Someone wrote: > Just got around to reading "A Series of Capsizes" by Rob Gibbert in the > August 2008 issue of Sea Kayaker . Nicely written article and very thorough. > I noticed several times that the capsizee was having troubles with > weathercocking, but there was no explanation of the cause. I am very > curious what the possible cause and cure could be. I haven't had the opportunity to read Rob's article, hope to find a copy soon! But the problem with weathercocking, and leecocking, has been with us for as long as we've had our kayak! We had problems with that using our Klepper Ae II, with me sitting in the rear seat and my lighter wife sitting up front. The boat wanted to turn downwind, and only vigorous paddling could do anything about it! Had forgotten all about it till we paddled a PakCanoe 170 together with Alv and Ralph some time back - very light load, and we drifted all over the place - like we we're a hovercraft, or something! We're now so used to having the one, and only, leeboard down, and the mizzen in the rear, that we've forgotten how a light flatbottomed canoe/kayak behaves. I goes like on rails, and turns on a dime, without any fancy paddling strokes! If you load your boat so that it will naturally turn downwind, if you let it, it is very simple to make it do the reverse: Just add a small mizzen! Sheet it in to go upwind, let the sheet go till the sail points sideways, to go downwind - and you'll get a hefty assistance from the wind, too! Naturally, you can do the reverse: Pack the canoe/kayak so that it naturally turns upwind, and deploy a small sail forward (and your rudder and/or skeg, if you have any)! The problem is that if your experience is restricted overall, and when your kayak/canoe's behavior in heavy seas/heavy wind is unknown to you it is hard to pack your boat so that it naturally turns upwind. Making it turn downwind is usually much easier - just pack more heavy items behind your bum that in front of it! Maybe it is time to introduce a forward skeg? Tord -- Be Yourself _at_ mail.com! Choose From 200+ Email Addresses Get a Free Account at www.mail.com *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
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