Sea Kayak Launching and Landing
By Nigel Foster
This article first appeared in Canoe & Kayak Magazine June 2006
It's embarrassing, but I fall in the water more often launching or landing, with everyone watching, than when I'm farther from shore. You too? These tips may help minimize your shoreline antics.
Save wear and tear on your paddle when launching by first straddling your kayak and then simply dropping your butt into the cockpit.
Choice of shore
Make it easy on yourself by choosing the best place you can to launch. Look for a spot where the waves seem smallest; find a gentle slope rather than a steep drop-off, with sand rather than rocks. Alternatively, look for a place where you can get into your kayak directly from a dock or a rock.
Float your kayak in shallow water Floating your kayak before getting in will help save the hull from damage. Stand astride, hold the deck with both hands behind you at the back of the cockpit to center yourself and to stop the kayak from floating away, and then lower yourself carefully into your seat. Bring your feet into the kayak last. You may need to do this one leg at a time.
Watch the waves Always keep an eye on what the water is doing while you get in. If you point your kayak directly into the oncoming waves, and if you wait a few moments for the calmest time between groups of waves, you'll make it easier for yourself.
From a dock or rock
Float your kayak beside a low dock or a large secure rock. Crouch or sit beside the kayak on the dock or rock facing the bow and place one foot in the cockpit in front of the seat. Hold the back of the cockpit at the midpoint with one hand and squeeze the kayak tight against the dock using that hand and foot. Now move your second foot into the kayak in front of or beside the other. Push down on the dock with your other hand to lift your butt from the dock across to your seat. For best balance, position your weight above your seat before you sit. To keep your kayak tight against the dock, edge your kayak slightly away from the dock and pull with the hand that is holding the dock so your hip lifts toward your hand.
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