Estimating Distance for Sea Kayak and Open Canoe Paddlers
When sea kayaking or canoeing on large areas of open water, lakes or lochs, distances can be deceptive – and having some helpful indicators of your distance from an object can be really useful. For a quick estimate, you can look at the amount of detail you can see and relate it to these guidelines-
If you can see-
- peoples faces, clothes and deck gear – you are less than 500m away.
- hands, arms and paddle blades – you are less than 750m away.
- people as posts or dots – you are less than 1km away.
- large buoys, tree trunks and branches – you are less than 1.5km away.
- large trees, chimneys and can count windows – you are less than 3km away.
- large houses or towers – you are less than 7.5km away.
Learning how to do this accurately is covered in the BCU star award and personal skills courses. For more information about these contact Kim.
