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09/08/2012 05:44PM |
quote mooseplums: "quote SevenofNine: "There's only so much you can do but the tips so far are what will help. Since I use a kayak paddle it is far easier to correct when things get dicey in a strong head wind. Of course if you are out there and are truly scared by the wind then you are probably beyond your capability and should be back on shore. Always trust you instincts."
+1 to all of the above tips and suggestions....then there is one great big, all important one.....
This is what clint would have to say about the subject....
Clint "
I needed that! Thanks for the smile. When I originally read your post, I thought you said "Cliff," hence was waiting for a CJ link.
As for the OT, I've only owned a solo for one season, so I have nothing of value to add other than to reiterate the notion that if you're feeling freaky deaky, get off the water!
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12/28/2012 07:33PM |
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12/29/2012 10:46AM |
For me it's just put my head down and paddle hard. Wind is where a short paddle (49") comes in handy as well as good hit and switch technique. Short strokes with a high cadence (50 or more strokes/minute) and a fast switch (shouldn't lose more than one stroke) keep the forward momentum going and keep you on track. An occasional long paddle stroke with a draw toward the stern is sometimes needed when the wind tries to take control.
Keep paddling is important. You're most vulnerable when your paddle is out of the water. Each stroke gives you something to brace on, whether you realize you're doing it or not.
Sometimes with the wind straight behind me I'll slow down my speed and stroke rate to keep the boat from trying to surf the waves, which I find hard to control in a solo canoe, especially with a load. With a tail wind you need to always be ready for a rudder, pry or draw stroke to bring the back of the boat in line if the wind starts to push the stern around.
I think the biggest thing is to try and relax. Pick a really windy day when the water is warm and go paddle in the worst of it for fun. You'll find that as long as you keep your hips loose and don't panic the boat can sit or be paddled in pretty much any direction to the wind/waves, even sideways, without going over in most conditions.
Alan
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09/05/2012 08:17PM |
I have a prism also and have found that with a very strong, quartering wind the stern likes to swing around and it is very difficult to correct. This happens even with my heavy pack as far back as possible, seat back, and light pack pulled toward the center of the boat. I have discussed this with a friend that has over a 1000 nights in the BW and Q and a very accomplished paddler, he said the same happens to him. We decided that this was God's way of telling us to head for shore. Once when this happened, I let the boat turn into the wind and headed for shore. When reaching shore I had to dump 3-4 inches of water out of the boat due to water coming over the bow. It was a fun ride! I trust my prism in any water I would a tandem, but sitting in the middle perhaps just changes the physics of paddling too much.
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09/05/2012 08:50PM |
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09/06/2012 09:15AM |
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01/10/2013 06:39PM |
quote oldgentleman: "The scariest part was driving across the Mackinac Bridge with a strong crosswind! "
There was a pretty good wind blowing across it in Oct when I was headed home. I was glad I wasn't driving some big, boxy rig and didn't have a canoe on top :). There were plenty of trailers and motorhomes waiting.
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12/28/2012 09:12PM |
quote bwcasolo: "wow, well if i mite chime in, knowing what you can and can't do in a solo canoe is what it takes to be comfortable in the wind. i may sound like an expert, but i am. it takes years of paddling in windy conditions to know what you can and should not do. it is that simple. if you are uncomfortable with what the wind is doing to you, then bail, otherwise enjoy the ride. i paddle a prism with the sawbill setup-seat moved 20 inches back. my pack is up front, and i kneel if it get's funky."
Yep. Some boats are more wind quirky than others. Prisms are among the quirkiest being strongly Swede form.
My years of sea kayaking taught me lots about the wind. I am looking forward to my next Everglades paddle which is mostly on the Gulf of Mexico. Two years ago I brought a friend..also in a solo..the big water was not in his comfort zone..so we simply did not do that route..and we are both kneelers.
Since then he has don lots of big water in a kayak.. and his confidence level zoomed ..
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10/16/2012 11:04AM |
so rather than head right toward the campsite/portage you plot a course that takes advantage of the conditions rather than fight them.
A following sea is by far more work than a front quartering or side
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10/15/2012 08:44PM |
quote Banksiana:
Respectfully disagree.
"
Banks, I told you not to canoe in the Aleutians in your Advantage, but did you listen? . . . .
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01/06/2013 10:22AM |
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11/02/2012 04:08PM |
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09/05/2012 03:49PM |
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01/06/2013 12:21PM |
quote hiawatha: "Yak Paddle"
I've never used a double bladed paddle in a canoe but have done a lot of kayaking and I really don't like using a double blade in the wind at all. That top blade really catches the wind and makes for a lot more effort. Also, depending on wind direction, you don't necessarily want to alternate sides you're stroking on, but that's what the double blade is designed for. It's awkward and slow to take multiple strokes on the same side with a double bladed paddle.
Alan
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01/06/2013 12:42PM |
The scariest part was driving across the Mackinac Bridge with a strong crosswind!
