Over the last two weekends I was coaching at the Door County Sea Kayak Symposium (DCSKS) in Rowleys Bay, Wisconsin and the Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium (GLSKS) in Grand Marais, Michigan.
When we were paddling out from the beach for a class at DCSKS I did a little maneuver with linked strokes that I guess I often do to turn, especially when I am paddling close along cliffs and/or rock gardening. One of the students made a comment how it was a cool maneuver (thanks, Mike) and he wanted to emulate it.
Basically it works like this. I have some speed and start with a stern rudder (pry) and then slice the blade forward with a neutral angle into a bow rudder position to continue with a stronger/faster turn.
Mike's interest in the maneuver got me thinking more about it. When I teach the bow rudder, I emphasize how you need to initiate the turn with a sweep stroke on the opposite side. It occurred to me later that what I was doing was initiating the turn by using a stern rudder on the same side instead. If you don't initiate the turn in some manner the bow rudder isn't nearly as effective.
By initiating the bow rudder with a stern rudder I don't need the same amount of space as I would need if I used a forward sweep stroke to initiate the turn and this makes the bow rudder stroke pretty effective and keeps the paddle close to the kayak.
Then at GLSKS during our rock gardening class I present this and some other linked strokes that I have naturally developed and use quite a bit in tight places. With my better understanding of the stroke, I was able to present it as a useful stroke to the students. I saw the other instructor as well as the students try out this combination in some tight locations with good results.
Something to try when you are out playing around in your kayak.
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