Make sure you have the appropriate skills for the trip you have planned. Paddling down a placid lake takes some canoeng skill, but what if one of those intense BC storms blows over a mountain and you suddenly find yourself in whitecaps and high winds that you didn't anticipate?
Have you heard stories about friends going out to challenge a local river for the first time, and coming home soaking wet and cold, without a canoe and their gear lost downstream. We have.....many, many times! Some people may call that a good day, but if you'd like to avoid it, we'd like you to take a canoeing course. Here are some assessment questions to ask yourself.
Can you:
- communicate with your partner and manoeuvre the canoe to avoid obstacles or turn around quickly?
- perform a rescue?
- deal with sudden waves or instability with braces?
- raft your canoes together for stability?
- trim your canoe to best advantage in the wind?
- perform manouevres when paddling on either side (left or right)?
- move your canoe in any direction (sideways, backward, forward, straight or any radius turn)?
Check out the RCABC Lakewater and Moving Water Programs!