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11/02/2012 12:47PM |
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01/10/2013 10:28AM |
quote Alan Gage: "quote hiawatha: "Yak Paddle"
I've never used a double bladed paddle in a canoe but have done a lot of kayaking and I really don't like using a double blade in the wind at all. That top blade really catches the wind and makes for a lot more effort. Also, depending on wind direction, you don't necessarily want to alternate sides you're stroking on, but that's what the double blade is designed for. It's awkward and slow to take multiple strokes on the same side with a double bladed paddle.
Alan"
I use a yak paddle in my solo. As far as wind, if your yak paddle is set up right it should feather like you would a canoe paddle during your opposite stroke. I wouldn't be caught in a big wind without it. Like oldgentleman, I've had to not go where I wanted because of wind direction. The worst is when you have waves coming at more than one direction. But that is pretty rare. And a little awkward to double stroke on one side I suppose, but you also can extend the paddle out there farther and get the job done quicker. This year I paddled the worst I've paddled in over thirty years. Snowbank Lake was the worst... and that was just for a stretch. The wind was hitting just right or should I say wrong. I didn't end up where I wanted to go, because to do that I would have had to broadside some big waves. You would do good to like suggested, go and paddle in wind and waves in warmer water and test your limits.
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10/15/2012 09:36AM |
I have a bubble level that I got at a recreational vehicle place, they use them to level the campers etc. The one I bought had two in the package so I mounted one on each side just under the gunnels, they came with that double sticky tape. Seems to work just as I'd hoped it would.
Being solo it's nice to read that others have had the some sort of problem I experienced. I think my new motto is going to be "when in doubt, sit it out!"
Thanks guys
Rob
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10/15/2012 02:09PM |
quote Moonman: "This thread is a good example of why I think so much discussions of solo canoe speed is a bit over done. Really, for a wilderness solo tripper sea worthiness is what I key in on. A boat with some rocker and flare up front and towards mid-ships will let you get there when the waves start up, esp with quartering wind.
Moonman."
Respectfully disagree.
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10/15/2012 07:20PM |
On my recent adventure with the wind, I was in my Swift prospector 16' and I don't know but what maybe we were a little light for the conditions, all told about 300 pounds. We didn't take on any water except for the drip from my double paddle, my dog didn't like it but I had other things to think about. Up till then I never felt the canoe didn't want to track and behave herself, but I got the impression if I didn't watch it we could be blown sideways in a blink. I'm not going to get another canoe or add to the load (in fact the opposite) but like I said; I'll wait it out on the shore or if I'm out get to the shore and wait.
Rob
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10/15/2012 01:34PM |
Moonman.
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09/08/2012 01:05PM |
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09/08/2012 11:35PM |
Plan your big crossings, get on the water as early in the AM as you can. If it is already a bit breezy before sunrise you can bet in an hour it will be much worse. Plan accordingly. Cross late in the day if wind subsides if you are confident there is a campsite waiting. A wouldn't solo without a yak paddle on big water crossings. Sit it out.
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09/05/2012 05:49PM |
Tomster
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09/05/2012 02:44PM |
I know about balancing my canoe to get the front or back into the wind, but I'm a rather tall person (6'2"). Won't I have a problem with weathervaning? What's to keep me from being spun around so I'm always facing into the wind?
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09/05/2012 04:05PM |
Then there is the problem of (like) rounding a point so that the wind direction changes. Here is when it is handy to have a rope loop attached to your pack. If the loop runs between (say) a front thwart and a location near you, you can adjust the load (fore or aft) while in transit by pulling on the appropriate end of the rope. This, of course, does work better if you are in a solo canoe, like a Prism.
dd
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09/05/2012 04:24PM |
quote ryckiej: "I love going solo, but my big fear is always "what do I do if the wind picks up"
I know about balancing my canoe to get the front or back into the wind, but I'm a rather tall person (6'2"). Won't I have a problem with weathervaning? What's to keep me from being spun around so I'm always facing into the wind?"
Just keep trimming the canoe, unless you have extraordinarily large ears. If you do, I recommend a large knit watch cap for streamlining.
butthead
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09/05/2012 05:33PM |
quote butthead: "quote ryckiej: "I love going solo, but my big fear is always "what do I do if the wind picks up"
I know about balancing my canoe to get the front or back into the wind, but I'm a rather tall person (6'2"). Won't I have a problem with weathervaning? What's to keep me from being spun around so I'm always facing into the wind?"
Just keep trimming the canoe, unless you have extraordinarily large ears. If you do, I recommend a large knit watch cap for streamlining.
butthead"
I worry less about the wind (for which proper trimming as noted above is all that's really needed) and more about the potentially large waves the wind inevitably produces on larger lakes...
And as one born with "Dumbo" ears, I have found another good use for duct tape... :-)
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09/05/2012 05:54PM |
Tomster
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09/08/2012 04:54PM |
quote SevenofNine: "There's only so much you can do but the tips so far are what will help. Since I use a kayak paddle it is far easier to correct when things get dicey in a strong head wind. Of course if you are out there and are truly scared by the wind then you are probably beyond your capability and should be back on shore. Always trust you instincts."
+1 to all of the above tips and suggestions....then there is one great big, all important one.....
This is what clint would have to say about the subject....
Clint