>> In the situation Mike describes is it the result of adding the vectors of i) boat velocity due to the wind plus ii) boat velocity due to the water current plus iii) boat velocity due to the direction being paddled? >> In a word, yes. All kayaks have some leeway in wind, which is the nautical way of saying that they get blown downwind. Neglecting current, which is easier to do where I paddle on Lake Superior than on the ocean, if you make a crossing between islands in a beam wind and keep your bow pointed toward your destination, as many novice kayakers do, your true course can be 10 or 15 degrees or more downwind of your intended course, at least at the beginning of the crossing. The actual course is curved, because as you get closer and closer, you have to turn your kayak more and more upwind to keep it pointed toward your destination. If you have a GPS unit turned on during such a crossing, you can actually see the curve in the track plot. Another way to check for drift is to keep an eye on the compass bearing to your destination. If it continually changes in an upwind direction, you know you are drifting downwind. To make a shorter, straighter crossing, aim upwind. Find the compass bearing to your destination, and then aim your kayak several degrees upwind of that. As a rule of thumb, I add about one to one and a half degrees for each knot the wind is blowing, but the actual angle depends on the susceptibility of your kayak to the wind and the direction the wind is blowing relative to your course. You have to keep an eye on your compass to maintain the correct heading, but if you hit it just right, your course over ground will be a straight line. Even if you are off by a few degrees, your course will still be straighter than if you don't compensate. In practice, I start with a heading based on my rule of thumb, maintain it using my deck compass, and use the "Go to" feature on my GPS unit to keep track of the bearing to my destination. If I see the destination bearing on the GPS start to change, I then aim higher or lower as needed to maintain it. As Mike implied, weathercocking turns a kayak in the same direction needed to compensate for drift. Your kayak's natural weathercocking angle might not be exactly the angle you need, but at least it is in the right direction, so forget about *completely* neutralizing it, and learn to use it to your advantage. Chuck Holst *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Mon Dec 02 2002 - 12:21:04 PST
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