Paddle Quiz: First Set Of Answers

June-July 1999

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web

by Wendell Phillips

Here are the first of several sets of answers to some of the questions from the quiz we ran last time. The italicized portion shows the questions as we printed them. See the entire quiz..

Describe the relationship of the forearm and wrist during a forward stroke. The forearm and wrist of the leading arm should be in line to prevent strained ligaments and tendons during the forward stroke.

When using pulling strokes such as a forward or sweep stroke, describe the role of your feet and torso. On all pulling strokes, we can draw power from pushing the foot pegs on the side the blade is being pulled. Using this energy, we rotate our upper torso, in the direction of the paddles rearward movement for efficiency and power.

During the forward stroke, the speed at which the pulling blade is released from the water is governed by what? Our upper body torso rotation.

The deeper the blade is during a sweep stroke, the more you lose what? The arc that is necessary for turning effectively. The blade should just be under the surface of the water throughout this movement.

On a sweep stroke, the farther the blade is from the pivot point (center of cockpit) the more... turning power you will have. This can be achieved by having your outboard arm (the one working over the water) straight until it is retrieved at the end of the stroke

Kayaks displace a vertical wake as well as a horizontal one. In what circumstances does a vertical wake require our attention in navigation? Dead reckoning is navigation without the aid of landmarks. When paddling in fog, it is critical to determine correctly your speed and time over the distance you want to travel. In shallow depths, paddlers will have to work much harder to maintain the same speed than in deeper seas. I don't however recommend paddlers take chances in the fog if it is not necessary, and if you are just developing these essential skills.

If you are paddling at 3 knots how long does it take you to kayak a nautical mile? At 2 knots? We generally paddle 20 minute miles at 3 knots and 30 minute miles at 2 knots. Speeds can obviously vary when dealing with shallow water, significant headwinds, or tidal streams.

Wendell Phillips runs his kayak company out of Peachland. He works on BC interior and coastal waters in the summer and instructs and guides for Ocean Trek Kayaking on the South China Sea in the winter months. He is certified with the SeaKayaks Guides Alliance of BC and is a regular speaker at kayak symposiums in Canada and the US. Ph: 250-767-2225. Email: wphillips@silk.net