Safety Tips for Canoeing

Canoe canoe? Remember the famous cologne ad? Ahh! That was some great smelling stuff! I always wondered why it was called canoe when it had sails for a logo on the label. Well, I suppose one could raise a sail in a canoe if that one had exceptional swimming skills. That's one of the things that I want to cover in this article. Canoe safety. While I will avoid the facetiousness of sails, there are a few important details to spend some time on.

First and foremost, as with all watercraft, life jackets are an essential. Things happen out there on the water even when it is calm. Some erratic paddling, standing up carelessly, and inattentiveness to currents can all send you swimming for shore.

What do I mean by erratic paddling? Well the person in the rear is generally responsible for where the front of the canoe is going. Between paddle strokes and ruddering, a form of vocal cadence can be called to ensure that the front paddler stays synchronized with the rear. Strong paddlers can sometimes get the canoe rocking when paddling on the same side at the same time, not to mention the tendency this action has to set the canoe off-course and in a radial heading.

With the exception of large boats and ships of immense tonnage, standing up in watercraft such as a canoe is not recommended, in fact it is a very dangerous behavior. This should go without saying, but it happens, and all too often tragedy occurs. Another unsafe behavior that should also go without saying, is the use of alcohol. When it comes to safety on the waterways, there is simply no room for alcoholic beverages.

In terms of currents, you will much sooner than later have to navigate your way through them. Naturally, we would all like to be down river of a current and enjoy the benefit of the extra push. But for those of you who have participated in so called "barrel runs," where you paddle downstream for a prescribed distance, head around the buoy, and then labor your way back upriver, you know what I am talking about. Turns against the current seem to work best with a keel-less (white-water style) canoe, but some canoes, such as aluminum and fiberglass models that are fitted with keels for linear stability, have currents working against the keel and this can sometimes create problems.

Hovering throughout all safety practices is good, sound common sense. Have fun and enjoy one of the greatest watercraft experiences anywhere.

Canoe Canoe?

We all can!