The Hoosier Paddler Volume 46, Issue 5 June 2008
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The Hoosier Paddler Volume 46, Issue 5 http://www.hoosiercanoeclub.org/ June 2008 Recreational Kayak Moving Water Clinic, April 26, 2008 Reggie Baker Why in the world would Deb and I want to teach a Recreational Kayak clinic? We were whitewater kayak instructors and in- troduced literally hundreds of folks to whitewater kayaking over nearly 2 dec- ades. Whitewater rocks and everything else is downright boring, right? Well, hopefully with age has come some wisdom and that newfound wisdom is simply that the very best boat in the world is the one you are paddling and the best waterway is the one you have chosen to spend your valuable time and resources upon. As the Water Rat stated in The Wind in the Wil- lows, “Believe me, there is nothing - - - ab- solutely nothing - - - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” But, there’s more to it than that. Debbie demonstrating edging at put-in The fact is that whitewater kayaks make up a small fraction of the kayak sales in the U.S. Whitewater kayak sales are declining rapidly with the demo- graphic changes and the increased fuel costs. A recent paddlesports business journal reports recreational (rec) kayak sales of $92M, touring kayak sales of $45M and whitewater kayak sales of $10M. The sale of ca- noes brought in another $22M. This puts whitewater sales at around 6% of the total. My point here is there are roughly 10 rec kayaks sold for every whitewater kayak and these kayaks are showing up regularly on HCC river trips. Another point is that no whitewater kayaker in their right mind would buy a new boat and paddle away from the Ocoee dam with no instruction. Not so with recreational kayaks. Personal experience has shown me that many rec kayakers are in dire need of instruction not only for their personal safety but to enhance their overall paddling experience. Thus, the idea of a Rec Kayak Moving Water Clinic was born. Saturday April 26 began chilly and windy with a forecast for reasonable improvement as the day progressed. Eleven intrepid souls met Deb and me at the Dairy Queen at the intersection of SR37 and 144. Attendees were: Wayne Bivins, Jim Sprandel, Sue Foxx, Shelly Sturgis, Linda Smith, Dan Evard, Barb Lollar, Kelly Rushing, Mike Lough, Krystal Lewis, and John Cavanaugh. We began the day with a chalk talk at the picnic tables to present the agenda of boat edging, forward strokes, turning strokes, bracing strokes, draws, ferries, eddy turns and peel-outs. After setting the shuttle, we hit the quiet water at the put-in and began practicing edging, strokes, braces and draws before proceeding down- river. First on the agenda were ferries. With the bow pointed upstream, we learned how to utilize the forces of the current and the forward stroke to easily move the kayaks back and forth across the current. This is such an important maneuver of boat control in moving water and most everyone were amazed how effective and easy the move actually was. Reverse ferries proved to be a bit more difficult but everyone got the hang of them with practice. Next came river reading and getting into and out of eddies. This is where boat edging and the notion of not leaning upstream when entering the current proved their value. River rescue came next The Newsletter of the Hoosier Canoe Club due to upstream edging while entering the current. Students saw how the instructors rescued the paddler, kayak and other flotsam using a variety of rescue equipment and techniques. Students assisted in draining the kayak, caring for the rescued paddler and getting the show on the road again. The object lesson here is “if you aren’t swimming, you aren’t training” and we had some good training. I just love when life presents you with “teachable moments.” After a leisurely lunch and some discussion about boats, paddles and other equipment, we did some throw rope practice. Again, the teachable moment was that without practice your ability to effectively deploy a throw bag will be about as effective as Hillary Clinton trying to bowl. It just isn’t a pretty picture. Deb and I were very pleased with the turnout and performance of the rec kayak students. Our “teachable mo- ment” was there is quite a variety of recreational kayaks being sold and not all are created equal. Some are better for quiet waters and others excel in moving water. What is apparent is that this fact is lost on many kayak retailers who think a kayak is a