When questioning students or setting guided discovery tasks, sometimes students come back with unexpected answers. One strategy to use here is ‘Utilisation’. Have a look at the video to find out more.
The ability to ‘trim’ a canoe appropriately is a fundamental skill for any canoeist who wishes to paddle efficiently. However, it can sometimes seem to be a bit of a ‘dark art’ as conflicting factors such as wind, direction of travel and flow of water all need to be balanced and trim adjusted accordingly. In this article, we’ll look at basic trim and how to use it.
What is Trim?
‘Trim’ simply refers to how level the boat sits in the water when viewed from the side. An empty boat will often sit level, and it is useful to think of this as a see-saw. If we put a weight into one end of the canoe, that end will sink lower and the other end will go up. If the weight is towards the back of the canoe we have trimmed the canoe ‘stern heavy (or ‘bow light’). If the weight is toward the front of the canoe we have trimmed ‘bow heavy’ (or ‘stern light’).
The weight can be people or kit and equipment. The important thing to remember is that as soon as we put weight into the canoe, we will almost certainly have changed the trim.
Why is Trim Important?
When we paddle, some of the canoe is submerged in the water. The rest of the canoe is exposed to the air. At any time water can either be still (for example when on a small lake) or moving (like on a river), and air can be still (no wind) or moving (windy).
Of the two ends, the end of the canoe which is deeper in the water will be affected more by the water. The end which is higher into the air will be affected more by the air.
Depending on how fast the wind and the water are moving, one or other will usually have a greater influence on the canoe. With appropriate trim, we can make use of this influence to help us steer towards our destination rather than get blown or washed off course.
We need to be careful not to ‘over trim’. Usually, we’ll be able to achieve what we want with one end just a few centimetres (an inch or two) higher than the other end.
Standard Trim
On still water and with no wind, we want the canoe to glide over the water. To do this we can raise one end by just a few of centimetres (an inch or two) and point the high end towards where you want to go. I call this ‘standard trim’, because it is the trim I use 98% of the time. I’ll usually maintain this until either the influence of the wind or the influence of the water makes the canoe turn away from where I want it to go. I then ask myself, “is it the wind or the water which is influencing me most?”
The Influence of Wind
As the wind increases, as long as the boat goes where you want it to go in general terms we can maintain standard trim. At some point, you may find that the canoe starts going off course or is not as easy to control. This is usually because the wind is now the more significant factor and the high end is being blown down wind. When this happens, imagine which way you want the canoe to go. Then, with the canoe pointing in this direction, move the weight in small increments along the canoe towards where the wind is coming from (or towards the middle if the wind is coming from the side). You only need to adjust the trim just enough to counter any negative effects of the wind until the desired effect is achieved.
The Influence of Fast Moving Water
Again, start with standard trim. At some point, you may find that the canoe starts going off course. This is usually because the water is now the more significant factor and the low end is being pushed down stream. If this happens, imagine where you want the canoe to go and when pointing in this direction move the weight in the canoe towards where the water is going. Again, adjust the trim in small increments until the desired effect is achieved.
What about a Combination of Strong Winds and Fast Rivers?
If the wind is strong and the river is fast, they could still be of equal influence so try standard trim. However, if the canoe turns away from where you want it to go you may need to adjust trim. If the strong wind is having the greatest influence, move the weight towards where the wind is coming from. If the fast water is having the greatest influence, move the weight towards where the water is going.
Advanced Trim
As we become more skilful we can make trim adjustments more often –sometimes even changing trim several times within a particular manoeuvre. If our trim is well adjusted, we can use subtle body weight shifts forwards and backwards to ‘micro trim’ our canoes. For example, when we eddy out, we might be bow light as we approach the eddy line, then shift to bow heavy as we cross the eddy line. This will cause the bow to ‘dig in’ to the water in the eddy. The increased resistance will slow the front end down and the back end (now light) will skid sharply as is tries to overtake the bow and we should end up stalled nicely in the eddy.
Paddling Tactics
Trimming the canoe can be thought of as a tactic we can use to make our journey easier. There are other tactics we can use which can help keep the boat pointing where we want it to. We can paddle on the left or the right, we can apply the stroke further forward or further back, we can make the canoe move faster or slower, we can tilt the canoe over more towards one side or the other. We can use different strokes and select different routes.
Often, to make the canoe perform at its best we need to apply a combination these tactics, and the exact combination will depend on the equipment we use, our skill level and the environment we are operating in.
One of the best ways to become skilful is to use as many different combinations in as many different environments as possible. And remember, appropriate trim makes a good starting point which can make any other adjustments even more useful. So if you are ever having trouble controlling your canoe, perhaps one of the first things to think about is trim.
