WR18

Posted by Steve in Ottawa on Jun 9, 2004

Thanks for your comments.

RE the boat ramp, now that the water is warming up, I'll definately be getting in the boat in a bit deeper water.

I mostly paddle in the Ottawa river, just downstream from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (Orleans for those who know the area). It's generally between 1 and 1.5 km wide. The really windy day that I was out the wind was straight across the river, so there really wasn't much in the line of waves. Other than boat wakes I haven't been in anything bigger than a foot or two (in my kayak that is).

Kurt, what you describe is pretty much what I was doing. I shifted my grip a bit, made a wide sweep on one side and a deep vertical stroke on the other. Once I lost my heading it was a hell of a job to get going the right way again. I was hoping there was an easier way.

Once I get my hatch covers on, I'll start experimenting with leaning the boat more. Hopefully that will help a bit in crosswinds. I was wondering if I could trim the boat a bit to help. I'm already pretty much at the back of the cockpit, but it seems to me that I need more weight in the rear of the boat to neutralize the tendency to point into the wind. Comments? Anyone tried this?

In Response to: Re: dang it Kurt, by Mac on Jun 9, 2004

Replies:

• Re: WR18 by LeeG on Jun 9, 2004
  • Re: WR18 - stroke lessons by Steve in Ottawa on Jun 9, 2004