On Sat, Aug 8, 2009 at 12:34 AM, rebyl_kayak < rebyl_kayak_at_energysustained.com> wrote: > Question is are there some > rules of thumb that can be used to predeict which side of the river an eddy > is > likely to be running counter to the tide? Would it always be the shallow > side, > or up stream or down stream of the concave or convex side of a bend ? Are > their other parameters to consider? A great question and a complicated one for an estuarial river where the current can flow each way. Dave Kruger and others who paddle the big tidal rivers on a regular basis probably will have more valuable input than I have but I'm willing to get the ball rolling. First of all, I think I'd try a "pre-race" run in conditions that duplicate the tidal range as much as possible. Scope out the places where you discover the major eddies and figure out how you want to deal with them beforehand. In general I would hug the bank on the flood and seek the mid-channel on the ebb. And when I say "hug the bank" I mean so close that you have to worry about your paddle hitting the bank. The greater the current against you the closer you want to be. On the ebb I think I would gravitate to the outside of bends. On the flood I would work the inside of the bends but always aware that greater current is found at the cusp of a sharp bend. You might find it faster to move out early and cross the river to avoid a very sharp bend. Avoid shallow areas on the ebb and seek them out on the flood. Avoid obstructions on the ebb and seek them out on the flood. Large eddies can form behind the root balls of fallen trees, rocks, sand bars, etc. so on the flood you can paddle up "behind" them and get some relief from the current. Paddle faster in adverse currents and husband your energy in advantageous currents. The theory behind this is that when the current is against you then you want move to get out of it as quickly as possible and back into a favorable current stream. I think I would take a GPS with me and keep it set to show speed in small increments (something digitally rather than a "speedometer") and watch it like a hawk. The nice thing about GPS is that it shows speed over the ground so any variations in current will show up as long as you have a consistent paddling style. One of the reasons racing coaches prefer paddlewheel speed sensors over a GPS is that the GPS doesn't show how well an oarsman is pulling because there is some lag. The GPS has to integrate forward movement over time to come up with a speed... a paddlewheel simply counts revolutions. The GPS offers an advantage for downstream racing since you really don't want to see a lot of variation in speed caused by paddling but, rather, by currents. Glider pilots are always aware of which wing is rising when seeking out thermals. The theory behind this is that a thermal to one's right will cause the starboard wing to rise (and vice-versa) so you would always turn into the rising wing to find the center of a thermal. You might find it appropriate to adopt much the same tactic in current and watch how your bow swings along with GPS speed. So if your bow suddenly swings watch the GPS to determine if you're moving into a favorable current or an adverse current and take appropriate action. So there are my thoughts on this. I expect this thread to be an interesting one. Craig Jungers Moses Lake, WA www.nwkayaking.net *************************************************************************** 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 Sat Aug 08 2009 - 07:49:03 PDT
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