Towlines are one of the most important pieces of kit when leading and coaching on the sea. I use a waist mounted line which gives me the flexibility to pass it on to other group members and keep me ‘out of the system’. As I frequently paddle different kayaks it is a system I can take from boat to boat too.
There are an increasing number of waist mounted sea kayak towlines available now, and the one I use is the Peak UK 15m line. One reason I like it is because of the large size of the bag and the opening, which makes re-packing in rough conditions so much easier. However, as with every line I’ve tried, there are a number of adaptions I make to an off-the-shelf line to make it even better for me.
The new line comes like this straight out of the packaging-
Opening the bag reveals a stainless steel clip, and a float-
Pulling the line out further reveals an extra clip which is used to capture a bight of line to secure a daisy chained section. The idea of this is so the length of the tow can be changed to make it shorter than the full 15m of line held in the bag.
There’s also a short length of bungee on the rope where it’s tied into the bag, to provide some shock absorption. The bag itself also has a number of plastic D-rings on it, both inside the bag-
…and outside-
So now to turn an already well designed towline into an even better piece of kit! One of the first things I do is strip the line down, removing the daisy chain clip, the float and attaching the main clip to the line by stitching and whipping the line-
One reason for this is to make the line as ‘clean’ as possible (ie no knots or snagging hazards). I find that having a large float near the clip, and a bulky knot can prevent the line running under decklines efficiently and gets in the way when setting up some rafted tows and releasing the tow.
The next step is to saw a cut through each of the plastic D-rings-
This means that I now have attachment points to house the clip when not in use. However, when I need quick access to the clip, a sharp tug pulls it through the split D-ring without having to fiddle around and unclip it.
I also have a similar split ring on the front shoulder strap of my buoyancy aid. If I’ve used the towline and think I might need it again quickly, I’ll often coil it into my hand then stuff it down the front of my buoyancy aid with the clip attached to this split D-ring. Again, a sharp tug releases the clip and the line can be quickly deployed.
With the daisy chaining removed, I need to have a way to set up a short tow quickly. To do this, I slide a metal D-ring onto the belt.
This captive ring can be used to set up a tow half the length of the tow rope. To do this, I pass the clip through the decklines of the boat to be towed and clip it onto the metal D-ring.
And that’s it – I now have a clean line that’s easy to manage, quick to deploy, adjustable and ready to go! Make sure you start out with a great towline that’s well made and designed and it doesn’t take long to make the adaptions needed to give even more flexibility in use.
We circumnavigated the island on a 4.7 metre tide (North Shields). This allowed us to cross the causeway with ease, and the shallowest water at this critical point was about 20cm deep.
We unloaded at the harbour and parked our cars in the main island carpark. Launching two hours before high water, we paddled east.
This took us past the castle – a spectacular building on a harsh rocky outcrop.
Turning north the tide was running against us, but we made swift progress through the seals until we reached Emmanuel Head with it’s distinctive white cone.
Now starts, I think the most interesting part of the coast line. There are several miles of secluded beaches and rocky reefs, and there is nearly always swell and surf along this section.
Turning west, we paddled along Goswick Sands. The surf in this area is fantastic – clean and breaking nicely. Eventually, we turned south and picked our way through the surf and headed towards the causeway. It’s important to reach the causeway at high water.
The tide runs at a couple of knots here, and there’s a refuge for car drivers or hikers who get caught out!
All that remains now is to paddle back to the harbour and complete the circumnavigation.
The Isle of May and Bass Rock provide one of the best sea kayak trips the UK. With long open crossings and tidal streams settled conditions may be necessary. With boats packed for an overnight trip we set off from North Berwick.
The Isle of May lies about 12Nm across the Firth of Forth, and we approached it at dusk.
The cliffs on the west of the island are spectacular.
and the approach to the harbour is tucked away on the east side.
We had a short time to explore before settling down for the night.
The next morning, we had mirror sea conditions and set off for Bass Rock.
The bird life is spectacular. Bass Rock is one of the best UK sea kayaking destinations to see Gannets.
Not forgetting the caves and tunnel right through the island!
I was fortunate to share a day sea kayaking with the staff from Adventure Sunderland. I have known Pat for many years, and he was a long term student who I worked with through my BCU Level 5 Sea Kayak qualification. Pat is now working through his UKCC Level 3 Coach award, and he was using this trip to deliver some coaching to his own students, Helen and Keith.
We started with some tidal planning on the beach.
The sun was shining, and we headed for Inner Farne.
And then onto Brownsman..
The famous tide races were running nicely, and created a range of paddling conditions.
After a couple of hours on the water, we were hungry and stopped at Longstone for lunch.
All that remained was for an enjoyable paddle back to Bamburgh. Thanks to Pat, Andy, Matthew, Helen and Keith for a great day out.
