How to Paddle a Canoe
THERE ARE LARGER, faster and more complex boats than a canoe, kayak, or raft, but in none of those fancier boats can you feel the water so closely, touch the mussels that cling tight in willow shoals, or slip into creeks and shallow wetlands to drift silently alongside cormorants, osprey, and swan.
Paddling a boat is an art that, like most pursuits, just needs practice to master. Huck Finn may have floated the Mississippi on a raft, and white-water kayaking is a thrill, but short of those, nothing beats a canoe for a water adventure.
Sometimes you need to be alone, and your canoe is there for you. Other times you want to adventure with a friend, and canoeing together is an exhilarating lesson in teamwork.
To learn to canoe, you should know these basic boat words, strokes, and concepts.
The ordinary canoe stroke is the forward stroke. To paddle on the right, grab the grip (or top knob of the paddle) with your left hand, and the shaft with your right. Put the paddle into the water, perpendicular to the boat, and pull it back and then out of the water. Keep your arms straight and twist your torso as you paddle. To paddle on the left, hold the grip with your right hand, the shaft with your left, and repeat.
To change course and return from whence you came, turn the boat, and then paddle forward in the new direction. The back stroke, then, merely causes the boat to slow, or even stop. Put the paddle in the water slightly back, near the line of your hips, and pull toward the front, and then out.
It’s important to remember that a canoe is not a bicycle. If you turn bicycle handlebars to the right, the bike will turn rightward. Not so in a canoe. When you paddle to the right, the boat will shift left. The opposite is true, too: left paddling pushes the boat to the right. Rotate your body as you paddle, since the power comes not from your arms, exactly, but from your torso. With practice, you will learn to do this instinctively, using your hips and body weight to control the boat’s direction.
Two-person canoeing is a delicate dance whereby the person at stern steers and gives directions while the person at bow paddles, changing sides at will to keep the boat in its line.
When you paddle alone it is essential to know the J-stroke, which, by means of a small flip at the end, keeps the boat in a straight line. The J-stroke is just that. As you paddle on the left side, draw the letter J (see the canoe illustration). On the right side, it will look like a mirror-image J, or a fishhook. In other words, put the paddle in the water close to the canoe, and before your forward stroke ends, turn the paddle out and away from the boat; that’s the J. Then lift the paddle out of the water, and ready it to start again.
Some beginning canoers constantly move the paddle from right to left sides, but that’s a quick way to tire your arms. Using a C-stroke to steer will allow you to paddle to one side more of the time. Start as with a forward stroke, but trace a C (on the left, or its mirror image on the right) in the water. When you do this, turn the blade so it’s nearly parallel to the water.
This next stroke has many names, crossback being one of them. It’s a stop. Drag the blade into the water and hold it still. Really, really hold the paddle tight against the water’s rush. This stops the boat. It also turns it to that side, but this is not a suggested way to turn, since it slows the boat down too much.
One final stroke is perfect for when you find yourself in a cove with no company other than a family of sea otters and two seals nestling on the nearby rock. The quietest possible stroke will break no water and make no sound. Put the paddle in the water and keep it there, making a figure eight, over and again.
Now, in the big scheme of life, all you need is a boat and a paddle. In real life, some additional gear is essential, the first being a lifejacket. It’s itchy and annoying and you’ll be tempted to leave it on shore. Don’t. Please. It will save your life in a storm. In a less dire circumstance, if you tip, it will give you a leg up as you grab your paddle and pull yourself into your boat.
Drinking water is necessary, and, last but not least, bring a rope. Ropes are key to canoe adventures. You might find a stray canoe that needs to be towed to shore, or need to tie the canoe to a tree while you explore a riverbank. Perhaps the tide has gone out in a creek and you need to hop out of the boat and pull your canoe back to deeper waters. Lifejacket, water, rope, and you’re set.
Last tips: In general, the closer to the boat you paddle, the straighter it will go. To turn, paddle farther from the boat. Crouch low in the boat when getting in and out. Read the tide charts so you know where the water is.
Breathe deep, paddle smart, and enjoy your voyage.