ACE CARDS FOR PADDLING BIG WATER!
- Cliff Jacobson
- 5 hours ago
- 9 min read
by Cliff Jacobson
You're canoeing a big lake and come to a large bay. it's a mile, or about 20 minutes, if you head straight across, or 10 miles if you follow the shore. There are some breaking waves out on the lake, but they look manageable. Should you chance it and paddle the breezy bay, or take the slow safe route near shore?
The answer is easy if you're ahead of schedule. Otherwise, the pressure of "being where you're supposed to be, when you're supposed to be" may encourage you to make bad choices. I'd be lying if I said that, when pressed for time, I always make smart moves. Still, I like to think that the small risks I take are heavily modified by these powerful ace cards:
Ace card #1: Trim for Travel (Diagram below)
Level trim is the rule for calm water (to check trim, pour some water into the canoe and see which way it flows). When running downwind, the tail should be weighted down (an inch is plenty); upwind runs demand a slightly lowered bow. This attitude encourages the canoe to "weathervane", which makes it easier to control. Highly responsive (rockered) river canoes will swap ends in a flash if you don't weight the windward end. Lake canoes are less twitchy because their straight keels and deep running ends resist turning.
Most canoeing texts dismiss trim with simple advice :"Move paddlers and/or packs forward when running into a wind; slide back towards the stern when the wind is at your back".
Yeah. Try re-arranging people and packs in a canoe in serious whitecaps and you're in for a big surprise! You better move things around on shore, before you get into the big stuff!
Ace card #2: Make like a sailboat and tack to your point (Above diagram)
Say you want to go from A to B. if you head straight across, the wind will push you towards D. So make like a sailboat and tack towards C. The wind will carry you right to B.
Ace card #3: Make your open water crossings short and fast.
Plan to stop and rest at a wind-protected spot every 15 to 30 minutes. I study the map before I make a crossing and identify a safe haven. Then, I point her into the waves and push hard to get there as fast as possible. I figure on making about one mile an hour in a heavy headwind and five in a tail wind. Thus, I question any headwind run of over half-a-mile, or five miles, if the wind is at my back. Those who have paddled with me will smile when they read this because they know I don't always follow my own advice.
Ace card #4 If things get dicey, lighten the ends.
If, despite your best efforts, the canoe begins to plunge and take on water, lighten both ends, if you can. Perhaps the bow person can slip off the seat and kneel behind it. The stern paddler can shuffle forward and kneel firmly against the stern thwart. Light ends rise more quickly to waves and therefore, produce a drier ride. Be sure you maintain your current (nose up or down) trim when you lighten the ends of your canoe.
Ace card #5: Get a splash cover if you plan to paddle big water!
A waterproof nylon splash cover keeps out waves and cuts wind by half or more. You can do incredibly stupid things in big water if your canoe is covered and pointed into the wind. And, you'll cover distances more easily and quickly. My book, Canoeing Wild Rivers provides plans for making your own three-piece canoe cover. Or, you can buy one from Cooke Custom Sewing (cookecustomsewing.com) and Redleaf Designs (https://redleafdesigns.com)
Ace card #6: It's okay for both partners to paddle on the same side of the canoe-- and for the stern person to "rudder".
Most canoeing texts admonish partners not to "rudder" or paddle on the same side of the canoe. Hogwash! Paddling on the same side--in unison--is the right medicine when you can't hold the canoe on course in a quartering or side-wind. Stroke together, stay centered on your seats (or kneel) and you won't capsize. If the wind grows too strong for this approach, the bow person should paddle hard while the stern person alternately paddles and rudders.
Stern ruddering, while the bow person paddles, is often the only way to maintain control in very heavy waves, especially, when the canoe begins to surf, which can be quite frightening. Fortunately, most canoes don't surf for very long. Invariably, the wave passes and the stern falls into the trough behind. Whether or not the boat fills with water from the following wave depends on your prowess in climbing up out of the hole, and whether you have a spray cover. Generally, you'll do fine if you just keep paddling! Surfing only becomes serious when a rocky shore looms ahead. Then you better get off the wave fast or be tossed into the boulder line.
Ace card #7: Head directly into waves when you beat upwind.
Canoeing experts advise you to "quarter" waves at an approximate 30 degree angle as the bow beats upwind. This procedure shortens the canoe's waterline, making it easier for the craft to fit between waves. The result is greater buoyancy and a drier wide.
However, this "text book" advice is for those who know canoeing! Truth is, a canoe on a quartering tack is constantly on the edge of broaching (turning side-ways) to the wind. The stern person must be in total control--which often means holding a strong rudder while the bow person paddles. An error here and you'll swim for sure. Quartering waves is good advice if you're skilled and have a relatively straight-keeled lake canoe that is easy to hold on course. It's an outrageous tactic in a rockered river canoe. For this reason, beginners are best advised to head directly into waves rather than quarter them. And...remember to weight the boat a few inches bow down!
Ace card #8: It can be safe to run sideways in big waves.
