Turning a kayak

Every almost pro (sea)kayaker knows how to efficiently turn their kayak using paddlestrokes. But what if they were put into a tandem kayak, or if they were less than 4 years old? Would they still be able to turn?

My "toddler" daughter found a new and fun skill in her. Since a couple of weeks back I felt frustration. She just would not turn the kayak or go backwards. Now - all of a sudden she went as fast backwards as she did forwards. That felt like a milestone and made me glad. On top of that she did turn the kayak. Perhaps not in a very controlled manner, and so far in one direction. But still it is a beginning that I am proud of. She also enjoyed wigging the kayak, a beginning to edgeing. What really gives her pelasure is to paddle over to the sandbeach and play with other kids in the water. Kayak handling becomes part of a childs summer play on the beach.

Ever seen a tandem kayak really turn? Another beginner couple came for a trial paddle. They were looking for an activity were leg handicap would not be in the way. The preferred choice was to use a very stable tandem. Safely on water the typical problems of coordination of two paddlers in place of one appeared. Using some sets of excersises the kayak started to move in a fairly straight line. Because of the handicap of the paddler in the cockpit in the back, operating the rudder pedals his feet was not an option. I decided to teach them the Stern-Rudder and the Bow-Rudder, and then to do them in sync so that when Bow-Rudder is used in the front right side, the Stern-Rudder is used in the back on the same side. Once the paddlers found the first feeling of that syncronised stroke the kayak turned more sharply than I've seen no tandem kayak turn before. It looked like a dram and it must have felt like a dream in comparison to the first 30 minutes. This couple got hooked on doing the turns. And when leaving for home that one teaching was on the top of their mind.

I was glad to be able to help and teach them an impressive tandem turning stroke.