kayak – The Curious Canuck

September 18, 2010

Eskimo Roll – Fail

Today, I went kayaking again. After the roll I had last weekend, I thought I should learn how to do an Eskimo roll so that I don’t have to get out of the kayak if I were to roll over.

So I pulled up every video I could find on the internet. However, I found it very confusing. I tried to mime the motions while watching the video, but I just couldn’t quite figure out the motion in three dimensions (and while the perspective rotates with the kayak).

After an hour of watching videos and practicing in my basement, I loaded up my kayak drove over to the Rideau River and went for a paddle. This time, I also brought my GoPro Motorsports Hero HD camera, formerly used for our Team00 in-car racing footage. It came with a suction cup that allowed me to mount it on the front of the kayak, pointing back at myself. I wanted to see what kind of footage I could get and also to record the roll I would attempt later.

I wanted to try the roll at the end of the tour, as the water was cold and I didn’t want to get wet and cold in the strong wind – that is a recipe for hypothermia. I paddled downstream for a little while, then returned back upstream to the dock where I departed.

It was windy and the water was cold. I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to try this. I also didn’t want to freak out any bystanders, so I waited until there was no one standing on the dock.

After about 30 minutes of thinking about it and working up the courage, I gave it a try.

My first (and only) attempt was a complete failure. I rolled the kayak then, while upside down, I leaned forward, and quickly rotated myself and the paddle to try to flip the kayak back upright. This didn’t work so I exited the kayak instead of trying again. My day was done.

Kayak-Eskimo roll from Richard Muise on Vimeo.

The water wasn’t as cold as I thought it would be, but I immediately got out of the water and brought the kayak and all my gear back to the car to dry off and get warm.

I will have to take a more advanced kayak course to see how to do this, because I cannot figure it out by myself.

July 21, 2009

Two Small Steps for Me

I am so proud of myself this evening. I did two things for the first time.

The first is that I finally took my Clearwater kayak out for the first time. I found that, despite my optimism, it was too far to carry my kayak from the house to the river. By Google Maps, it’s 1.1km. So I went back to Ottawa Paddleshack and bought some foam and a tie-down. It’s not very strong, but I only have to drive that short distance, going about 30kmph. It does not need to be able to hold the kayak on my BMW at highway speeds.

So I get to the launch point, carry my kayak and equipment down, put it in the water and carefully get in. No major problems, and off I went. I paddled up stream a little bit, then a distance downstream before heading back. I crossed the river twice. There were lots of boats out with skiers and wake-boarders. I had to ride the waves they were generating.

After an hour, I came back to shore, packed everything up and came home.

I was so excited about this, that I decided I needed to have a picture to remember this evening. So, for the first time ever, I took a self-portrait. It turned out pretty good. I used a tripod to hold the camera, set the camera to a 10-second delay, and set myself in-front of the bedroom window. I set the external flash to balance the light and bounced it off the ceiling, and the result is above. I’m so happy with how well it turned out.

June 21, 2009

Paddle Shack Kayak School

I took the Paddle Shack Flatwater Kayak school yesterday, which was great. It was up at Meech Lake.

There were only 10 students, and two instructors (Pam and Jeff), so there was lots of time for personalized instruction. We started off with familarization on land, such as equipment and parts of a kayak.

Next, we moved out onto the water for the morning exercises (wet exits). This involves deliberately rolling the kayak, and then escaping. I volunteered to try it first; I found the water was very nice, and once I had done one exit, I decided to swim around a bit, enjoying the water. I haven’t been swimming in so very long.

After lunch, we started working on the strokes. Although it wasn’t taught, I really liked performing the power stroke; with a nearly vertical paddle cutting deep into the water, I felt like an Olympian! Most of the strokes were intuitive at the basic level, although the nuance to make the stroke correctly requires much practice.

At the end of the day, some of the students took a tour of the lake, going up around a small island about 1.5 km up the lake. The tour took less than 45 minutes, but could have been about 3 km or more.

I thought my arms and back would be very sore today, but actually it’s not so bad. A little stiff, but not sore.

May 25, 2009

I Won a Kayak

I worked in the start/finish control for the Lanark Highlands Forest Rally 2 weeks ago. I was not able to stay for the banquet, as I had previous commitments with Rosa. But I left my name in a draw for door prizes.

The next day the organizers called me and said that I had won a kayak from Clearwater Design.

It was very welcome news. I often thought about getting a kayak, but did not think I would be able to afford one because of all my other hobbies.

About 7 or 8 years ago, I was at a team-building event in a quarry in Quebec. The highlight of the day for me was being able to paddle around an artifical lake in a kayak. It felt so right, being so close to the water. It was so peaceful. All I needed was loons and moonlight.

Now I have that opportunity. White-water kayaking does not interest me – racing is more than enough adrenalin for me. I need time to chill out, time to think, time to meditate.

It could also be good exercise. I hate going to the gym because it seems so pointless. I go for my long-term health. I think of all the other things I could be doing during that time.

Later this week, I’ll go to Le Baron Outdoor Products to get the rest of the equipment (life preserver, paddles, etc) I need. I also need some way to haul it around. I live only 7 minutes walk from the Rideau River, so I can start using the kayak there. Perhaps I can also bring it to work and go to the Ottawa River in the evenings. I also noticed that there is a storm-water facility just behind the house, which also looks very peaceful. I’m not sure if I could get in trouble using it, as it is City of Ottawa property.