A few weeks ago our dog Charly insisted that I take him on one last ski out on the Bay.  In case you think I’m a blithering idiot, you should know that on that morning, there was over a metre of clear blue ice out at Red Rock Lighthouse, so ol Tim figured we would be fine heading north in Shawanaga Inlet.  And we were!  The previous night’s snowfall had bonded down with the morning sun, and we were treated to a morning of perfect kick for skate-skiing on sparkling ice – flat and endless to the horizon.  Far out in the inlet, we discovered the track of an otter who had decided to kick and slide a distance of several kilometres right across the inlet.  Why would someone do that, but on a sun-filled, fresh morning, do you really need a reason?  If there is a church for wayward souls, this was it.  

We explored the outer islands and I shared my lunch with Charly on the porch of a Bay cabin in a t-shirt .  Charly took the opportunity to check out every nook and cranny of rock and snow chasing late-winter oak leaves as they skittered across the ice .  A few hours later, we’re heading home tired, happy and glad that there are wild places to explore out our backyard.

  

Life on the Edge

There is a world of difference between paddling from A to B with a neutral hull vs one that is taken up onto its edge.  The former is safe, more predictable and commonplace while the latter is for outliers and that’s where the fun is.

When you consciously put your boat on edge, you are introducing new possibilities to the water.  Instead of a long wetted surface, now those bored water molecules can interact with a shortened, curved and multi-dimensional surface.  All of a sudden the monotony of a hot afternoon gets all jazzed and crazy and you’re along for the ride.

Paddling on edge takes concentration and effort.  You want to focus on applying weight onto one cheek of your bummy-wummy down into the seat, while consciously letting the weight lift up and off the other one.  There is a corresponding pressure upwards in your alternate knee and thigh but that’s just a happy consequence.  Don’t focus on pushing up with the opposite knee because you’ll cause your lower unit to seize up and folks, do you really want a seized up lower unit – really?   You’re better off controlled and relaxed and that comes from the cheap trick – oops, I meant “cheek” trick.

The follow through is in the legs and feet.  Experiment with relaxing your ankle and relaxing your leg on the edged side.  Let it lie in the belly the hull along the seam.  If you are feeling rambunctious, , you can even take your foot right off, fully extending your leg and again letting it lie low on the seam.  That gives you more weight to the side of the hull, offering a more solid paddling stance with quite a noticeable change in turning ability.

Once you got that figured out, you have to address your upper body and best for that is remaining overtop the midline of the kayak looking end to end.  If you start leaning out – then it’s Good Night Irene, unless you have a decent brace. We want the centre of your weight to remain inboard.  As you get cockier and edgier, you can start to lean out onto your paddle, but that’s another trick. 

So why am I doing this Tim?  Well, it’s all about exploring the edges, and you’ll discover some interesting things about how your boat behaves under various degrees of tilt.  It takes  your garden variety afternoon paddle and turns it into a challenge with a darn good workout for your lower core.  By switching back and forth – throwing in some short power sweeps, maybe a diagonal draw or a cross bow rudder and you are now messing around.  And messing around in boats is so much more fun than just plodding ahead as if you’re on a treadmill.  You won’t go as fast, but you’ll have a ton of fun.  Give it a go, take chances and let your kayak take you for a ride on the wild side.

Tim Dyer