3 Hours Inland
This far inland makes me NOT a part of any experienced sea kayak community. But I like it so I do it. Increments is the word that applies. If it looks a little scary I try it. If it looks really scary I don’t. A little at a time, I have gotten more comfortable in wind and waves that used to be a challenge. Long distances have never really intimidated me due to my bicycling experience.
Friends
You and other more experienced paddlers have taken me out for stuff I would not do alone, and on more than a few occasions I have been invited to do stuff I would not do with my peers.
Brayden, nystrom, d lewis and others have bailed me out of some interesting situations on occasion.
the only thing better than my first roll in a rock garden with big, (gently breaking) swell was seeing my buddy chris G coming at me like the queen mary 2 with a full head of steam.
I do not believe you should paddle over your head unless invited to do so, and should carefully evaluate the skills and loyalty of those who issue such an invitation.
OTOH paddling a bit above you head with great backup is the fastest reasonably safe way to push the learning curve that I know of.
As to knowing what I can do, I guess I don’t yet. I keep improving but I am not getting quite enough water time in. I do not push the envelope too much when alone. Last time I did a double in line tow slack kept developing behind me so I was not paddling efficiently enough. Still learning I guess.
or could it be
that sea kayaking has the highest level of non skilled wankers!
Crash and Burn School
Back in the late 70’s my paddling buddies and I were all learning to run WW together. None of us knew any other paddlers so we were pretty much on our own trying to learn.
We started out with fairly easy runs - Bluestone, Upper New, Youghigheny Loop, then started hitting the New River Gorge before we had rolls. I swam so much while learning that if you held up a glass of water and I could look at it from beneath, I could probably tell what rapid it came from. Finally one guy figured out how to roll and within a week we all were getting it - sure made life easier.
This led to spring high-water runs on the Cheat, Chattooga, French Broad, Emory-Obed, Big South Fork, Nolichucky, etc and finally pushing on to the Gauley. Every run was an adventure and a learning experience. I finally got to the point that swims only occured every couple of years or so. We drove old beat-up trucks, wore cut-off jeans and had to patch our leaky old boats after nearly every trip, but loved every minute of it.
In the mid 80’s we started seeing organized groups of “whistle blowing paddle thumpers”, wearing drysuits, paddling kevlar yaks painted like church windows and driving Beamers on new paved roads to the put-ins that just used to be goat paths. I met “clubbers” that could hand roll either side in a pool but had never been on anything above class III.
I wouldn’t recommend the “Crash and Burn” method for everyone, but wouldn’t trade the memories and experiences for anything.
Limited variables makes it easier
…for me than for people with a wider range of paddling opportunities.
Endurance I cautiously know, both from years of cycling/hiking and from paddling regularly. Judgment of former used to be much better than judgment of latter but I expect this has already changed as I paddled more often than I cycled this year. I stay in fairly good condition regardless of which activity I’m focusing on.
Current is a nonfactor except in the very few times I paddle rivers.
Really, the top three concerns are the wind, the wind, and the wind. And its effects are both visible and palpable, so that helps me assess whether or not to go. I need to keep an ear and an eye out for weather forecasts and clouds (gotta watch those fast-moving fronts…bad news). I’ve gotten caught in enough high-wind paddling that I know which days to stay off the water if I don’t feel like punishing myself that day. Sometimes it’s merely a grind (lots of work, not much fun); other times it could be downright dangerous (like this time of year with its 35-degree water). I’ll go out in late spring or summer in winds that I won’t touch in December. The risk of capsizing and taking a long time to roll or re-enter might still be very low, but the consequences of doing so are so much worse than they are in summer.
It’s like assessing a technical mtb trail section: it could be a stretch that I am 95% certain of cleaning but if it’s 6" wide with a 2000’ drop-off on the side I won’t try it!
As for ACA, BCU, and the rest of the alphabet soup, it’s irrelevant to me. I am another one of the “incrementals”, not likely to take big jumps in level of risk, so I trust my own judgment. If I screw up, well, that’s part of the learning process, too.
Ignorance Again…
– Last Updated: Dec-08-04 6:31 AM EST –
what the heck is a "wanker?"
In most sporting endeavors, there is generally a pyramid distribution of folks on the skill and mindset continuum. With kayaking, however, I do think self selection kicks in early with ww and surf. The inherent dangers are very obvious even to the neophyte. So the ones who jump into the venues know there is a learning curve and is willing to take it on. Thus, something like a roll becomes an almost immediate concern for a ww newbie whereas you have "seakayakers" who can go years or their whole paddling lifetime without learning to roll. In fact, with one of my earlier seakayaking books, the author claims that a roll is in the possession of a very few and the rest should not bother. Like him, newbies should just kayak in groups and stay off the water when the conditions look "bad." Even as an absolute newbie, I immediately disagreed with that perspective. To suggest this as an option is one thing, making a suggestion that borders on prescription by dismissing rolling as an unattainable skill/tool for many is another. Too me, it smacked of mediocrity and complacency. I gave that book away as a freebie to someone who bought my Pamlico since the other advice was pretty good. John Lull's book, however, has continued to serve as my framework for self-training with sea kayaking.
sing
One check
One reality check I use is simply “Do I understand what I’m looking at?” Can I look at the conditions and make a reasonably good prediction of what I’m going to encounter? In practice, this can mean explaining what I see to a more experienced paddler and then asking him/her what I’ve missed. If I don’t know what I’m looking at I probably shouldn’t be paddling in it.
