Trillium over Malecite
Which weighs more?
It seems to be a sister of the old Merlin II… That pinch is called shouldered tumblehome. Its function to allow a flared hull ( which deflects waves down and adds stability) while tucking in sharply to allow a narrower paddling station ( that vertical stroke)
Heel it over … you will see it wants to hold at that shoulder.
English gates are a real good test of a boat if you can remember them… It would be fun to set up a gate system at MCS but the buoys have to be rock solid and not move… Its hard to get folks through it in an hour…but maybe a self paddle station …hmm
Ah yes welcome to old age… We often spend minutes staring at the shore at take out in a feeble attempt to move feeble dead legs.
Do you have an online source for the English Gate? I have a dog eared paper diagram from god I don’t know where.
Here’s one I’ve got - the diagram is from a Canoeroots article by Becky Mason and I added some arrows and such.
Yup… I like the B for bow. This makes you use every stroke in each direction. Its worthwhile for all canoeists! The gates are usually set about a canoe length width… ie the buoys are 16 feet apart if your canoe is 16 feet long. But its easiest to learn with a coach from shore one panel at time
Gates can be a little farther apart… That first panel is tricky for a new paddler… a tight turn x 2
I find this illustration a little easier to follow. Its simply my preference… And yours may well vary!
https://www.rapidmedia.com/canoeroots/categories/skills/855-tech-rodeo.html
That’s the one I “enhanced” with the “B” and arrows. Guess it wasn’t much clearer. Big 
Did someone do a workshop on the Gates last year?
Answered my own question-- Rory Matchett did. Did you hear any feedback?
Rory does but it’s not a given he will do it this year. Maybe you can check with him
He does it step by step
Doug Gifford made us memorize the whole sequence and dance it out on land. It took a LOT of time to do that
Panel 3 is the toughest - I don’t know if I can do that backwards. I’ll give it a try…
Cruising speed?
Was out on Lake Gardner again today - morning paddle, headed for English Gates and back. Used a different paddle set - started with an Adirondack “sneak” paddle, then a Dri-Kee beavertail. Came back mostly with a Bending Branches 57" Beavertail.
On the way back I turned on the Skipper application on my iPhone and recorded my track back. Skipper gives you a track on the map and records statistics like distance, average speed, moving speed, pace, etc.
Surprise - so I’m in a 14’6" boat, paddling to get from point A to point B, so not dawdling but not in any kind of a race, and Skipper tells me I averaged 2.8 knots with a moving speed of 3.0 knots (it also tracks moving time and stopped time). I suspect that’s not fast for folks who have more time in canoes, but it’s quicker than two of the three previously recorded tracks in the Malecite in a boat that’s a couple of feet shorter.
Which leads to the question - what’s an expected pace for folks going from point A to point B? Not racing, just cruising?
As to speed, remember that canoers in general are inland paddlers, and as such are familiar with measuring distances in “miles” and measuring speed in “miles per hour”. Knots are of no use, since inland maps are not scaled in nautical miles.
Though I seldom keep track, group trips usually average out to about 3 miles per hour, but that includes the effect of current. I think I maintain a steady 4 miles per hour in my Merlin II, and a little over 3 miles per hour in my Odyssey 14 (and that does not include the effect of current), but those are very rough guesses. Sometimes I deliberately go pretty slowly, and other times I pour on the coal, so I might go either slower or faster than those figures too.
Ah, I disagree… The proper measurement is kph… Kilometers per hour… In my paddling neck of the woods you better know your multipliers. 1,1 x knots is mph and 1,6 converts mph to kph
I paddle canoes in tidal waters and find that I use charts. In nautical miles and also scaled to statute. Now if I had paid more attention to the tide table yesterday I would have not had to limbo under the Cathance River bridge in Bowdoinham… High tide was quite close to the bottom of the span.
4.7 knots with the tide with us!
Normally solo in non tidal waters I average 3.6 mph at a leisurely pace. Expected pace of most folks varies so wildly that if you paddle with others you will notice the “scattered cats” syndrome.
In places like Algonquin portaging speed is more of a major factor than paddling speed.
Not a bad speed kattenbo… You will find it gets faster and faster over time…What is your technique? Hit and switch or J on one side?
“J” on one side (mostly). Don’t switch sides unless the wind is really fighting my direction of travel, and then as little as possible.
Checked a couple of logs from my Garmin. Both in a MR Independence paddled with a ZRE bent shaft.Two years ago early in the Hugh Heward (50 mile paddle on Michigan’s Grand river) I was averaging 3.2 mph across the first dam backwater. I was keeping a good speed up as it’s a long day. 2 weeks ago coming across Hodenpyle pond (dam backwater 5 - 6 miles0 I show average moving of 2.8. Not in any particular hurry that day as we were camping near the end of the pond & I had a full camping load.
@kattenbo said:
“J” on one side (mostly). Don’t switch sides unless the wind is really fighting my direction of travel, and then as little as possible.
pssst… At MCS take a hit and switch class. Usually one is offered from a couple that crossed the USA by canoe using it… Get some pointers from the best
Nothing wrong with the J but expanding horizons is always fun.
Good thought. I’ll look at that.
@kayamedic said:
Ah, I disagree… The proper measurement is kph… Kilometers per hour… In my paddling neck of the woods you better know your multipliers. 1,1 x knots is mph and 1,6 converts mph to kph
My favorite units for expressing speed has always been furlongs per fortnight.