Wetexit

Article: "Even in warm weather, cold water is a kayaking peril"

nospam@example.com (aivasyuk) — Sun, 26 Mar 2006 21:01:07 -0500

More about cold water kayaking dangers from the Baltimore Sun.

First Video

nospam@example.com (aivasyuk) — Mon, 13 Mar 2006 11:27:58 -0500

Here is my first video of last Thursday's MD Chute play session. It's about 7 minutes long and the file is 29MB. It requires the free DivX codec to view. One of these days I'll figure out how to do the streaming video thing, but at this point I'm a video neophyte and it took me quite a long time to get some kind of decent quality output after editing the footage I shot. The problem is that my Pentax Optio 43WR only takes video in QuickTime (.mov) format, which I really don't like, and converting it to anything else really reduces the quality. Fortunately a while ago I got a free license for the DivX Pro codec, so that's what I used to encode this movie. I'm still playing with the output quality settings, so hopefully my clips will improve over time.

Cold water reminder

nospam@example.com (aivasyuk) — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 09:35:10 -0500

As the air temperature starts rising into the 50's and 60's, this is probably a good time to remember to dress properly for the water in case of a wet exit. Besides learning to roll quickly, your layers of clothing is what will delay hypothermia enough to allow you to re-enter your boat. I went out yesterday to the MD Chute, and had my standard cold-water gear on: three layers on top (capilene, powerstretch fleece, and dry top), two layers on bottom (powerstretch fleece and dry pants), capilene socks under neoprene booties on my feet, neoprene gloves inside pogies for my hands, and a neoprene headwarmer under my helmet. Granted, as a whitewater paddler I expected to get wet, so I dressed appropriately. Except for my hands (which always get cold) I was toasty warm for the entire two hours I was out there playing in the 40-degree water with air temp in the upper 40s. Please, everyone, dress appropriately and be careful out there.

First paddle of the year, first post of the year

nospam@example.com (aivasyuk) — Sun, 22 Jan 2006 08:48:59 -0500

Due to my big kitchen remodeling project, I have been forced to choose this year whether to take advantage of the 50- and 60-degree days this month to go paddling, or take care of various tasks with the kitchen. So I missed a couple of great opportunities to paddle, but finally managed to get out to Center Chute on Friday at about 5.33-5.4. This keeps up my streak of paddling every month of the year since last January.

The only problem with taking a month off from paddling, and not even going to the pool, is that the muscles aren't used to the motions, so there is some lethargy, some inertia, that needs to be overcome. It took me about an hour until I started feeling normal again. Hopefully, as the kitchen project nears its completion, I will be able to get out there on a more regular basis. Actually, probably I should try to come out even more often, just to work off all of the takeout food that we've been eating since we couldn't cook at home.

Article: "Kayak expert's business swells"

nospam@example.com (aivasyuk) — Thu, 22 Dec 2005 15:48:51 -0500

Here's a great article about EJ and Jackson Kayak:

http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051222/BUSINESS01/512220354/1003/BUSINESS

Going the Distance

nospam@example.com (aivasyuk) — Mon, 31 Oct 2005 23:11:39 -0500

I've been neglecting the web site a bit. Here is an article I wrote during our trip to the Adirondacks in September.

Going the Distance: Improving the Forward Stroke; How to get from Point A to Point B without killing yourself.

On the first day of paddling after arriving in the Adirondacks, our group of 16 did a 15-mile paddle. Although I would consider that a medium-length paddle, many of us had not done that kind of distance all season. The result was that several people lagged the group, and after we arrived at our destination I heard various complaints of aches and pains.

The following day I had the opportunity to help a couple of the women in the group to improve their strokes, and observed several things about their paddling technique. I was able to suggest improvements that they said helped them, so this article was inspired by lessons learned from those two days.

As always, a lot of this stuff may seem like common sense, and you keep hearing it over and over, yet paddlers keep making the same mistakes. My hope is that some of these suggestions will help sea kayakers to improve their stroke technique so that they are both better able to keep up with the group and arrive less fatigued. The ultimate goal is to develop an efficient, natural forward stroke that you dont have to think about.

