O P E N C A N O E t e C h N i Q u e
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up front and loving it.
photo marilyn scriVer
tHe better Half
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RAPIDMAGCOM
MIND YOUR END WITH THESE TIPS FROM THE BOW seat
tHe class v pHilosopHer
HAVING SOMEONE ASK if you would paddle in is a useful stroke when forward momentum and
his or her bow is a great compliment and there’s wider turning radius are desired.
much anticipation of greatness in your first run Timing is key in all turning strokes. When heading
together. To have fluidity and make the moves, into eddies, a bow rudder should be done in the
the bow paddler needs to be more than just a eddy pool, where the water is moving upstream, not
mindless power machine. An active bow paddler on the eddyline where the current is too undefined.
controls momentum, assists with eddy turns and Prematurely supplying turning strokes instead of
aids in boat tilt and pitch. forward power does two negative things: one, there
Controlling forward Momentum
is less or no momentum to cross the eddyline and
Knowing when to supply power and when to back off
two, the boat may be turned to face upstream be-
or stop paddling altogether—without being told from
fore arriving in the eddy, waffling on the eddyline or
the stern—is the first step to mastering the bow.
stuck in the downstream flow of the current.
A good sense of timing is part of the momentum
When leaving an eddy, the bow paddler should
equation. When starting a wide cross-current ma-
again wait on the turning stroke until her end of the
noeuvre, bow and stern paddlers build momentum
boat is fully in the current.
together. However, as the new eddy approaches,
tilt and Body Position
the bow paddler may need to pour it on to reach
Sitting up straight and tall allows you to separate
the eddy, or back off or even pause his stroke in
your upper and lower body movement and there-
order to avoid overshooting the eddy. Practice tim-
fore tilt more effectively. For the most part, keep
ing on easy water, carving wide arcs across mod-
your shoulders over your hips for maximum use
erate current and giving the bow paddler time to
of your body weight and control of the boat. If
use his eyes and plan the speed of approach.
your weight is forward over your knees, this often
Power from the bow is generally necessary
makes the boat (and you) feel tippy. The bow is
when entering eddies as well as when starting
the area where the canoe starts to narrow—keep
from a standstill in difficult eddies. However, when
your weight back over your seat where the boat is
surfing or using transport waves to cross currents,
wider. Leaning forward also transfers your weight
the bow paddler will probably need to supply less
toward the bow, often pinning it and making it more
power and can help with fine-tuning the angle of
difficult for the stern paddler to initiate turns.
the canoe. Too much power can result in the bow
Varying your posture in the bow also plays a role
being buried in the on-coming downstream water,
in how well a canoe punches through holes, surfs
making it difficult for the stern person to control the
and turns. Leaning forward when surfing will drop
angle and the boat being blown off the wave.
the boat down into a trough. Leaning back keeps
turning strokes the bow light and dry when travelling through
The bow paddler’s turning strokes are nearly al- large standing waves or once the canoe is settled
ways assistive. Once the stern paddler initiates in a surf.
a turn, the bow paddler determines its radius or It’s way more fun in the bow when you are a
sharpness. Radius is affected by the stroke you thinking paddler and able to mind your end of the
use and how much tilt you give the boat. For ex- boat independently. The next step in double-domi-
ample, an onside sweep in place of a cross-bow nation is working on communication and coordi-
rudder (the stroke formerly known as cross-draw) nation with your stern paddler. —Beth Kennedy
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