Connecticut Water Trails Association
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Connecticut Water Trails Association |
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Connecticut Water Trails Program Canoeing and Kayaking
Getting Started With Your Canoe or Kayak
There
certainly is a lot to the sports known collectively as paddling. The
sheer volume of boat and gear options is more than enough to confuse the
uninitiated. This website will give you a taste of the different flavors
of paddling in an effort to make your breaking in period just a little
bit easier.
The best way of
starting to paddle is by
contacting your local
paddling club. There are several in
Connecticut
A club will
provide you with the help and advice you need to get going, many
paddling clubs run training courses for
everybody from beginners to experts. They will advise you how to paddle,
where to paddle, what to paddle, and most importantly of all, provide
friends for you to paddle with.
Once
you've mastered the basics, which won't take too long, you can then
quickly progress to paddling on lakes, rivers and maybe the sea.
Choosing Between Canoe Or
Kayak There are many reasons for choosing a canoe or a kayak. There are also major differences between them. People identify strongly with one type of boat or the other and the position is often taken as a point of honor.
Canoes
There are many reasons for choosing a canoe or a kayak. There are also major differences between them. People identify strongly with one type of boat or the other and the position is often taken as a point of honor.
Canoes were originally used in areas where wood was
readily available and they took on many forms. Although the Canadian
canoe is the one most people think of when the term is used, there are
many other forms used around the world. The light, "portageable" birch
bark canoe was used across the North where lakes and rivers are
separated by carries. Large sea-going canoes were used on the Northwest
Coast and in Polynesia. Dugout canoes were common in our South and South
America for river travel. Because of the wide variation in styles it is
hard to make a definitive statement about the qualities of the canoe
that are distinct from other craft. They are paddled standing, kneeling,
and sitting, solo, tandem, or with large crews. They were paddled on
inland waters and the open sea. Some sea-going canoes were outfitted
with outriggers to improve their seaworthiness on ocean trips.
Kayaks
Kayaks, on the other hand, was primarily a product
of the cold northern seas where wood was scarce and animal skins were
stretched over a wooden frame to form a waterproof shell. Kayaks were
paddled kneeling or sitting, solo or tandem. Kayaks were not as
widespread as the canoe and its variations. The kayak was worn as much
as paddled and the enclosed nature of the boat kept cold freezing waters
away from the paddler.
Canoes vs. Kayaks
The canoe is paddled with a single paddle and the
kayak with a double bladed variation. The choice of paddle is what
distinguishes one boat form from the other. It is more difficult to
control a kayak with the single blade of the canoe paddle than with the
double blade. A kayak paddle is relatively easy to figure out how to
use. The growing popularity of kayaking is no doubt related to their
ease of use. Kayaks are the most seaworthy of small craft, being capable
of entering rapids and large sea waves with equal ease.
If this is so, why would someone want to canoe? The
canoe is easier to carry, easier to load and unload with gear, and
easier to enter and exit. The canoe is more open and allows the paddler
to move around.
Finally, there is a difference between paddling each
of the boats. You sit lower in the kayak and this makes some people feel
closer and better connected to the water. Many canoeists prefer the
better view offered by a higher position and the control offered by legs
closer to the vertical stance we are most accustomed to.
In the end, it is undeniable that the best paddlers do both and that skill from one discipline can make you an even better paddler in the other.
More Information On Canoeing and Kayaking
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