Now that I'm an older, less fit, and better padded paddler, I think that I'm starting to understand the Art of the Craft.

One of my early coaches (Patterson Lakes CC) used to simply tell me that it was all about time in the boat. I then spent the winter doing hours & hours of just hanging on to the senior paddlers just trying to keep up. This did a couple of things. Firstly, it tuned my senses for staying on a wash. Secondly, it taught me to watch them with a new eye. You needed to be able to observe the subtle points of how they paddled; making sure that everything went into making the boat run forwards & never be slowed down.

One of the key points to training like this was the boat that it was performed in. It was a basic K1; I can't recall what model. It would tip you out if you did something silly (Patteson Lakes & Winter = COLD), howewever it would run fast if you let it. The boat was 'responsive', so when you did things right you would see it & feel it straight away.

The reason for raising this topic that many paddlers never advance past their introductory 'short plastic' boat. The majority of the shorter plastic boats are far from 'responsive' boats, and while this is fine for the Avon, in terms of learning the true 'Art of Paddling'; you really need to get in a responsive boat.

The process of learning how to paddle a responsive boat may be a little like learning golf. You will blunder your way up and down a river for hours, wondering if the advice you got was worth it. Then you'll have a moment when your boat 'runs' effortlessly without any special reason. You then spend many more hours trying to recreate that boat run.

For me, the moment of realisation for me was after finally achieving true boat run in a K2. This came after a winter paddling with a young pup (Son of Grandpa), and we were flying. Let me assure you; it was brilliant. The effort & discipline that went into making that boat fly was worth it. I can only imagine what an elite K4 would be like!

So, put it in your diary; spend 100 hours in a K1 on some old buggers wash.

Before I finish; a quick quote from Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach.
“The trick Fletcher is that we are trying to overcome our limitations in order, patiently, We don’t tackle flying through rock until a little later in the program.”

Cheers, WP.

[Photo Credit: Esben Kjeldsen]