull will rocket you down to the trough and pearl and pin your bow in the upstream water and cause your canoe to fill with water. If this happens, simply drag your paddle blade or use a braking backstroke to create enough friction to pull you up the wave and back onto the wave face. too much friction, however, may drag you over the crest and off the wave.
If the wave is wide enough, you can avoid pearl- ing by surfing side to side across the wave face. by changing your angle to travel across the wave face instead of travelling straight down, you lessen the slope on which you are surfing, therefore slowing your descent down the face of the wave. Carving back and forth keeps your canoe on the best portion of the wave, avoids sinking the bow in the trough and makes your surfing more dynamic and fun.
to carve left and right on the wave, try using a floating rudder stroke—keeping your paddle away from the gunwale. A floating rudder allows the canoe and paddle to work independently so you can tilt the boat to ferry one way while initiating a new turn with a pry or draw in the opposite direction to carve back across the wave. A floating rudder is a must to maintain the ideal boat tilt through the transition from carving to your onside and to your offside.
the secret to great surfing is to work with the wave as it changes beneath you. by adjusting your position up and down, and side to side, you can stay on the wave face and out of the trough. the next time you come across the perfect surf wave, get on it, and stay on it for a ride to remember.
Andrew Westwood is a frequent contributor to Rapid. He’s an open canoe instructor at the Madawaska Kanu Centre and member of Team Esquif.
This article first appeared in the Early Summer 2007 issue of Rapid Magazine. For more great content, subscribe to Rapid’s print and digital editions here.
