Canoeing – part 1

In one of my earlier entries, I mentioned that I had signed up for a canoeing course to work on my paddling skills. The goal is gain enough skills to be able to paddle a canoe in a straight line under varying conditions. Later this summer, we will be taking two canoes into Algonquin Park for a long weekend canoeing trip. My father has two chemists visiting one from Akron and the other, from Sofia, Bulgaria. I will be the sternman in on canoe and my father in the other. Paddling in the stern position is not something I normally do, as I’m usually up front applying all the power to the canoe. The canoe course has been rescheduled a couple of times so we had our first session last night.

I’ll set the stage, it was 6C/42F and light continuous rain was falling and a brisk wind was coming off the Ottawa River and there was the threat of frost overnight. I was wearing my goretex jacket, a polar fleece jacket and a pair of goretex pants. If we were going out on the water it would be crisp. Tim had the moved the canoes down to the shore by the time I had arrived. There were three cars sitting in the parking lot with engines idling and fogged up windows. I was comfortable standing around in the elements waiting for the final folks to show up. It was sort of funny as Tim was in shorts and most folks thought I was the instructor.

Tim took the six of us down to the shore and started with the dry land portion of the course. He reviewed the parts of a paddle, grip-butt, shaft, throat, blade and tip. We would be using two types of canoes, a prospector and a quetico. The prospector has a more pronounced rocker which improves maneuverability and stability. (Curvature of the hull profile that rises up at the bow and stern) He talked about the parts of the canoe, bow, thwart, yoke, hull, gunwales and the stern. At this point, the wind started to whip up and it grew colder. Someone suggested that perhaps it wasn’t a good idea to go paddling tonight. Further up river, we could see a kayaking course doing Eskimo rolls in their kayaks and they were outfitted in wetsuits. They did not look comfortable.

The weather forecast for Thursday was 24C/75F, so we decided to wait a couple of days before hitting the water. We finished off the night by learning how to carry the canoe. The most common technique is called, “lunch boxing,” one person on the opposite side at either end of the canoe. The last thing we did was to review how to throw the canoe on top of your head.

In my next entry, I will post some links to pictures taken at both lessons.