Re: [Paddlewise] bracing and power

> Paul wrote:
> My own experience is that dynamic stability (from boat speed) helps to
> overcome sea-state (clapotis & chop) - but is less useful in conditions of
> cresting side-waves & surf, and much less useful in wind gusts and willies.
> These situations benefit from a longer paddle (ie: longer than my last
> regularly-used Euro paddle).
> 
> One vivid GP memory is sitting under a tall bluff and waiting out some wind
> 'dumps' that came down and hissed across the otherwise flat water - kicking
> up little whirls of spray. I've always remembered them with my reaction at
> the time 'sh#t - this has to be 50+ knots'. For a few minutes, I was in
> 'brace to survive' mode, low to the deck and GP held low & centrally -
> equally out on either side, as I was struggling to stay head-on to the 
> rock wall and keep whatever shelter I could get.
> 
> The ease of doing a slap-brace on either side with no hand movement - and no
> wrist rotation (un-feathered GP, of course) was certainly something I valued
> in that particular experience - and something I continue to think of as 
> a benefit of the GP.
> 
> Best Regards
> Paul Hayward, Auckland, New Zealand

Dynamic stability is not dependent upon which direction features come 
 from, be it beam, stern or bow. It is what it says it is, stability in 
dynamic environments by actually paddling and utilizing water features, 
not bracing and losing momentum, especially with an overly long lever 
that offers slower cadence and the ability for the water to catch up 
and control you. Use your lower body tension with proper posture and 
the control surfaces of your hull to achieve stability while paddling, 
not dumbing down your speed to get to where you need to be.

I was a safety boater at the Deception Pass Dash, an early winter race 
in Washington's Deception Pass, a few years ago. I was given the 
lousiest assignment possible, be the guy at Deception Island at the 
mouth of the inlet where the wind blows hard and the swell bounced me 
around for an uninterrupted 2.5 hours. Me and my 205 cm paddle. When it 
came time to leave it was a slog to paddle across 30 knots of wind on 
the nose to the shelter of the cliff a mile opposite. It's nice having 
the cadence to actually paddle into the wind, across the current ebbing 
against me and over the waves and boils. A long paddle, relying on 
reactive techniques would truly have sucked. Some of the racers in 
their faster boats got a ride on a powerboat from our position.

Cheers,

Rob G
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