I met Chris and Mark at Amble Marina on a bright sunny morning in June. They were ready for two days of sea kayak skills coaching. Chris has been paddling for some time while this was completely new for Mark. After some foundation skills work in the harbour, we headed out through the piers and worked on forward paddling technique as we paddled out and around Coquet Island, about 1Nm offshore.
After lunch, it was time to get wet. We covered bracing and practiced in the small surf break along the beach. And then to self rescues. Starting with some balance games, we were soon clambering all over our boats – forwards, sideways, backwards, spinning around and even standing up!
Careful…..
which quite naturally led to plenty of self rescues….
We finished the day with deep water rescues and even more capsizes before sitting down to plan our second day together.
Day two was a bit breezy, with a forecast of F3/4. However, skills had really come on on day one so we headed to Bamburgh for a trip out to the Inner Farne Islands. We had a 2Nm crossing to Megstone where we rested and watched the seals.
Although it was bright, the wind was up and against the tide, so we had a wet paddle down to Inner Farne, and a spectacular circumnavigation of the island before landing on the rocky shoreline for lunch. When we got back on the water the tide was streaming through, so we practiced breaking in and out, ferry glides and then rough water boat handling.
We worked hard, and developed some great skills!
Then it was time to explore again. It’s the peak time of year for nesting birds, and the variety and numbers were amazing.
And the rocky shore line allowed us to practice our rock hopping close quarter skills too.
Soon it was time to head back. The swell had picked up during the day, which gave us the chance to practice our surf landing technique back at Bamburgh beach. A great couple of days on the water, and it’s fantastic to see skill levels and confidence increase so much.
“I failed!”, “that’s wrong!”, and “that didn’t work!” are all potentially negative ways of perceiving an experience – but they are frequently heard terms when people are learning new canoe and kayak skills.
‘Failure’ can be repackaged as another way to describe learning what not to do. ‘Failing’ and making mistakes provide valuable information.
‘Failure’ is another word for understanding and gaining knowledge about what did not work on this occasion. And by a process of elimination, the more mistakes we make the closer we must be to a solution – so we never really fail until we give up, we just find lots of ways of not doing something yet!
Saturday dawned wet and windy. The forecast was for F4/5 NW winds. After the usual introductions we set off to do a coastal trip from Beadnell to Longhoughton. This would allow us to take full advantage of the following tide and winds.
We made great progress down the coast, and the conditions were ideal for us to practice maneuvering in strong winds! A combination of long, sandy beaches and rocky headlands offered plenty of variety to paddle in the lumpy sea and rock hop along the shoreline.
We finished the trip wet and windswept, and started to plan for the next day over a cup of coffee.
Sunday was different. Sunshine and very light winds offered the opportunity to paddle out to the Farne Islands. The tide races were working nicely, and we picked our way through them to get out along the chain of islands.
Soon it was time for lunch. Longstone Island offers a great lunch stop, so we rested, enjoyed the sunshine and enjoyed our sandwiches. Too soon it was time to leave.
So that left us with a paddle back to Bamburgh Beach, but not before completing our circumnavigation of the islands and taking in ‘The Stacks’. The bird life is spectacular at this time of year, with hundreds of Puffin, Guillemots, Razorbills and Gannets all queuing up to be seen.
After a fantastic day, we landed on the beach, said our farewells and headed home – already thinking about our next outing.
We all know that confident leadership can inspire the rest of the group and help canoeists and kayakers perform at their best – but what can we do to come across as being confident?
We need to be confident in our decisions, and confident in our instructions. We need to have clear aims and objectives, and communicate them effectively to the group. And there’s a simple way for us to achieve this – we can do what great leaders do and eliminate the word “try” from our vocabulary.
When we use the word “try”, we introduce the possibility of failure. We plant seeds of doubt in the minds of our group. And yet “try” is a word I so often hear when assessing leaders for their 4 or 5 star awards.
“We’ll try to get that eddy”, “I’ll try to hit the line”, We’ll try not to capsize” – these are all common phrases, but they don’t inspire confidence in either the leaders or the groups ability.
In fact, “try” does not exist in the real world. We either do something or we don’t – there is no try. Many people think of Winston Churchill when we think of great leadership. For him, trying didn’t exist either. Imagine the effect on the morale of the people if he’d broadcast this speech before our ‘finest hour’-
“we shall try to fight on the beaches,
we shall try to fight on the landing grounds,
we shall try to fight in the fields and in the streets,
we shall try to fight in the hills;
we shall try not to surrender”.
-the effect’s not quite the same is it? It’s almost as if the word ‘try’ gives us permission to fail! So when you’re out paddling, let’s stop trying – let’s just “do”.
