[Paddlewise] The other bow rudder (was: "Strokes")

Warning very long!
This is the draft of an article I did for Sea Kayaker back in 1993 about bow
rudder strokes. Note: I didn't write the last part of it, rather I my body
was temporarily taken over by Martian invaders who forced my fingers to do
their bidding while I sat horrified and transfixed in front of the keyboard
while it happened. Honest!

The Bow Rudder Strokes

BOW RUDDER strokes are handy especially when maneuvering in tight places,
however they are rarely used by sea kayakers. Maybe together we can get
these valuable tools off the sea kayakers endangered strokes list. For those
of you who have never heard of them, a BOW RUDDER is a stroke where the
paddle blade acts like a rudder up forward near your knees or feet. Let's
divide them into two main categories: 1) the CROSS BOW RUDDER where the
blade normally on the other side of the kayak crosses over the deck to
become the working blade and 2) the BOW RUDDER (or DUFFEK) where the blade
in the water is the one that is normally on that side of the kayak.

BOW RUDDER or DUFFEK
The BOW RUDDER (or DUFFEK, as it is often called in whitewater
circles--after the Czech slalom racer, Milo Duffek, who introduced it to
racing), is a stroke often used by whitewater kayakers, especially,
whitewater slalom racers. Here is how it is done. While moving ahead, reach
forward like starting a forward stroke. Position the upper forearm level and
at about forehead height with the wrist just above and in front of the
forehead. Viewed directly from the front the paddle should be nearly
vertical. Tuck the lower elbow towards the midline (in front of your belly)
as far as you can. Your lower forearm angles out to the side at an angle of
about 30 degrees to straight ahead. Bend both wrists back so the paddle
blade enters the water slicing forward while "ruddering" the leading edge of
the blade slightly more out to the side than the trailing edge. The power
face of the working blade faces the kayak (see photo #1--The whitewater
Duffek--note: the model is using a left feathered paddle so don't be
confused by it, just remember all these strokes and pictures have the power
face of the paddle blade facing the kayak). The kayak turns smartly around
with the paddle acting much like a pole in the water you can hang onto and
swing around. The main reason the BOW RUDDER is more popular in whitewater
than sea kayaking is that river kayaks spin so easily it doesn't take much
time or power to use it effectively, just flick the wrists back and
instantly turn. Whitewater paddlers moving downstream use a forward sweep
stroke to begin turning into an eddy. They then reach forward across the
eddyline with their paddle blade in the bow rudder position . The blade
grabs the water in the eddy and pulls the bow of their kayak further across
the eddyline. The bow is held in place by the eddy and the paddle and the
current swings the kayak's stern downstream. The kayak slides gracefully
into the eddy facing upstream. No other stroke is as effective for catching
a river eddy with a whitewater kayak.
One reason sea kayakers don't use the Duffek stroke is because our kayaks
are so much harder to turn. As a sea kayaker practicing a DUFFEK, however,
you may find another reason, your paddle's drip ring is dripping water onto
your head. Whitewater kayakers don't use drip rings, usually paddle in fresh
water, expect to get wet, and wear helmets. What's a trickle of water on
your helmet when you are already all wet?*   When paddling on salt water
most people don't like getting their head dripped on. I am bald and wear
glasses so salt water drips are especially annoying to me. I still liked
what the BOW RUDDER stroke can do so to lessen the chance of being dribbled
on I modify it slightly when sea kayaking. Reaching my upper hand more
across the centerline, I rest my upper hand and paddle shaft on my shoulder
with my wrist at my chin. The shoulder becomes the pivot point and my lower
hand is still free to move the paddle around for best effect. This is not as
quick to get into and out of as the whitewater DUFFEK. Quickness really
counts in whitewater but, power is more important when turning a sea kayak
because they don't turn nearly as fast. Since my modified DUFFEK fixes the
upper hand in position more solidly it is more powerful for cranking around
a long turn. Most important to me, however, the shoulder pivot BOW RUDDER
hardly ever drips salt water onto my glasses.
Okay, so much for the rational behind it and basic position, here's how to
practice it and some variations and combinations. Start out moving slowly at
first and practice at higher speeds once you get the idea. It usually helps
if you get the turn started with the previous stroke. The DUFFEK is very
good at maintaining and tightening a turn but like all rudders not as
effective at initiating one. After you have done a forward sweep stroke on
the opposite side, get into the BOW RUDDER position (see figure #2--shoulder
pivot Duffek) . Lower the blade into the water about six inches from the
kayak. Make sure it is angled just slightly outward from the kayaks
direction of motion. When the blade is totally immersed bend your wrists
back a little more and feel the blade want to pull away from the kayak. If
you hold the paddle firmly in place with your lower arm, instead of the
blade moving away from the kayak, the bow of your kayak is pulled over as it
follows the paddle blade "ruddering" out to the side. The turn continues as
long as you hold this position and your forward motion is maintained. You
can increase the angle on the "rudder" to tighten the turn as your speed
decreases because there is now less pressure pulling the blade away from
your kayak. The hardest part of this stroke is keeping the blade close to
the kayak where it is most effective as a rudder (your lower hand should be
almost touching your deck until you have slowed down). Leaning forward from
the hips moves the ruddering blade further forward adding more turning
leverage to this stroke.
As your forward motion is coming to a stop you can turn further (as you
might need to in order to land sideways at a float or pier) by turning the
BOW RUDDER into a BOW DRAW stroke. As you slowed and increased your blade
angle you probably also moved your blade further away from the kayak. From
that position (see figure #2) draw the bow over by pulling the power face of
the blade back towards your feet. You can also get into position to use a
BOW DRAW by straightening your wrists back to a neutral position and slicing
your paddle blade to the surface and out to the side a couple of feet (like
at the start of a high brace sweep stroke). Bend the wrists back again (into
the Duffek wrist position) and use the power face of the blade to draw the
bow over by moving the blade forward and pulling it in towards your feet.
Repeat this over and over and you will be doing a SCULLING BOW DRAW stroke
from a DUFFEK position. You could pivot your bow around your stern in a full
circle if you keep this up.