Thanks…
Jeeze, talk about tangential, if not OT. We go from training in paddling to training the monkey. Wow. LOL!
sing
a british term of endearment
"what the heck is a “wanker?”"
It’s a Brit/bcu term of endearment. We don’t want the non-euro types to be dishing out all of the abuse. We toss plenty around at each other.
Regarding you observations with respect to differences between WW, Surf and Sea kayaking: There is the perception that rolling is a novelty among some ocean paddling groups. The book you mention is a classic example as to the disservice this kind of statement does. I have come to believe that the intent of such statements are to remove rolling as a requirement of touring and easy ocean paddling in order to enable more out-of-shape, sedentary types into the “sport”
Like you I perceived rolling to be a fundamental skill early on. In my case it’s due to a deep water / drowning phobia, it’s sound like for you it just made sense from a safety pov. At any rate it’s shame to discourage (or enable others not) to learn to roll. But at the same time we don’t want to alienate those that cannot yet roll or that have difficulty learning to roll least we offend our fellow paddlers. I don’t agree with the “tough love” approach to getting people to roll. Better I think to entice people to learn about the full spectrum of safety issues and they will find their own motivation as their self-image and progress allows.
cheers,
jed
That’s where CLUBS shine…
…at least some clubs.
Fortunately, in our area, we have at least one club that provides a lot of opportunities for mentored learning. The support and encouragement of other, more experienced paddlers makes it safer and more fun to push one’s limits. If worse comes to worse, the student(s) and mentor(s) get some rescue practice. When done in a controlled environment where escape from conditions is nearby, it provides the ideal learning experience.
Self assessemnt
– Last Updated: Dec-08-04 12:06 PM EST –
To me, pushing the envelop and getting in troubles is the best way to find out where my "truly" capabilities are. Analyzing where something went wrong is the key for speeding the learning process.
For the alphabet soup of certification as pikebike called them, they are not for me.
To improve the learning process, I constantly train under some of the following conditions:
Power Boats my best friends
Although there is a strong fear among many beginner/intermediate paddlers of power boats, paddling with them is the best way to see where we stand.
If someone is able to paddle with 4 to 6 feet waves coming from four different directions due to reflection, constructive interference, mixed interference patterns, and some minor roque waves (typical around some inlets), that person will handle many situation paddling in/on open waters.
Inlets and ports are awesome places. You won't bevelive how rought Port Everglades can get during heavy traffic, ebbing/flooding currents, and winds.
Boat wakes, tides, winds, and currents around bays and lagoons may create such a strong mixed interference patters that those places are the best to learn to paddle in/or choppy water. If everything goes wrong, there will be someone to help you out, most of the time a power boat!
I find that most people like to paddle windward/leeward but many don't like following seas. Paddling in that condition for may miles using proper forward stroke with 25 knots and up winds in a bay, lagoon, or semi enclosed body of "salt" water are awesome. We learn, but if everything goes wrong, we are not going to end up in China!
By the way, personally, I paddle "solo" having someone to help me out is not an option for me.
Also, currently, I am paddling a boat with 14 inches at water line, so both the condition and the boat are the challege!
Regards,
Iceman
within limits . .
The extent to which such learning experiences are “ideal” is sharply dependent upon the right mix of stress relative to the student’s comfort zone and the mentors’ complete lack of same. There should be significant reserves within the mentors’ skill sets to truly be in control of the environment and the student experience. Additionally the student would ideally have unwavering confidence in the mentor’s ability to keep the student safe. Such is not always the case in informal settings and this then defines the practical limits of such offerings.
I find the edges of students’ comfort zones can be a challenging place to take people, at least for those that are looking to take “giant steps”. But I do agree for those that are looking to work in more gentle increments such a system can work with the above caveats. Some paddlers choose to train to become instructors in order to better understand these dynamics. A significant body of knowledge is available even to those who chose not to engage in accredited instruction training. I find that “natural” instructors are rare and mentors, while often driven by a desire to share, may or may not know how to engineer such an “ideal” learning environment. There is a difference between knowing how to paddle and knowing how to teach paddling.
I’m happy that you have found an environment that “fits” well with your sense of things. But I do encourage you to consider that this approach is not necessarily “ideal” across all students, all that would teach, all conditions or all environments.
