> Has anyone done any experiments on the ideal angle? I mention this because > tank and wind tunnel tests have shown that the greatest leeway occurs at an > angle of thirty degrees to the flow. In other words, one could be heading > upstream but the net effect would not only keep one out in the channel > longer but would make a person work much harder to get to the destination. > I wonder if there may not be better approaches. For instance, paddling up > stream along shore where currents may be less or even going in the > favourable direction and then sprinting across the heavy current. Actually, I experiment with the ferry angle all the time when crossing the half-mile wide Hudson. You need different angles for different speeds of current and wind. When crossing from the New Jersey to New York side I am at different building such as the Empire State Building when the current is real strong. I get a sense of my progress across by the seat of my pants. If you get the right angle, you actually almost fly across. I have been with people who follow my angles and exclaim at how fast they are moving as various vector forces act on the boat. But often you can't hit the ideal whiz-across angle because you have to slow for traffic to let it cross. When I am on my own I manage to literally fly across, as I am master of my own domain; I know how to judge the speed of traffic and know my sprint speed for getting across ahead of it rather than be forced to wait for its passage across my path. But with groups I need to paddle with the LCD paddler pace, the least common denominator. I don't know how fast they can sprint and I don't want us stretched out like shooting gallery ducks. Most of the time I can convince people to paddle across in a chorus line. It looks neat and becomes kind of a game to keep the line straight. My objective is not to have the group blown down current from our destination as the slower people are also the weakest paddlers and not likely to do well against the full head on force of the current if they wind up downcurrent of the place we are going. Angles? I aim at 20 degrees generally. But, as I said, I vary the angle according to what is happening and to keep the group together and in a good position to make it to where we are headed. ralph -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024 Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com "Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************Received on Wed Aug 12 1998 - 08:30:29 PDT
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