Canoe a Gentle River

A downstream V marks a clear channel. When the water forms a V with the point downstream, it marks a channel that is almost always open and clear. With time you will learn to recognize even the subtlest downstream V.

Keep the canoe straight with the current. How? Draws and pries. If you practice spinning your canoe on flat water, you know how to change your alignment in a hurry, and using that skill is how you stay straight with current. If the bow of your canoe is following the flow, then all you have to do is keep the stern behind the bow, and you're fine. What does that mean? It means the bow partner may lead this dance, and the stern follows the bow's lead. This is a change of perspective from lake paddling, but necessary to ride your canoe down moving water through a gentle rapid.

Staying away from the outside of trashy bends is another good thing. Rocks may become our friends, but downed trees, stumps, and other debris never are. Water may flow through them, but we can't. As a river turns a corner, current tends to wash away the outside of a bend, and if there are trees, they will eventually fall into the river. Take a river curve keeping your canoe toward the inside of a bend and you stay away from real danger.

Don't go where you can't see. If you cannot see around a corner, stop on the inside of the bend and look downstream. Don't ever put yourself in a situation where you have no out if there is a problem ahead (sweeper, logjam, waterfall).

River paddling can be a great partnership. Very true, but you gotta agree with your buddy on just what you plan to do. Tandem river canoes are often referred to as "divorce boats," but when partners understand each other, maneuvering a canoe down a complicated piece of river with ease and grace is a satisfying and intimate experience. What's the secret? It helps if you look at the project as a team, not a boss and slave. The stern paddler sets the overall course on the dance floor, and the bow person leads the way. Teamwork wins. Rivers become fun. Good paddling!

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