CROSS BOW RUDDER
Another way to bring the bow around, this time without much worry about
dripping salt water into your glasses, is the CROSS BOW RUDDER. However,
since you might totally immerse your glasses (along with your whole body)
while practicing this stroke, I suggest you not wear them or tie them
securely on your head. I have learned from experience that using eyeglass
retainers is a good practice any time I am kayaking.
The CROSS BOW RUDDER is a more powerful bow rudder stroke than the DUFFEK if
also a bit riskier. The relative sizes of the bow wake on the inside of the
turns in the photos clearly illustrate the differences in power. To do a
CROSS BOW RUDDER start by reaching forward and across the front deck with
your paddle blade. Place it in the water about a foot from the kayak with
the paddle shaft angling out from the line of the kayak fifteen to twenty
degrees, power face facing the kayak. As in the DUFFEK, the blade angle will
try to pull the paddle away from the boat. However, you can't twist your
body much more than you already have so something's got to give. Either the
bow of your kayak pulls over to the "bow rudder" side, or it pulls you over
into the water, or it pulls the paddle out of your hand, or you had the
presence of mind to let go of the paddle. Be careful not to get too much
angle on the blade and start by practicing the position first standing still
and then at slower speeds. The CROSS BOW RUDDER can be done with the paddle
shaft at either a low or a high angle to the water. If you tried or imagined
the position described above: was your upper hand down in a low brace
position or up about head high in what is closer to the high brace position?
Both positions work and each has its advantages and disadvantages.
In the LOW CROSS BOW RUDDER both your hands are down near the water. The
rear arm is in a low brace position (see figure #3--Low Cross Bow Rudder)
The low version can be more powerful because the blade can be further
forward. The low version is also the most vulnerable because your shaft
angle rather than a wrist controlled blade angle is what is determining the
angle of your "rudder". Also, if you don't keep your wrists well cocked back
the blade angle tends to pull the blade downward as well as out to the side.
If this has happened when you are traveling fast, you can only slice the
blade upwards and out of the water by also moving it out further away from
the kayak. However, you have already twisted your body about as far as you
can twist so it is not easy to lift the blade out of the water once things
have gone too far. The choices are then: 1) immediately let go of the paddle
with your front hand or 2) your body follows your paddle down into the
water. Maybe it is a lucky coincidence the LOW CROSS BOW RUDDER position is
only a slight change in wrist angle away from the starting position for an
ESKIMO ROLL. To prevent capsizes during practice keep your blade more
vertical and near the surface at first. Once you become adept at this stroke
you can use the downward pull on the blade to balance tilting the kayak to
the outside of the turn. Tilting the kayak will help tighten the turning
radius. More on leaning the kayak to aid turning later.
The HIGH CROSS BOW RUDDER is not quite as powerful as the low version but is
more forgiving, allows more control, is more versatile, and is still a lot
more powerful than the DUFFEK. The paddle is actually in much the same
position as for a DUFFEK but you are using the opposite blade in the water.
With the HIGH CROSS BOW RUDDER (as opposed to the LOW) you can use your
wrists to control the angle of the "rudder", like with a DUFFEK. This time
however, it's your stretched body muscles that block the blade from moving
further away from the kayak rather than just your arm wrestling strength (in
a losing position) as with the DUFFEK.
To do it reach across your deck with the paddle blade that is normally on
the other side of the kayak and put it completely into the water so it is
slicing forward and angled out slightly. This time hold your upper hand
about head high. Your upper arm should be in the high brace position with
your elbow fully cocked and pushing the shaft away from you. (See figure
#4--The High Cross Bow Rudder). Increase the blade angle as you slow down by
bending your wrists down. Before coming to a stop let the blade move out
further from the kayak so that when you have nearly stopped and the "rudder"
is no longer effective, you can continue turning the kayak by pulling the
power face of the blade back towards the hull near your feet. (This is the
CROSS BOW DRAW--a stroke commonly used by canoeists.) You don't have to stop
turning once you've lost your forward momentum and finished your draw,
because you can jump the paddle blade over the deck just as it reaches the
hull and put it back in the water on the other side. Jump the blade over the
deck and you will find yourself doing a FORWARD SWEEP stroke as your torso
continues to unwind. The FORWARD SWEEP will continue the turn and also start
you moving forward again. If you would rather come to a complete stop
(sideways to your partner's kayak or a pier) but also need to continue
turning the kayak, lift the forward blade out of the water as it reaches the
kayak at the end of the CROSS BOW DRAW by lowering your upper hand into the
low brace position. You will find yourself in position to push your stern
further around, while putting on the brakes at the same time, using the back
of the rear blade with a BACK SWEEP stroke. [Note: from the present: when I
was showing this to Nigel Foster several years ago he said it was called the
"Colorado Switch"]
BOW RUDDER strokes work especially well in kayaks with a lot of bow rocker.
They work well in situations where you want to pull up beside a dock or
another kayak that you have been paddling toward. One situation where you
might want to use BOW RUDDER strokes would be to quickly get into position
to aid in the rescue of a paddling partner. BOW RUDDER strokes are
especially effective in a narrow twisting channel since you pull the bow
around the corner rather than swing the stern wide (and possibly into the
opposite bank) to make the turn. Practice using them in conjunction with
tilting the kayak. A kayak turns easier when tilted because tilting pushes
the curved sides near the middle of the kayak deeper into the water lifting
the keel at the ends more out of the water.
Tilting the kayak enhances all turning strokes because a kayak is wider than
it is deep. Tilting in either direction helps by lifting the ends of the
kayak higher as that side of the kayak pushes down into the water. With most
kayaks tilting to the outside of the turn works best because it not only
lifts the ends of the kayak, it places the stern keel (generally the deeper
keel) at an angle that will shed water and skid to the side more easily. The
more you tilt the quicker a kayak will turn. With practice you will find you
can lean the kayak over quite far by adding some bracing component to your
SWEEP strokes for security (e.g., high brace component on a forward sweep).
A skimming low brace on the return provides the security to maintain a
strong lean between strokes.
BOW RUDDER strokes may seem a little strange at first and will definitely
get the attention of your paddling friends. However, they are fun to learn
and can add considerably to your control of your kayak in calm conditions,
especially at low speeds and in tight places. They blend so nicely into some
of the other turning and bracing strokes that using them can make paddling
seem more like a dance.

