[Paddlewise] Rules of the Road?

After much discussion and investigation, the Significant Other and I purchased a canoe.  Yesterday was the first time that we ventured outside of the protected practice area in which we've previously paddled.  We have a fiberglass Clipper Tripper.

Where we went there was a mild to moderate amount of motorboat traffic.  Most of the stuff that I've read about canoe or kayak navigation focuses on dealing with the larger boats.  But it seems that most of our experience (and worries) will be with the smaller boats.

For example, when approaching the main channel of the Columbia, we observed something that resembled a freeway, with powerboats zooming back and forth at high speed.  I had the impression that watching for canoe traffic would not be a high priority for the motorized boaters, and we elected not to enter the river there.  So on the one hand, we hear about people paddling in the main channel of the river, but on the other hand it's not clear how one would do that without risking being run over.  Currenet and wind seemed like small risks compared to the power boats.

The other thing I'm not sure of is how to share a river with power boaters.  What are their expectations of me, and what are my reasonable expectations of them?

Also, I would appreciate any advice on how to handle a canoe in the wakes produced by the boats.  Even though we were paddling in a rather protected area, the boat wakes were quite . . . . invigorating.  Especially when three or more boats would pass by in a short amout of time, the wake patterns became quite confused, and I felt like I was in a situation that I wasn't sure how to handle.  Generally, we found that just continuing to paddle and maintaining forward motion seemed to be the best course of action.

As I mentioned, the books I've read mostly say "don't get run over by barges," but they don't have much on how to handle the smaller boats.  I'll appreciate any information.  Thanks. -- jim

[By the way, a a fellow at the local kayak and canoe shop was told by a deputy sheriff on river patrol that they estimate that seventy percent of people behind the wheels of power boats are legally intoxicated.]

***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
***************************************************************************