[Paddlewise] learning curve and forgiveness

John Winters posted some provocative thoughts to this list under the
headings re: new certification concept; and what is rough weather
performance.  John hits both issues right on the head in that what
matters most are the talents and inclinations of the paddler and the
relative responsiveness vs. forgiveness of his or her boat.  Some boats
require a long learning curve to achieve the skills that allow the
paddler to get the most out of them and be one with them while other
boats do not.

A boat's forgiveness is often overlooked in speaking of skills and
operating in rough conditions.  I recall Derek Hutchinson once writing
or saying that the furthest you could expect to paddle would depend on
how long you could stay awake.  Implied in this statement is how long
you could keep your boat upright through skills and alertness.  But many
paddlers have taken epic voyages that far exceeded their wake time such
as did Ed Gillette in his crossing to Hawaii and did Dr. Lindemann in
his crossing of the Atlantic.  Why?  Their boats were forgiving and did
not require their constant alertness and actions to keep going and to
stay up.

I think John has a valid approach when he speaks of avoiding
classifications of certification and instead have needed skills laid out
clearly and have paddlers pick and choose among them according to the
type of boat and paddling they will be doing.

For example, John is correct in saying that a Klepper paddler would not
need to know how to roll.  That particular boat can only be rolled under
controlled situations, virtually a circus act that only a few superb
rollers could carry off, and hardly one that could be relied on in real
life conditions as a self-rescue technique.  That Klepper paddler might
want to spend more time developing an efficient paddle stroke because
that boat does require good form to move well.  That Klepper paddler
might also be made rudely aware of the folly of going out without air
bags filling the holds of his boat by having him swamp the boat and see
that it would have not enough free board to ever hope of emptying unless
he has such air bags  (a hardshell with bulkheads hardly ever would see
this as a problem).  That Klepper paddler might also want to learn the
pecularities of his re-entry in case of a capsize versus what a
hardshell paddler would have to do.  (I would also think the person
would want to learn speed assembly tips to get that time down to single
digits in order to have more time on the water.)

The above are some of the realities and needs of a Klepper paddler that
in little respect represent the realities/needs of a Norkapp paddler. 
The BCU program appears to be basically aimed at narrower boats (which
by the way would include something like the Feathercraft Khatsalano, a
folding kayak that behaves more like a Greenland boat).  While the
skills would benefit any hardsheller, some hardshells would not fair
well in the BCU certification such as some of the wider Northwest boats
which are difficult to roll and scull because of their width.  Paddlers
in such Northwest boats may want to work on other skills such as a
reliable, fast re-entry in a capsize and also learning how to position
their boats quickly in order to avoid being swamped, i.e. better, faster
turning skills that would work in their less responsive boats.

I don't think, for example, that any certification program aims at
helping a paddler develop the skills to keep a poor tracking boat going
straight.  Early on, I bought a Klepper single, which I decided to
paddle without a rudder (weight and extra assembly times were my
motivation).  But the boat has been known to handle Class III Whitewater
because it is so easy to turn.  Maybe too easy as it would not track
well at all.  Over time I learned to control the boat's tracking through
an arsenal of almost unconscious techniques without once having to
stroke twice on the same side to correct for poor tracking.  Someone
with that type of boat would want to learn those techniques whereas some
one in a superbly good tracking boat would not need such skill.

I know of no certification program that aims at developing a
sustainable, efficient powerful forward stroke.  Few instructors spend
much time on this as they rush through explanation of the stroke to get
on to other matters such as rolling, bracing, etc.  And I don't recall
seeing much time devoted to a good forward stroke in any of the sea
kayaking books.  An exception is my book because this is something I
strongly felt you need to develop in order to move this kind of boat.  I
took the space that ordinarily is devoted to rolling in other books and
used it to work on several pages of small print on developing a powerful
forward stroke.

Let me get back to learning curves, at the risk of making this overally
long.  In order to get comfortable in some narrower boats, you need to
spend a lot of time in the saddle.  I remember when I was considering a
Nordkapp 10 years ago, an instructor saying that if I wasn't prepared to
spend a year at it paddling at least once a week in winter and several
times a week in season, I should avoid this boat.  I have a friend who I
know spent a good part of year following such advice and constantly
practicing bracing and rolling until one day he did finally get
comfortable in the boat.  A Feathercraft K-1 would have you at that
level of comfort in a day or so; a Feathercraft Khatsalano (assuming
little paddling experience) would take considerably longer.

ralph diaz
-- 
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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."
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