First, here are some of the mistakes that I observed:

Not enough torso rotation This is probably the most common mistake, and is often the hardest to correct. As many times as you hear people tell you to rotate your torso, its really hard to develop proper torso rotation unless you really concentrate on it. Eventually you will develop natural torso rotation because its simply easier than paddling with just your arms, but in the beginning its very difficult.
Pushing the top hand too far Many people recommend pushing the top hand to help improve power, but a lot of people wind up pushing the top hand too far. My belief is that if the top blade of your paddle pushes more than a couple inches over the deck of the boat, youre pushing the top hand too far.
Pulling the bottom hand too far This is related to pushing the top hand too far. Since many people have problems with proper torso rotation. They try to compensate and take longer strokes by pulling the blade that is in the water past the point where it is effective. My belief is that if your elbow goes farther than your back, then youre pulling the bottom hand too far.
Paddling air This is something I didnt notice before, but both of the women I was working on the second day with were doing this and Im guessing that this is true of many paddlers. Basically, paddling air means that as the paddler reaches forward with the bottom blade to take a stroke, she starts the stroke before the blade is in the water.

I like to call my paddling technique lazy paddling because I tend to take low-angle and relatively short strokes, yet I am still able to paddle faster and with less fatigue than many people. Therefore based on the observations over those couple of days, I would like to suggest a number of improvements that may help a large number of paddlers.

Use your stomach muscles to rotate your torso There are a couple of techniques that may help with torso rotation. The first is to practice rotation on dry land, without a PDF, to see and feel what your torso is doing when you dont have to concentrate on the water and everything else around you. The second technique is to more or less lock your elbows at a 90-degree angle, and use your forearms to just raise and lower the paddle into and out of the water, without a lot of reaching or extension. This basically forces you to exaggerate your torso rotation in order to take a stroke, and is where most of your power comes from. The thing to think about when you're doing this is pushing the paddle with your stomach muscles. If your stomach muscles are sore after a day's paddling, then you know that you're doing it right.
Paddle with your legs This one comes from my wife Barbara. Its something both of realized that were doing automatically when paddling, but it should be pointed out because its not taught and it may not be obvious. Basically, in order to rotate your torso, you need to brace your feet against your foot pegs so that you can get the proper leverage. The trick here is to actually push a bit on the left foot if youre rotating to the left, or push on the right foot if youre rotating to the right. This requires that the foot pegs in your boat are properly adjusted so that your knees are slightly bent in the sitting position. Pushing your feet forward has the effect of improving your leverage when you are trying to rotate your torso, and therefore it also increases the power of your rotation, which leads to more powerful strokes. If you have a rudder, I recommend pushing with both feet, just slightly more with one or the other to get that extra leverage.
Sit up straight Hey, I like lazy paddling, but leaning back while paddling is a bit too lazy. Sitting up straight allows better paddle placement and more powerful torso rotation.
Low angle strokes Higher angle strokes are good for power and acceleration and give you more of a workout, but can also wear you out. I like to take low angle strokes just because it takes less energy. Why lift your arm to your forehead if lifting it to your chest will get the job done just the same? If you have to take higher angle strokes just to get the entire blade in the water, it probably means that you need a longer paddle.
Take shorter strokes Youve heard this before: Put the paddle in at the toes and take it out at your seat. But as I observed, many people overestimate the length of their legs when they are inside the boat. On the stroke initiation, if your arm is extended and your elbow is nearly straight, or your paddle blade goes over the deck of your boat, then you are definitely reaching too far forward. My recommendation is to bring the paddle parallel with your chest, then rotate your torso about 45 degrees, keeping the paddle parallel with your chest, then put the bottom blade into the water. That is approximately where each forward stroke should start. As far as where to remove the paddle from the water, try to do it when it reaches the back of your seat pan. Also, pretend there is a 2x4 attached horizontally across the middle of your back, and you do not want to pull your arm so far that it hits the 2x4. This means that if you want to take a longer stroke, you have to rotate your torso to change the angle of the 2x4.
Stop paddling air Paddling air is a big energy drain, probably second to only paddling with your arms, because of the extra body movement that does not translate into forward motion. My recommendation is to watch when your bottom blade reaches its furthest point (at your toes, remember) and immediately place it in the water before starting the stroke. This actually extends your stroke by several inches, giving you more power and speed.

