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This episode of PaddleTV is brought to you by the ACA - improving the paddlesports experience for over a century.
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Learn more at AmericanCanoe dot org
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In this video, we're going to look at five kayaking tips that will help make you a better paddler,
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or at least save you from having to learn important lessons the hard way.
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First off, it's critical that you understand your limits when you're paddling, because even though kayaking
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is a relatively safe activity when things do go wrong, situations can become very serious very fast.
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That being said, as a general rule if you venture into water that isn't protected from wind and waves,
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and/or if you travel further from shore than you can comfortably swim, you need to be confident in your
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ability to re-enter your kayak on the water.
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Of course this means practicing before you ever need to do it for real.
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To learn more about it, check out our video "How to Re-Enter a Touring Kayak from the Water".
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If you can't confidently re-enter your kayak from the water, then it only makes sense to stay close enough to
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shore so that you can just swim in.
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The second kayaking tip is to use the power of torso rotation for all your strokes, which means engaging
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your whole upper body for your strokes and not just using the muscles in your arms.
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For example, when taking a forward stroke your reach forward shouldn't just involve your arms.
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If I'm reaching for a stroke on the left side of my kayak, I'm going to reach with my left shoulder, turning my body to the right.
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Now I'm going to plant my blade, and pull on it, and I'm pulling with my whole upper body.
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The third tip, if you're paddling on the ocean, you need to understand tides and tidal currents
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and how they can impact your paddling.
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Tides are the movement of water up and down on a vertical plane.
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A high tide is when water is at it's highest, and low tide is when the water's at it's lowest.
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Now there's roughly six and a half hours between tides, and so in a day that tidal change happens about four times.
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Tides can have a major impact on paddling, because channels with plenty of water at high tide
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can become dry at low tide, leaving a paddler stranded far from where they started.
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Tidal currents can have an even greater impact on ocean paddlers.
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Tidal currents are caused by the massive amount of water that's forced around islands and up channels with the changing tide.
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In some areas, this can even cause large tidal rapids with huge waves and whirlpools.
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Fortunately, both tides and tidal currents can be predicted with good accuracy
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using a tide and current atlas, and an appropriate marine chart.
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With good planning, a paddler can travel during slack tide, which is when the tidal currents are calmest,
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or even use the tidal current to travel more quickly in one direction.
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The fourth kayaking tip is about using the rudders or skegs that you find on most touring kayaks.
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You might find it hard to believe, but the main purpose of a rudder isn't to help turn your kayak
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A rudder and skeg's primary role is actually to keep your kayak going straight.
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In particular, a rudder will keep your kayak running straight in windy conditions, because a kayak naturally
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wants to turn into the wind, which is called 'weathercocking'.
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Now, a skeg does the same thing, but since you can't steer with a skeg, the depth that it's deployed will dictate
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the effect that it has.
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For example, when the skeg is fully retracted your kayak will turn into the wind while you're paddling.
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When the skeg is fully deployed, your kayak should actually turn downwind instead.
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The trick to using the skeg is to deploy it enough to hold a straight course while you're paddling.
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The fifth and final tip is learning how to edge your kayak, because edging your kayak
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is a key skill towards taking your paddling to the next level.
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For example, it lets you turn more quickly, keep your kayak on course when it's windy, and the concept behind
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edging your kayak is the same concept that lets you stay upright when conditions get rough.
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When tilting your kayak, keep your hips loose, and your weight centred over the kayak.
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You'll then, shift your weight over to one butt cheek, and lift the opposite knee.
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You should feel your whole ribcage shifting over to the side of your kayak while you do this,
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and your stomach and side muscles will be working to keep your body upright,
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while your legs hold a steady tilt on the boat.
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So there you have it, the top five kayak touring tips.
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I hope this helps you paddle more efficiently and safely.
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If you did enjoy it and you want to learn more kayaking tips and tricks,
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then please subscribe to our PaddleTV YouTube Channel.
