-
The Risks of Cold Water Paddling
Even during the summer when Lake Superior’s surface temperature warms to 50 degrees Fahrenheit, capsizing in it can kill you. The most obvious form of death comes from drowning, but other not so obvious dangers, such as cold shock, cold incapacitation and hypothermia, are just as deadly, and can occur anytime the water drops below 60 degrees. Lake Superior kayakers experience those conditions for the entire paddling season. Most kayakers visiting Lake Superior aren’t aware of the risks of cold water says Lake Superior kayaker Sam Crowley, who holds an American Canoe Association Coastal Kayaking Level 5 Advanced Open Water Instructor Trainer Educator certification, which is the highest level available.…
-
Winter Kayaking Tips and Resources
As the northern hemisphere shifts into winter and the water turns solid, many kayakers will hang up the paddling gear and store their kayaks until spring. It doesn’t need to be that way; winter kayaking can be enjoyable, albeit more dangerous than the other three seasons. PaddlingLight features multiple articles that give you great winter kayaking tips. As a trip down memory lane and to help you find the information you need about kayaking in the winter, the articles with tips are listed below. Winter Kayaking Tips “There is no bad weather, only the wrong gear.” -Minnesota Proverb The original winter kayaking tips article is about dressing for cold water…
-
How to Pack a Sea Kayak Part 2: Packing Your Kayak
Learning how to pack a sea kayak for camping isn’t a mystical black art reserved for expert expeditionary paddles who spend most of their life at sea. Instead, it just takes planning and knowledge of boat trim and balance. In How to Pack a Sea Kayak Part 1: Selecting and Packing Dry Bags, you learned how to pick the right dry bags and pack them properly. The next step is to actually pack the sea kayak. Sea Kayak Compartments and Storage Spaces A sea kayak with bulkheads and watertight cargo compartments that are accessed through hatches make packing much easier than trying to pack a kayak without bulkheads and hatches.…
-
High Angle Vs. Low Angle Paddling
Typically, the difference between high angle vs low angle paddling styles is explained as the height of the upper hand during the forward stroke, because the height of the upper hand changes the angle of the paddle’s shaft when referenced from the water. For example, if the hand is shoulder high or above, it’s consider a high angle stroke because the angle of the shaft is high. If the hand is shoulder high or below, it’s considered a low angle stroke because the angle of the shaft is low. Typically, the stroke type then dictates the type of kayak paddle to use. For a high-angle style stroke, a shorter paddle…
-
More Kayaking Accessories for Beginners
A first-time kayaker may not realize what kayaking accessories he or she may want or need when getting into kayaking. In the first part of this article, Kayaking Accessories for Beginners, I listed items that I think are necessary for beginners. In this list, I’ll highlight items that an entry-level kayaker may want to buy right now. Eventually, most kayakers end up with some of these items, especially those who want to paddle further than swimming distance from shore and in less than perfect weather. Note: If you paddle in water colder than 60 degree Fahrenheit (15.5 Celsius), then you need a wetsuit or a drysuit. I’ve covered that before in…
-
22 Ways to Improve Your Kayaking Skills Forever
We paddle because it’s fun and relaxing and sometimes challenging and risky. When it isn’t fun, it’s usually because our skills aren’t up to the challenge. In those circumstances, we can either grit our teeth and deal with it, or we can try to improve our skills so that next time we can smile and laugh instead of grinding the grit from our teeth. Improve your kayaking skills and kayaking techniques today by trying one or more of these 22 ideas. Set up a training schedule. As with any physical activity, if you train for it, you grow your skills. Although you might rather stand on your head and drink…
-
Kayak Paddle Stuck Together? This Is How To Get It Apart
At the end of a full-day of paddling, you load your car, put away your vest and rescue gear. You get ready to put away your paddle, but after you push the spring-lock button, the paddle won’t split apart. It’s stuck. Likely, a barely-noticeable, fine sand found its way into the connection before you joined the parts together. With luck on your side, the paddle comes apart when you tug on one end and a friend tugs on the other. On a normal day, it feels like someone super-glued the paddle together. When it feels like glue keeps your kayak paddle stuck together, break out the hair dryer and a…
-
The Risks of Cold Water Kayaking and Canoeing