I would recommend that paddlers practice conscious paddling, which is to actively pay attention to your own paddling technique as you paddle. See if you can find yourself slipping into any of the bad habits that I pointed out, then see if you can apply any of the suggestions I made. Even one or two of these improvements may help your stroke enough so that you are better able to keep up with the group and less tired after your trip, which leads to a more enjoyable paddling experience for everyone.

Crime Wave Katrina

nospam@example.com (aivasyuk) — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 23:51:38 -0400

Sometimes I'm ashamed to be an American. I'm sitting here watching Fox News Channel coverage of Hurricane Katrina, and all I see are stories about lootings, rapes, riots, shootings at police and emergency workers, people stealing ambulances and boats, and other senseless violence. And that's just in New Orleans.

Granted, this hurricane affected areas of New Orleans that are poor and already have high crime rates, but what happened to the helpful spirit that America showed on 9/11? The problem in this case is that it's not just a few people who are causing the trouble; it seems that so many people are committing crimes that they may as well shut down the entire city because the crime wave has spread so far. Why is it that in a disaster of this type, so many Americans turn into animals? There are so many victims of the hurricane already, and these people are creating more victims with every passing day.

A news alert just came on the screen that the mayor of New Orleans issued an SOS, ordering police to stop search and rescue (SAR) operations and put all efforts into controlling the crime wave. Earlier today I've heard stories that the mayor seemed dazed and confused, and that people saw police officers standing around trying to figure out what to do because no one was directing efforts. So I guess this SOS is a step in the right direction, but will the mayor survive the political fallout of this disaster?

How to build a kayak for about $25

nospam@example.com (aivasyuk) — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 13:53:31 -0400

Not that I've actually tried this, but it's an interesting concept.

http://www.shelter-systems.com/kayak.html

Slow summer

nospam@example.com (aivasyuk) — Wed, 24 Aug 2005 00:25:38 -0400

Since the river level has been so low, it's been a rather slow summer around here for Potomac whitewater.

Last weekend we drove down to Cape Hatteras, NC, and spent a few days camping and enjoying the ocean, and I brought my Jackson All-Star on the off chance that I would be able to get some ocean surfing in. Fortunately one day conditions were good enough and the waves breaking far enough off-shore that I was able to get out there and play with the board surfers. I managed to catch quite a few waves, and even got a couple quality backsurfs. (I guess all that backsurfing practice I did on the Potomac paid off.)

I had a pretty good time with the ocean surfing, and started wondering where else I could go. Maybe some Chesapeake Bay surfing? I also considered doing something about the windsurfing bug I caught down in Belize. I started looking at used windsurfing gear, but I'm really not interested in spending another $2K at the moment, so I'm not sure how much I'm going to pursue that. If anyone has a used intermediate-level windsurfing rig they are willing to let go cheap, please let me know.

Continue reading "Slow summer"

Maryland Chute-Out photos

nospam@example.com (aivasyuk) — Fri, 29 Jul 2005 20:35:18 -0400

Thanks to Jim and Monique Hubshman of PotomacPaddlers.com, who both won their respective classes last night, we have some photos. Theres a few good ones of me starting with this frame.

Zen vs. Competition

nospam@example.com (aivasyuk) — Fri, 29 Jul 2005 11:00:08 -0400

I'm not particularly competitive with regards to my kayaking. Sure, I like to show off the few moves I do have, but I never really considered what it would be like to actually compete in an event against other kayakers. So yesterday I decided to enter my very first Maryland Chute-Out, which is held on the Potomac the last Thursday of every month during paddling season.

The afternoon started off well enough, I showed up at Angler's around 4:30 and registered, then went over to the Maryland Chute to check out the level. It had been dropping all day and looked like it was around 3.3 when I got there, which isn't a bad level. I was getting some nice rides in, with spins, blunts, cartwheels, and backstabs. It was a good warmup.

