Re: [Paddlewise] Deploying a spare Paddle

SNIP
>A Storm paddle is a shortened version of of the Greenland 'stick',
>approximately 6 foot (1.82+ m), carved from wood with a generally
>slightly wider blade, palm width loom, or a direct taper with no
>apparent loon.  It is paddled with a sliding stroke to get extension,
>but I would let someone like Greg Stamer describe this
SNIP

Okay, Gabriel, twist my arm! ;^) Some of the responses to this thread have
already posted links describing the sliding stroke, so I'll pass on the
basic technique, unless anyone has questions, and just post some
interesting trivia.

As Gabriel describes, the sliding stroke makes a Greenland storm paddle
"self-feathering" in use, in that there is no outboard blade to capture the
wind. Maligiaq Padilla gives a good overview of the Greenland-method of
using these paddles in John Heath's "Rolling with Maligiaq" video. They are
often held very high, with the top edge of the blade tilted forward, and
this tilt increases as the stroke progresses. You do not cup your hand over
the end of the blade. There is enough going on with the sliding motion that
I would recommend mastering this first, before exploring the "canted blade"
technique. In use, it is common to tuck your torso strongly forward to
dodge some of the wind. I am most familiar with the storm paddles from the
Sisimiut area. There the paddles have a strong shoulder (abrupt transition
from shaft to the blades), the paddle is one armspan long, and the shaft is
three hand-width's wide.

I have never broken a paddle in use, but I will often switch to the short
storm paddle when navigating narrow mangrove creeks with a very low canopy.
If you have ever been stymied by having a regular paddle strike extremely
low branches you will appreciate this feature. 

To use your spare for a change of pace or as described above, you will not
only need a quick way of retrieving it but also a way of re-stowing it
without help. Fortunately, the Inuit solved this problem long ago. Bore a
hole through several wood, plastic or bone beads or cylinders, and slide
these onto your deck lines. This will allow you to slide a paddle under the
deck lines at sea and also has the benefit of preventing the lines from
freezing to the deck, and permits you to grab and lift the lines while
wearing mittens. A short, loose deck line near the bow (and stern) will
keep the far paddle tip under control and allow you to secure the blade
closest to your body under deck lines in front (or behind) the cockpit.

As a historical note, Greenland paddlers did not generally have access to
both a "storm" and a regular "cruising" paddle. They used one or the other
depending on the local conditions and traditions. Many folks have the idea
that they looked outside and saw nasty weather and figured "I'd better use
the storm paddle today" (although some areas did have dedicated deep-vee
storm kayaks). Of course, this does not mean that we cannot enjoy the
advantages of more than one paddle design. 

Greg Stamer
Orlando, Florida

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