*[Note: whitewater paddlers are also more likely to be skilled using the
paddle both because they have more immediate need for the skills and because
they are not crippled by rudderitis. Rudderitis appears to be caused by an
infective agent that in combination with salt water causes a hard angular
mutation that flops around on the back end of a kayak. Even more strangely
the growth on the kayak ends up crippling that particular kayak's paddler.
The paddler's arms become useless for anything but simple repetitive motions
leaving only their legs to control the infected kayak. Although legs are
inadequate tools for the job most brave victims do the best they can with
what they have left. As ugly as it is the growth on the kayak is, it appears
to be only one symptom of the underlying disease.
No kayak has been observed to contract rudderitis directly from another
kayak. An intermediate host paddler seems to be necessary to transmit the
infection. The two confirmed routes of rudderitis infection are from mouth
to ear or from the fingers (most often through the medium of a keyboard and
infected paper) of an already infected individual to the eyes of the next
victim. Curiously no physical contact is needed to transmit the infection.
The initial locus of infection appears to be in the brain of the victim.
Next the victims kayak sprouts the growth and then though some little
understood mechanism the growth on the kayak cripples the victims body
especially the arms. The main theory is that this happens through some
mechanism akin to the "training wheel effect" commonly seen in children (of
overprotective parents) trying to learn to ride a bicycle. The former editor
of Sea Kayaker magazine was an early sufferer and is reputed to have been
responsible for infecting many thousands of victims who came into casual
contact with the clones of his word secretions.
Amputation of the growth or replacement of the whole kayak by an uninfected
one are the only known cures. This often must be followed by a period of
rehabilitative therapy to reverse old habits, such as twitching and tensing
of the legs when a turn is contemplated. Halfway measures like keeping the
growth from getting wet (only possible when it is calm) have been shown to
have only a placebo effect, even though some victims believe they are being
cured. Formerly healthy paddlers who thought they could just use the growth
(only when they really needed it) have fallen victim and been crippled by
the creaking addiction. However, casual users never become as seriously
crippled as those never vaccinated. Vaccination involves dipping ones paddle
in the water many times before one becomes infected. The more times the
victim has been vaccinated the milder the symptoms of infection. It is rare
for a well vaccinated paddler to ever become infected. Death rarely occurs
but some victims have been heard to audibly snap and then travel around and
around in circles. It is believed the infection originally came from much
larger craft where the infecting organism's mutations may have evolved
symbiotically as the craft themselves evolved into larger and more unwieldy
monsters. There is only one way to protect yourself and your kayak from this
menace, when that seductive kayak purveyor tells you how great it will be
once you are infected, take Nancy's advice and JUST SAY NO!]


Matt Broze
http://www.marinerkayaks.com


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