You are in a bit of a positive feedback loop since you do not see (at these settings) the full spectrum of students. Students for whom opportunities like this are not ideal do not participate. And so your setting ends up populated with students for whom such settings provide the proverbial “good fit”. Other students, for whom these settings don’t work, go elsewhere and so you end up with little exposure to them. Private instructors see a different group of students than you do and commercial outfitters see yet another group.
Ultimately its the breadth of the various learning opportunities and various delivery settings available from all of these different sources that provides the richness that is paddling.
cheers,
jed
Good point about power boats
Although I hate the stink, noise, and possibility of getting smacked by a drunk operator, I have to admit that spending my first few seasons paddling on very crowded, confused waters gave me boat-handling experience I would not have gotten paddling in quieter places. Of course, I did not realize that at the time–it was just the closest place to paddle!
On a long trip, during the roughest crossing I’ve experienced, we got a mishmash of river and ocean current, shallow shoals, and a strong wind. Also, a tugboat pulling a “trailer” loaded with several mountains of gravel had passed by minutes earlier, likely adding a big wake to the mix. Though making forward progress was slow and unsettling (brace one side, immediately brace on the other, think of all the things I did not finish before dying…), the truth is that the boat felt a lot like what I’d been in on the busiest motorboat-crowded days. The conditions were much more dangerous due to cold water, bigger waves, and distance from land, but the skills needed to stay upright and going forward were similar. So I guess it would have qualified as an incremental situation: qualitatively similar but quantitatively much greater, with more serious consequences for a screw-up.
Another thing that helped, at least mentally, was having taken a surf lesson the previous winter. I swam a lot during that lesson, did not do well, but merely having gone through the activity gave me a bit more confidence when I encountered real-life, nonlesson situations on that same trip.
I think there may be another dynamic going on here, too. It’s easy to forget what you “learn” in a lesson. Not so easy to forget when that lesson was part of a total paddling experience, with conditions thrown at you unexpectedly.
Mutual wanking?
“Hey, a paddling teacher [or book] said sea kayakers don’t need to learn how to roll.”
“Yeah, I heard that, too. Besides, I’ve never capsized anyway. [shrug] Don’t need a roll. Heck, why bother learning paddle-float rescue, either? We always paddle together.”
“Yeah, we’re good to go. Let’s paddle…”
Practicing on the Surf-Zone
For sure, I was forgetting about it.
Although it is not needed to be Dave “the wave” Johnston, training on a strong surf zone with long boats is an excelent way to feel what to expect offshore during rough conditions and when “white caps” start to form.
In South Florida, we don’t have great surf beaches. However, I have found that the Miami Port south jetty creates very good reflective waves, plus a longshore trough about 1 miles off the coast both form a great offshore break to train. The best of all if a brace/roll is missed, we do not end up kissing the sand
Regards,
Iceman
“Life and death” question
You’re essentially asking the question of how one balance “learning by pushing the envelope” and “getting in over your head”.
Simple.
I ask myself, what’s the worst that can happen?
If the answer is “I may come out of the boat”, then ask the first question again.
If the answer is “I may die”, the answer to the question of whether I’m good enough for the condition is a clearly a resounding “NO”.
With an onshore wind and warm water, coming out of the boat isn’t such a big deal. So it’s a good time to go challenge oneself. Each time one goes out on challenging condition and stay upright comfortably, (or roll up in such condition) one gets both pratice in skill and an accessment of one’s skill. As one improves, the answer to the first question becomes a resounding “YES” to both stay in the boat and/or getting back in. Then, one may go for a more challenging situation and repeat the process…
I would rather paddle with someone who
has taken the trial by fire approach any day. Those paddlers are the ones that fully understand the consequences and realities of making mistakes. The experience of messing up seems to be more powerful than any lessons.
Agreed
I didn’t mean to imply that the club/mentor model is superior to or should replace professional instruction. Having taught professionally in non-kayaking capacities, I’m well aware that students vary in their abilities to learn and the methods that work best for them. It’s incumbent upon the the student to understand themselves and seek the most appropriate type of instruction, and upon the instructor to assess the student and tailor the lessons to suit.
Although I serve as a mentor as well as a student in our club programs, I make no claim to any significant expertise as a kayaking instructor. One of the advantages of the team mentoring model we use is that if one instructor cannot get though to a student, another with a slightly different approach may be able to. As long as the instructors aren’t “stepping on each other’s toes”, this can work quite well. However, there is potential for creating confusion if the instructors don’t cooperate or contradict each other.
Power boats and surfing
I agree with your sentiments regarding power boats. I really dislike the smell, noise and danger they pose, but admit to using them the same way you have. A good example of a great place to benefit from power boats is Wood’s Hole. After paddling there a few times, it’s become evident that it’s ferocious reputation is largely due to the massive amount of boat traffic there. On days with little traffic, there is current, but not much in the way of waves. When the power boats are out in force, the Hole becomes a challenging playground.
As for surf, it’s the best real world rolling and bracing practice I’ve found.