I recently wrote an article for Northern Wilds about how to dress for cold water kayaking on Lake Superior, where even in the summer the water almost never gets warmer than 50 degrees Fahrenheit. I interviewed American Canoe Association Coastal Kayaking Level 5 Advanced Open Water Instructor Trainer Educator Sam Crowley for the article. Sam runs Sea Kayak Specialists in Marquette, Michigan and is one of the best instructors that I’ve taken lessons from. Sam has paddled extensively on the cold waters of Lake Superior and on cold ocean waters. In 2007, he circumnavigated Ireland solo. Sam gave me so much great material that I couldn’t include in a 600-word…
-
How to Print Free Canadian Topographic Maps Quickly and Inexpensively
This is a guest post from educator and wilderness guide Dave Freeman. Canadian topographic maps generally cost between $11 and $16 dollars each. When buying many maps for an extended camping trip, the costs quickly add up. Luckily, the Canadian government offers free electronic copies of all of their topo maps. By following a few simple steps you will save money and produce more useful maps by printing your own for a fraction of the cost. All you need is an Internet connection, a printer and a little time. Printing your own maps allows you to customize your maps and only print out the parts that you need. It shaves…
-
How to Adjust a Sea Kayak
Adjusting a sea kayak or touring boat to fit not only makes the boat more comfortable but also makes it easier to control. With the proper fit, edging, which helps you maneuver, feels easier, rolling becomes easier, and torso rotation, which propels a kayak forward, becomes unimpeded. For all-day touring, I feel that you need a snug fit that’s loose in all the right areas. That might sound like a slight contradiction, but let me explain. How to Size a Kayak There are a lot of factors in picking the right size kayak, such as what you’re going to do with it, what you weigh, how much gear you’re going…
-
Navigation: Dead Reckoning
In navigation, dead reckoning is determining your current position based on your last known location. Because canoes and kayaks seldom leave sight of shore, you mainly use it during crossings, along featureless shorelines, in foggy conditions or to give you an estimated location between fixes. You can use the same technique to estimate your future position. To do dead reckoning, start with a known location, such as a navigation fix, marked on your chart or map. From that point, advance a line along your known course a distance based on your speed and the time traveled using the formula shown below. Current or wind can affect your DR; during critical…
-
Navigation: Doubling Angle on the Bow Fix
The doubling angle on the bow fix is a useful way to find your location when you only have one marker or feature to fix from. It’s less accurate than fixing your position with two points, and your knowledge of your speed, any currents and wind affects the accuracy of the exercise, but when you only have one point to fix from, it can help you get a reasonable measure of your position. It’s something you might use on a long crossing to help fix your position when passing shoals or markers. Take a bearing to a known feature or marker, and note the bearing and angle off your bow.…
-
How to Carry a Spare Kayak Paddle
Most kayakers know that they should carry a spare paddle, because getting a broken paddle on a kayak trip — even on a day trip — is a pain. I know, because I’ve done it, and I didn’t have a spare. I limped back about a mile to the place I launched using my snapped Greenland paddle canoe style. Although, it got me back, it took extra time, and if I wasn’t an avid solo canoeist who knows the “C” stroke, the paddle would have caused misery. Since that day, I’ve always carried a spare paddle, and you should, too. On the Kayak’s Front or Rear Deck It’s best to…
-
Winter Kayaking Checklist
Winter offers a constantly changing shorelines to explore when paddling. As the waves roll and the pack ice blows in the shore becomes coated with ice and sometimes the ice piles so high it seems mountainous. Kayaking during the winter presents great risks versus other times of the year. The icy cold water can quickly kill. Before heading out make sure you have everything on this paddling checklist. Winter Paddling Skills Because of the greater danger that cold weather and water present, winter kayaking requires refined and reliable skills. A few that I consider essential are a perfectly reliable self-rescue. Because the paddle float rescue takes time, which exposes you…
-
Navigation: Fixes and Triangulation
When lost or slightly misplaced while kayaking or canoeing, if you have a view of a couple of landmarks you can get a fix, which is the navigational term for finding an “X” that marks the spot. The “X” is your location. The process is a quick and easy way to find your location. For a more exacting needs, finding your location with triangulation involves only one extra step. Getting a Navigation Fix First, find a line of position, which is a line that runs from a landmark to your position. You can take a bearing with your compass or find a range to get a line of position. To…
Or if you use a RSS Feed Reader subscribe via our RSS Feed.