WHITEWATER CANOES
Backward Thinking
LEARN THE BACK FERRY AND MASTER WHITEWATER CANOE TRIPPING
For long whitewater canoe trips, few maneuvers are as handy and versatile as the back ferry. The ability to slow down and move your canoe in a direction other than where the current is pushing buys you the time and space required to maneuver a heavily loaded tandem that is about as nimble as a freight train. Keep in mind that on high-gradient rivers, back ferrying may be out of the question
because there are likely to be fewer standing waves to assist your ferry and your backpaddling will be no match for the strong current. This maneuver works best on moderate gradient and in moving from fast water to slow water, such as back ferrying to the inside of a corner or into an eddy.
1] Before you try to back ferry, make sure the stern of the canoe is not sitting lower than the bow. The stern paddler can shift forward to the stern thwart if necessary. To start a back ferry, both paddlers need to backpaddle to slow the canoe’s downstream momentum so that it equals the speed of the current.
2] Both bow and stern paddlers use pivot strokes (draws or pries) to set the angle of the canoe so that the stern is pointed in the direction you want to go.
3] Backpaddle to develop upstream momentum. Before heated discussions or cooling swims occur, note that steering is always easier from the trailing end of the canoe, which is now the bow, but the bow paddler’s visibility of the canoe is limited. Communication between partners is essential.
DIGITAL EXTRA: Click here to watch a back ferry video from Paddle Pointers.
44 SPRING 2011
ILLUSTRATION: PAUL MASON
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64