[Paddlewise] Speed & Safety ; Surf & Good Vibrations?

G'day,

Speed & Safety:-

There's a local debate going on about the problems fast and slow paddlers 
have with each other. Its not a problem that affects me as the group I 
paddle with stay at an average speed of 2 to 3 knots (unless we're late 
getting home for the bar to open, when it does get a bit frenetic). But I'm 
curious about aspects of fast and slow paddling: -

Are there circumstances where paddling fast for long distances significantly 
enhances safety?

Can fast paddlers damage themselves paddling below their pace?

Could more slightly built paddlers have the advantage due to higher muscle 
to load ratio, if they were in proportionately lighter craft, assuming the 
same linear dimensions?

Where I'm getting to is the possibility of load sharing as an
efficient means of travelling for a group of mixed speeding ability.

Now a different topic, Surf:-

Had the pleasure of experiencing surf entries and exits for the first time 
last weekend at Bondi beach. Waves were about 3 or 4 feet and I was paddling 
a 63lb Klepper filled (accidentally) with several gallons of water. On the 
two or three occasions when I actually managed to stay upright during a high 
brace broached into a wave, the paddle seemed to be vibrating at something 
like several tens of cycles per second. Is this symptomatic of poor bracing 
or just a heavy load?

By the way I had an instructor with me and although I don't mind surf at all 
(yet), it sure saved a lot of time! Might even have saved me some expensive 
repair bills.

All the best, PeterO



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