Checkout the following link for several pics of a great spring outing here in the Pacific NW
http://www.secondwindsports.net/paddling%20photos.htm
looks like fun
– Last Updated: Mar-15-05 8:19 AM EST –
you have to remember to put your arms down when headed through a breaker like that so you don't get the paddle ripped out of your hands! Put the paddle parallel to the kayak and low.
Not only will it keep you from having
the paddle ripped from your hands, it can also prevent a possible shoulder dislocation.
Not only will it keep you from making
it thru the wave, but with your paddle low and parallel, you’ll get to backsurf back to the sand, or rolled in a windowshade.
Come on folks these waves are 2’ers and Russ is easily reaching clear over them.
If one was to drop into the low and parallel stance you’d never get out.
steve
sorry
it was a punter’s call, and I was really just jealous to see someone else out on open water.
do you have to keep flaunting it!
People here in michigan are still encased in Ice, show some empathy for the love of christmas!
yeah, BRO
I hear you. NO snow this yeart for us. gonna suck for WW but the ocean is always FULL.
you see who the fellar in the yellow/white boat is, eh?
=:-0)
man, that was a nice day. and so was last weekend, tho the wind blew a bit!
so when you coming for a visit??
fwiw- my right hand typically would be punching forward at this point. Russ does bring both arms up to take the full punch to the mid-section. ouch. I like to reach fwd and GRAB water behind the wave at this point of the maneuver!
steve
most of the time I don’t remember
– Last Updated: Mar-16-05 8:44 AM EST –
what i do,
but I know that I try to tuck in a little and bring my paddle in a bit.
work is fairly serious now, which is both good and bad,
although I am thinking of doing a trip to hit deception pass in Washington.
no no no
only out of shape over 40 guys do that…
Hold the the paddle horizontal, perpedicular to your boat and directly in front of your teeth ;)…
(Actually some better advice from these “hardcore paddlers” would be to work on your timing so your are not sitting there waiting for the only wave in sight to the close out on top of you…)
it is strange how
in the photo the only breaking wave in sight is right where the kayak is, isn’t it.
“Second Wind…” Is Right
– Last Updated: Mar-15-05 1:09 PM EST –
Two feet or not, getting slammed right in the chest like that can knock the wind out of you.
I disagree about "low and parallel" will back surf you. I usually sprint at the wave and time it so just when the wave is about to break on me, one paddle blade is just coming out of the water as I tuck forward and get the front blade parallel to the boat to spear through. Given that one blade just exited the water from a stroke, I still very much have momentum going so I can punch through rather than get caught and backsurfed.
I would not advocate taking hits like that on the chest if you going through any extensive breakzone. It's tiring. But in the pic, it looks to be a very small impact zone.
sing
Timing
which in this case means waiting for a window, is what’s important here. And once you see an opening, you do 2 things; sprint full speed to get out beyond the break, and pray that a large wave with your name on it isn’t forming out there. With big waves, your window may only give you so much time, so that you may have to claw your way up (and hopefully over) several almost-breaking waves. If the waves are dumping rather than spilling, this justs ups the ante for possible destruction.
Tony
Speaking of gettting whacked…
How secure are VCP/Kajaksport/WS hatch covers when a wave dumps on them? I was under the impression that they were pretty reliable, but a friend has doubts. Is implosion a risk when you don’t quite make it over the top of that last wave that comes rolling in just when you think you’ve made it outside?
I’m with that grabbing water thing
I like it. It works and keeps my deep draft
boat from being driven backwards.
Looking down about 50 degrees
at the stern of my boat, seeing the rock a couple of four feet below it, wondering what it will sound like when it splinters into a million pieces…
Thankfully swept shoreward, away fron the ledge, before total mayhem is worked upon me.
Apology in Order
Hey I think Falcon posted some good pictures and got a lot of unsolicited advice.
That’s true, but why not get into the
habit of just pointing your paddle into the wave. Then as soon as it’s through, transition into a strong forward stroke of brace if necessary.
Just one less thing to have to think about–can I reach over this wave or not?
Can’t speak for all
but my Kajaksport hatches have never imploded on me.
Never get out?
of a two foot wave? When I hear you guys talking like that I am glad I got a mariner. Mariners must be a fluke in the surf compared to a more traditional sea kayak.
If caught paralell to a wave and I want to get out of it, I would roll into it, catch the deepest brace I could and pivot at the hips to get the bow up while still trying to push forward and hopefully out of the wash allowing the wave to push the stern and get me perp to itself. A combination of brakes and twist and forward stroke seem to work well in changing my relative position to a wave face. I guess the short stern and a bouyant high volume bow are mighty helpful in allowing this to happen. If I dont get out of the wash by doing that it might leave me high enough to rudder the bow into position for a run off the face again giving me a little more speed to try again. Either way I try to get one end of the boat higher than the other to allow direction change in the foam pile to be easier. If I can get surfing down the wave again, the forward speed I might have picked up allows me to apply much more torque to oppose the wash when I turn back into it for another attempt at get through. I am constantly hanging off one side or the other depending on which end I want to raise to initiate a turn. I mean I might lean forward and and reach to the beach while leaning into the foam or I might lean backward with a strong stern rudder or some combination like that to try and get the boat off it’s horizontal plane allowing the boat to more readily turn, axiswise, against the will of the foam pile. I practice doing this each time I go out and each year that goes by I get a little better at it. Last year I got good at practicing a break from the foam pile by rolling towards the beach and popping up facing the beach. Not quite sure how that was working but I was in three foot surf and I think when I rolled I got my body to drag in the slower deeper water allowing the boat to go slower than the foam pile making it go higher on the surface of the wave and when i came up high on the wave it was wicked easy to through a rudder on the beach side and turn towars the beach. That was great fun.
When you go surfing in a sea kayak is it just a straight in and side surf and thats it until the will of the wave releases you?
I think surfing a 16 sea kayak is the funnest thing I have ever done in a small boat. I go the same gentle sandy beach with a long shallow grade to practice. I dont like getting hurt so the kiddie beach works out well. Practicing on gentley and slowly braking waves has been more help than watching any video or listening to any advice. I get the crap kicked out of me regularly even at the tame beach but it sure is fun learning how to make a long boat do different things in the surf!
hey I already said I was sorry
– Last Updated: Mar-16-05 8:43 AM EST –
:)
As theodore roosevelt said, "It is the man in the arena that counts."
no wave in sight
In the photo you can see a darker line out farther that is the next very similar wave forming. These were very small waves with about 7 sec intervals.