Learn to Paddle

For those people not familiar with running rivers, or as a reminder to those who have been in moving water before, this is where I try to establish the respect you need for moving water. Regardless of depth, moving water can be dangerous and potentially fatal. The pressure of the water against the exposed area of your body or your kayak is strong enough to pin you in a hazardous position if proper precautions are not taken. Also, it needs to be recognized that the water level at any given time can create a more or less challenging run (depending on where you are on a given river.) Therefore, it is important to be very familiar with the sites that you are planning to paddle, and if possible find someone familiar with the area to guide you through your first encounters. Later on in Lesson 2, the different types of river features will be discussed, but for now it is important to note that the majority of the items that we want to look out for are caused by obstacles in the river. Obstacles cause the river to change flow direction and speed and create unique patterns in the water. From a safety standpoint, you need to be familiar with these patterns and which you need to avoid and which you can take advantage of. Since, as a beginner, you will occasionally be faced with the prospect of swimming in the river, you should know the proper way to do so. There are a few things to keep in mind when forced to swim. Number 1, swim away from obstacles (downed trees, exposed rocks) whenever possible. Swim immediately towards the nearest accessible shoreline (you accomplish this by swimming half upstream, and half towards the bank…don’t try to swim downstream or sideways…this will expose the flank of your body to hidden obstacles (i.e. rocks). Also, unless you feel in jeopardy, it is your responsibility to tow your kayak and paddle to shore with you. This is best done by grabbing onto one of the grab loops in the front of back of your boat. DO NOT try to get back into your boat in the open water. DO NOT try to stand up in the moving water (this could cause your feet to get stuck in between rocks, and then the pressure of the water will face plant you downstream….(uh….hope you brought your scuba gear!)

Its very important to know your boat, get a little lingo, and know what your gear is for, and how it should fit. Obviously, number one is your kayak. It is probably made out of fiberglas or some blow molded polymer. It has a front (bow) and a rear (stern). The big opening (where you put your butt) is called the cockpit. Inside the cockpit there are many items to keep your lower body in contact with your boat, these include the foot pedals, thigh braces, (maybe some) hip braces, your seat, and a back brace. These all help keep you snug in your boat, and help give you more control over the boat’s position in the water. You may also have some floats in your boat (usually placed in the stern). These help give the boat more buoyancy, especially after some water has accumulated in the boat. Looking on the outside, the top of the boat is often referred to as the deck. Usually the front and rear of the boat has loops that can be used to tow or lift the kayak (there are called grab loops.) Also, some kayaks have a drain hole in the rear (make sure your plug is secure before you put the boat in the water.) When selecting a boat, you need to consider your size, your skill level, and your river intensions. Typically, the bigger a person is, the larger the boat they required (for adequate buoyancy.) If your intention is to run rivers and cut through large rapids, you’ll want a longer, slimmer river running boat. If you just want to dart in and out of holes, turning tricks and hot-dogging, you’ll want a shorter, flatter-hulled, play boat. Finally, as a beginner, you’ll want a relatively stable, symmetric boat, whereas some more advanced boaters may prefer the less stable, more edgy, play boats. Now that you know your boat lets take a look at you. Hopefully you are wearing a helmet. This will protect your brain from all those neat rocks that you can’t see under the surface of the water. You are probably also wearing a Personal Floatation Device (PFD) or life vest…this really comes in handy when you are swimming. Depending on the weather, you might be wearing a paddle jacket. Sometimes the rivers are cold, and paddle jackets keep you fairly dry yet allow good shoulder mobility (a key to successful paddling.) Your next piece of gear should be your skirt. Most skirts have a neoprene ring this fits around your abdomen and keeps water from entering your boat. It is best to wear the skirt fairly high up your torso, but keep it under your PFD. The last bit of wearable gear is your shoes. Hopefully you have an old pair of Tevas or Water Sandals. You’ll be carrying your kayak over rocky ground (not a lot of fun in bare feet), and if you happen to swim, those sandals will save the bottom of your feet from any pointy objects as well. Finally, you have your paddle. The typical paddle is approximately 6 feet long. It has a shaft and two blades. The blades are typically offset about 45 degrees for easier paddle strokes. Hopefully your paddle is light, but made out of a stiff material, that will give you powerful strokes. You’ll also want to have tough material for your blades since they frequently slap rocks and other rough stuff.

Now that you have all of your gear, you’re ready to get in your boat. The first thing that you’ll want to do is make sure the boat “fits”. The main way to adjust the boat is via the foot pedals. Ideally, you want to be snugly in your kayak as you are paddling, yet, you still want to be able to exit the boat should the need arise. The best way to get into your boat (to check the fit) is to sit on the deck of the boat with your butt behind the cockpit. Then hold yourself steady with your hands as you lift your legs and slide them into the cockpit. It may feel a little difficult at first, but it will feel more natural soon. Once you are in, you want to figure out if your foot pedals are properly positioned. Your pedals should be close enough to you to lightly hold your knees up against the thigh brace, and you should be able to apply more pressure to the braces by pressing down with your toes. You may need to move them towards you or away from you depending on where they are set. To move the pedals, you need to be out of the boat. To get out, you need to place your hands on the deck/sides of the boat by your side, and lift your butt out and push up and back with your hands. This should pull your body mostly out of the boat. Once you get your pedals set to the proper depth, we need to start talking about getting in and out of the boat the right way. First things first, we need to do an equipment check. At this time, we want to make sure that our helmet is properly buckled, and our PFD is on tightly. Now we can get into the boat. Pretending to be on the water, we want to get into our boat as we did just before. Next we want to secure our skirt. To do this we first reach behind us, and place the back of our skirt around the lip of the cockpit (coaming). Then we grab the skirt by its handle and stretch it over the front of the coaming. Finally we make sure that the entire skirt edge is secured around the entire coaming. Finally, and most importantly, we want to make sure that the grab loop of our skirt is on the outside of the cockpit. (Otherwise it’s a little more difficult to get out.) Now that we are in our boats we need to know what to do in case you flip over. (Eventually, this won’t be a big deal, but for now we need to know what to do.) When you flip in moving water. The first thing that you want to do is relax and bend forward in your kayak. This will protect your face and body from slamming into any rocks (hey, you bought the helmet…you might as well use it.) Next, to do a “wet exit”, reach in front of you and grab the loop on top of your skirt. Pull it towards you. Now, just put your hands on the deck of your kayak, and push yourself up and back. NOTE: When in the water, try to stay bent forward during this whole process, also note that when in the water, the water will lubricate your exit, so it may appear harder on dry land, but don’t worry. **Here I like to practice a couple of emergency wet exits on dry land so that you get comfortable with this action.