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"Hap Paddler",
BayCreek's Web (footed) Master
HapPaddler@baycreek.com
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You've just tracked a straight course through the morning mist across the glassy
surface of an Adirondack lake. Your canoe seems to move on its own and you feel fresh and
invigorated. Now you enter a twisting creek and your canoe glides around sharp bends
and gracefully negotiates the garden of protruding rocks. Each stroke is perfectly
synchronized with the environment, a precise marriage of body,craft and water.
Sound about right? No - that last outing didn't quite go like that? Then we'd
like to recommend our series of canoeing classes. It is amazing what a little
instruction can do for your enjoyment of canoeing, both in terms of paddling ease and in
control of the craft - even if you've been paddling for years. Check out the
descriptions of our classes below for both tandem and solo canoeing.
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Level 1 Tandem
- Introduction to Tandem Canoeing (2 hours, $60 for 2)
This is our basic course for 2 person canoeing and we recommend you come with your
paddling partner. This course teaches both bow and stern strokes and, no, the bow
paddler doesn't just paddle forward and complain about the steering. Bow paddlers
can help control the boat and in fact, the quickest turns are made by them. Stern
paddlers set the overall course and make gentle corrections to the direction of the boat.
Here's some of what you'll learn.
 | the mechanics of efficient paddling |
| sweeps, draws, spins |
| forward stroke, J-stroke, pitch stroke |
| How to work as a team |
To see Schedule for this class click
here.
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Level 2 Tandem- Intermediate Tandem
Canoeing (2 hours, $60 for 2)
This course works to refine the elements of Level 1, concentrating on precision and body
movement and then adding a few new moves. Since the forward stroke is the most used,
we'll focus on making it very efficient. Then we'll add reverses, far back reverses
and side slips.
To see Schedule for this class click
here.
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Level 3 Solo - Introduction to Solo
Freestyle (2 hours, $40)
This course builds on the first two, and is actually an "Advanced Obedience
Class" for canoes. Freestyle paddling is all about control and graceful
paddling and it explores the joys of harmony between the boat and paddler. It is
likened to figure skating and some of the moves have figure skating names. Freestyle
is performed from a kneeling position and utilizes heeling (leaning) of the boat to
emphasize turns. Strokes can be made in all four quadrants of the canoe - forward
on-side, forward off-side, reverse on-side and reverse off-side. Let this class
start you on a lifetime journey to mastery - all of which could be spent on a 1/4 acre
pond.
| heeling |
| high brace, low brace |
| forward on-side christie, axel, post, wedge |
To see Schedule for this class click
here.
Private lessons are available for further study of the movements in the other three
quadrants.
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