How well canoes run big waves is more a function of wave length than wave size. If you have a 17 foot canoe and the waves are spaced 12 feet apart, you're in for a very wet ride. Now, "quartering" must come into play or you'll fill with water and swamp. If "head-on" running (try this first) is out-of-the-question, and you can't hold a quartering course, try this as a last resort:
When the nose descends into a wave trough, quickly turn the canoe broadside to the wave and brace your paddles deep in the water. Lean the canoe slightly away from the oncoming waves to keep out splash--and stay on those paddle braces! Your canoe now fits between the waves; it should bob like a cork, up one wave face, down another. If you keep a cool head, you'll blow safely to shore without swamping or capsizing.
Try it on a nice sunny day and you'll discover that running across the waves is mostly a matter of balance. Pretend you're riding a horse and you'll have a good time.
Ace card #9: Turn into motor boat wakes.
You can use a similar technique to negotiate large waves that are produced by motor boat wakes. Turn towards the wake-produced waves and gently paddle straight into them. As the bow rises onto the first roller, angle off into the wave trough (quarter it!) to shorten the canoe's waterline length. Keep this gentle quartering course (it gets easier with each passing wave) and you'll stay dry and in command. When friends and I paddle the Mississippi River near my Wisconsin home, we often seek out big motor boat waves and run them sideways in our solo canoes. It's a gas--more so, because the boaters--who largely don't understand canoes--usually think we're crazy.
Ace card #10: Serious safety tricks
Even the best paddlers goof up occasionally, which is why they take small stuff so seriously. When things go wrong, these safety tricks can often save the day:
1. Snug up your PFD before you venture into big water. Good canoeists always check the fit of their PFD's before they venture into harms way. Make a fetish of snugging up the straps and waist cords on your life vest so the vest will stay put if you capsize in heavy water. If you upset far from shore, you'll have your hands full getting everyone and everything ashore. Difficulties will compound if your PFD bobbles up over your head and interferes with vision and swimming.
2. Loose lines and a rough sea don't mix. You're in for big trouble if you capsize in a rough sea and rope winds around an arm or leg. Bow and stern lines should be coiled and secured under loops of shock-cord strung through holes in the decks of your canoe. If you have to tow a capsized canoe full of wet packs ashore, you'll want a rope that streams out with a single pull, not one that's wound around a canoe thwart and tightly knotted.
3. Put a saddle in your canoe.
Most people can ride a horse much better if they have a saddle. Knee pads and/or foot braces are like "canoe saddles"-- they properly position you in the hull and keep you planted when your bronco leaps and turns in waves. High-seated tripping canoes are best outfitted with thick, closed-cell foam knee pads which are glued to the floor. You may also benefit by installing thigh straps and toe blocks. Low seated (the seats are too low for kneeling) fast touring canoes are better equipped with aluminum or wooden foot braces which lock your lower body into the canoe. Both systems work.
Canoe shops carry many whitewater and flatwater accessories. If there's no shop in your area, try these links:
Whitewater accessories: Mike Yee Outfitting (https://mikeyeeoutfitting.com)
Flatwater fittings: We-no-nah Canoe Co. (https://wenonah.com/)
4. Use a slightly longer paddle than normal.
You need a fairly long paddle to reach the water when your canoe tops out on big waves. A paddle that's two inches longer than that to which you are accustomed, may improve control in big waves.
5. Buy a bent-shaft paddle.
Bent paddles are far better for making time on open water than straight paddles. The diagram below shows why. They are also more relaxing to use when pushing hard into a head wind. Bent paddles emphasize a downward push of the shoulders while straight blades encourage levering with the arms. The result is that bent paddle users have fewer physical problems (tingling sensation in the fingers, tennis elbow, etc.) than do those who use straight blades. Paddle hard for 15 minutes with a straight paddle, then switch to a bent shaft and you'll note a big difference in canoe performance and muscle fatigue.
Fourteen degree bent-paddles were popular a decade ago. Now, the trend is to 12 degree bends which allow you to sit straighter in the canoe. Your bent paddle should be about two inches shorter than your favorite straight paddle.
Let's review the rules for paddling big water:
1. Trim tail down in tail winds, bow down in head winds. Lighten both ends if things get dicey.
2. Use the wind and tack to distant points.
3. Don't lollygag when the wind is up. Pour on the coal and get to a safe haven as fast as you can.
4. Only canoeists who know canoeing should quarter into big waves. Beginners are best advised to paddle straight into them or wait ashore till the weather improves.
5. In tricky winds, both partners may need to paddle on the same side of the canoe--or, the stern paddler may have to rudder while the bow powers ahead.
6. Being sideways to big waves can be a good plan.
7. Motor boat wakes can be fun to ride. Treat them like other big waves.
Finally, respect big water but don't fear it. A well-paddled canoe is incredibly seaworthy--more so, if it wears a spray cover and If you and your partner take to heart the safety tricks suggested in Ace card 10.
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My flagship book, CANOEING WILD RIVERS, 5th Edition, contains a wealth of advice on how to safely canoe difficult rivers.
*My teen book, JUSTIN CODY'S RACE TO SURVIVAL! mixes a fictional wilderness survival tale with practical outdoor tips everyone should know--a first for books of this type. Adults love it too! Now available as an audio book!
*My long out-of-print book, CANOEIST’S Q&A (available as an e-book) contains 25 true scenarios (plus FAQ's) that define the wilderness canoeing and camping experience--a great training tool for those who go beyond the beaten path - now available as an audio book under the new title PADDLER'S GUIDE: WHAT TO DO WHEN THINGS GO SOUR.
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