The only problem is that by the time the competition actually started around 6:30 the level had dropped even further and it was actually getting difficult (at least for me) to do many moves and stay in the hole. So the competition was 2 30-second rides. My paddling is usually very relaxed, very "zen", and I like take the time to set up moves and do them smoothly. There is a lot of internal focus on getting the moves right, since I'm still just learning most of them anyway. However, given the low water level and the time pressure of the competition, I actually found it hard to concentrate on giving my best moves, so I did what I could. I got a couple spins, blunts, and backstabs, but found it difficult to set up for any cartwheels. I also didn't get that much variety in; that 30 seconds just goes by so fast.

I wound up placing 3rd out of 6 competitors in my class, missing 2nd place by one point. If only I had one more spin, that would have clinched second place. First place went to Jim Hubshman of PotomacPaddlers.com, and it was well-deserved especially since he managed to do it with hand paddles. I think he got some extra style points for that.

So then I got the chance to sit on the rocks and help with judging the "A" class, which consisted mostly of the pro paddlers. This is when I actually got to learn about how the scoring system works. It makes sense that when you know how the scoring works you can adjust the moves you do to increase your score. There were a couple of pros who were doing endless spins, because each 180 counts as a point. If I knew that when I started, perhaps I could have concentrated on getting a bunch of easy moves in before going for the harder stuff where I might flush out.
Now I know. We'll see what happens next month.

Potomac Whitewater Festival

nospam@example.com (aivasyuk) — Thu, 07 Jul 2005 21:48:15 -0400

Next weekend is the annual Potomac Whitewater Festival. There are many events, including paddling clinics for everyone from first-timers to advanced paddlers, the annual Great Falls race, rodeo competitions, and parties. More info here:

http://www.potomacfest.com/

Direct registration link

http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1228725

I'm definitely not ready for Great Falls, but I would certainly consider going to one of the advanced clinics to see what I can learn. Maybe I will even be able to talk Barbara into coming along...

July 4th Paddle

nospam@example.com (aivasyuk) — Tue, 05 Jul 2005 10:31:23 -0400

One of the reaons I hate going into DC for the July 4th fireworks is the crowds. We've done fireworks on the mall a couple of times, and getting in and out is usually a nightmare.

This is why it's nice to have options. We haven't paddled DC on July 4th in a few years, so we decided that this year would be a good time to give it another shot. Barbara and I went into DC early in the day with our kayaks and parked at Jack's Boathouse. After we met up with everyone else we went paddling upriver and had a picnic, then back down to see the fireworks. It was great!

Of course I stopped to take a few pictures, which are here.

We decided that getting there early and hanging out all day is definitely the way to go. The traffic later in the day is just horrific, and the metro is really crowded as well. Doing it the way we did, we had no trouble finding parking and managed to avoid all of the crowds. It was a great day on the water!

What to do when the river is too low

nospam@example.com (aivasyuk) — Fri, 24 Jun 2005 14:53:32 -0400

With the LF gauge hovering around 3.0, there isn't much to play at the moment. What's a paddler to do? If you're a whitewater paddler and you can't live a single day without being on the water, you can always practice your flatwater tricks or take up sea kayaking.

Or you can take up other sports. Since paddlers sometimes forget about working their leg muscles, Barbara and I have been doing a bit of biking lately. Doing 10-15 miles doesn't take much more than an hour and keeps those legs in shape. Do it 2-3 times a week (or on whatever days you're not paddling) and you're all set. Rollerblading is also a great workout since it works even more muscles. Tennis, anyone?

The Great Chesapeake Bay Swim

nospam@example.com (aivasyuk) — Mon, 13 Jun 2005 16:58:03 -0400

Yesterday was the annual Great Chesapeake Bay Swim, and Barbara's and mine first year providing swim support. It was a good experience, and we were both able to help out several swimmers with rest stops and encouragement. Some of the other kayakers had to pull swimmers out of the race, and of course there were some interesting stories, like the one about the very last swimmer in the race who was past the deadline but wouldn't quit. Apparently he needed to be ordered out of the water by police and Coast Guard, and was taken out of the race in handcuffs.

I managed to take a few photos along the way, which are posted at the link below.

http://www.wetexit.com/albums/Bay_Swim_2005/