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< March/April 2000
	Skills
Tips from the field

Editor's note: This is the first installment of a new skills series - written by experts in the field - designed to provide a variety of hints to use in all paddling disciplines.

Rafting

Tying Down a Load

When loading a raft for an overnight trip, enhance your boat's stability by keeping its center of gravity low. Stow heavy items like coolers and water jugs toward the bottom, then secure lighter items like sleeping pads, small gear bags and (of course!) lawn chairs on top. Also, concentrate the weight toward the middle of your raft to help it pivot more easily. For a real labor saver, try rigging a "base load" of gear that never needs to come off, like big coolers and food boxes. Lash these items down by their handles, if they're sturdy enough, and run separate lines over the tops to secure the lids. Then lash another layer of camping gear on top. When you get to camp, untie the top load and the lid lines, but leave the base load strapped in place. Just open the lids and pick out whatever food you need for that night's camp.

- Bill Cross

Sea Kayaking

Navigating in Fog

Before you make a sea kayak crossing in the fog, take a bearing off the chart. Don't forget to adjust for magnetic North - add variation on the Atlantic, subtract on the Pacific. Take a look around at what you do see in the fog: Watch the waves, observe how the water rushes over rocks and lobster buoys. You'll find clues about currents, wind speed and tides. Practicing navigation on sunny days is the best way to learn how much to correct your heading, given varying conditions. So get out there and practice! And don't forget your compass and watch.

- Natalie Springuel

Whitewater Kayaking

Look Where You Want to Go

One afternoon, my group came to a horizon line and stopped to scout. Everyone immediately focused on a log pinned at clothesline height in the main channel. Thoughts of having heads removed had the group looking at the long portage. Then I glanced at the drop again and noticed a clean line on river right. I got in and ran it, as did everyone else. This made me think about a common mistake made scouting: When faced with a challenge, paddlers often focus on hazards and look where they don't want to go. While it is critical to recognize hazards, be realistic about whether they play a factor in your line. If you focus only on that feature, you may not see how easily it is avoided.

Once you have committed to running a drop, don't lose focus. When making a difficult move, keep your energy and eyes directed where you need to go. Don't look over your shoulder at the consequences of missing your move. Practice by challenging yourself on easier water. Scout a new line in a familiar rapid and run it. The next time you're on a difficult river, don't let intimidating features distract. Acknowledge their danger and then scout the line you need to be on. Focus, paddle and look where you want to go.

- Aaron Pruzan

Canoeing

Choke up for greater efficiency

Strokes such as sweeps, reverse sweeps, stern draws, bow draws and cross bow draws can be made more efficient by getting the paddle blade farther from the pivot point. Especially in quietwater, choking up is an effective technique for moving your blade toward the ends of your canoe, and consequently farther from the pivot point.

The pivot point can be thought of as a boat's center of rotation, or an imaginary fixed place around which the ends of your canoe will spin. In most solo canoes, if the boat is level, the pivot point is somewhere between or a little behind the paddler's knees. If a tandem canoe is evenly trimmed, the pivot point is usually between the bow and stern paddlers.

To choke up, simply move your shaft hand up the shaft toward your grip hand (see photo). Getting your blade far away from the pivot point during a sweep will turn your canoe farther, faster, and with less effort. Choking up for a stern draw or a cross bow draw also moves your canoe with less effort. Add torso rotation to choking up and you'll have a powerful combination for optimal efficiency

- Mark Molina