Re: [Paddlewise] First Overnight; Paddling Advice Please

From: Shawn W. Baker <baker_at_montana.com>
Date: Wed, 16 Jun 1999 09:17:45 -0600
Mattson, Timothy G wrote:
> Well, I wouldn't exactly say white water kayakers avoid eddies.  They are
> places of relative calm where you can rest on the river.   If you need to
> scout a rapid and pick your line, you use an eddy.  When the group spreads
> out too much and you need to regroup, you jump in an eddy.

I said,"kayakers try to avoid eddyLINES unless doing tricks in them". 
Perhaps
I should have said, inexperienced boater that I am, _I_ try to avoid
eddylines, except to cross quickly into the calm of the eddy!  :)
 
>  When learning the sport, you spend many hours circling across
> eddylines --- until the way it feels and how you need to lean the boat
> becomes second nature.

I'll have to try that more!
 
> This, by the way, is one of the benefits to a sea kayaker of learning at
> least the basics of white water paddling.  After you get that gut feeling
> for how to deal with eddies, tide rips and other  powerful current gradients
> in the ocean stop being scary and become just another feature of our
> playground to respect and enjoy.

I can see what you mean.  Having never yet been in a tide rip; are they
a lot "scarier" than big eddies?
                ____©/______ 
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"A person not related to nature is of course neurotic because he is not
adapted to reality"  -Carl Jung
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Received on Wed Jun 16 1999 - 08:20:09 PDT

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