kayak. NOT! Stay tuned for an article on recreational kayak purchas- ing considerations. Reg & Deb (Team Baker) Eagle Creek—Tuesday Evening Paddles HCC members have started paddling together at Eagle Creek park on Tuesday evenings. Group paddles start at 6:00 pm at the Eagle Creek marina. Paddlers must leave the park by closing time. When you enter the park, check the sign at the park entrance to see when the park closes. Be sure to bring the pass that was published in the May Newsletter that you received in the mail or from the web site. This pass allows HCC members to enter the park as early as 3:00 pm on Tuesdays if they want to paddle on their own before the group paddle. Special Event— Moonlight Paddle—Tuesday, June 17 7:00 pm We will have a moonlight paddle at Eagle Creek since there is a nearly full moon on this night. Please meet at the Ranger’s Office at 7:00 p.m. We will still be paddling after the park closes so be sure to park in the lot by the Ranger’s Office since it is outside the park gates. The Ranger’s Office is located on 56th street—the entrance to the Ranger’s Office parking lot is on the north side of 56th street about 0.3 mile west of the 56th street park entry. If you want to attend, please call Shirley Gate at (317) 852-9809 by Monday, June 16. Volunteers Needed— In exchange for free park access, the HCC has agreed to provide safety boats for Eagle Creek’s Sunset Trip series which will be held on Wednesday nights starting in mid-June. We will need 1 or 2 canoes or kayaks for each Sunset Trip. If you would like to help, please contact Shirley Gates at (317) 852-9809. HCC Safety Boaters need for June 21 Eagle Creek Triathlon The HCC will provide safety boats for the Eagle Creek Triathlon on Saturday, June 21. The event starts at 8:00 am and paddlers should gather by 7:15 to receive instructions and T-shirts and to get their boats in the water. Volunteer paddlers will follow waves of swimmers and allow struggling swimmers to hang onto their boats. When helping swimmers, you signal a motorized safety boat which collects exhausted swimmers and takes them to shore. The total swim distance in these events is 500 meters. For more information, please visit: http://www.tuxbro.com/triathlon%20updates.htm We need 8 to 12 kayakers to help with this event. If you would like to volunteer to be a safety boat for this event, please contact Jan Sneddon at 317-257-1740 or [email protected] by Thursday, June 19. Come on, you know you want to. Triathlons will also be held at Eagle Creek on July 19 and August 23. The Hoosier Paddler Page 2 June 2008 East Race Waterway – South Bend, Indiana Sharon Schierling If you're interested in some playboating and/or novice-level white- water practice on our great little concrete ditch through town (a.k.a. the South Bend "pool" session), come join us at the East Race Wa- terway in South Bend. For those who haven't been there, the East Race Waterway is a ~3/8-mile-long Class II artificial whitewater course (the first in North America, opened in 1984) in a concrete channel (old mill run) through the heart of downtown South Bend. When you get to the bottom, you have to carry your boat back up to the top along a paved sidewalk. (If you don't want to carry your boat, you can set your own shuttle or bring wheels.) Wing-dams and fiberglass ob- stacles create the water features, including a "rodeo" hole for play- boaters, a couple of rollercoaster-like waves for surfing, a few smaller holes and surf spots, numerous eddies (some of which can be pretty squirrelly), and, if the St. Joseph River isn’t too high, at least one good ferry spot at the bottom, which also happens to be a favorite place for stern squirts (and, coincidentally, perfecting a combat roll). Kayakers playing in East Race On weekends when it's open to the public, the East Race is staffed by throw-rope-wielding lifeguards stationed all along its length, offering an opportunity for newer paddlers to experience relatively big class II whitewater in a safe environment. Kayakers and canoeists also have to watch out for inexperienced rafts and duckies, and the good play spots can be crowded so if you're planning on playing, be prepared to do some waiting in squirrelly eddies. Public Schedule: The public can use the East Race Waterway on Saturdays and Sundays from June 14 through August 10, 2008. I will be there on Sunday, June 29 and will be happy to "show the lines" to any newbies to the course. Public Hours: Saturday 12:00-5:00 and Sunday 1:00-5:00.