Canoeing and Kayaking

(682 total words in this text)
(1670 Reads)  

Activity Summary

What is it all about?

You may have seen a bit of sedate canoeing, or even had a go yourself, but there is a wide range of canoeing experiences to be had on a range of types of water.

Canoeing is where you paddle a canoe for the purpose of recreation, sport, or transportation. It usually refers exclusively to using a paddle to propel a canoe with only human muscle power.

There are a few differences between a canoe and a kayak. A canoe is an open topped craft that you paddle from a kneeling position with a single blade paddle. Canoeing is perfect for wilderness travel and river cruising. Kayaks are paddled from a sitting position using a double bladed paddle. Just some of the extensive environments for kayaking include sea, surf and white-water rafting. Kayaks are usually closed-decked boats with a spraydeck, while canoes are usually open boats. There are also open kayaks and closed canoes.

Internationally, the term canoeing is used as a generic term for both forms though the terms "paddle sports" or "canoe/kayak" are also used. In North America, however, 'canoeing' usually refers only to canoes, as opposed to both canoes and kayaks. Paddling a kayak is also referred to as kayaking.

In modern canoe sport, both canoes and kayaks may be closed-decked. Other than by the minimum competition specifications (typically length and width (beam) and seating arrangement it is difficult to differentiate most competition canoes from the equivalent competition kayaks. The most common difference is that competition kayaks are always seated, and competition canoes are generally kneeling. Exceptions include Canoe Marathon (in both European and American competitive forms) and sprint (high kneeling position). The most traditional and early canoes did not have seats, the paddlers merely kneeled on the bottom of the boat. Recreational or 'Canadian' canoes employ seats and whitewater rodeo and surf variants increasingly employ the use of 'saddles' to give greater boat control under extreme conditions.

There are many types of disciplines within kayaking and canoeing. With so many different types of canoes and kayaks available, it is up to you whether you take a gentle paddle down stream or battle it out in the open ocean. Whitewater kayaking is extreme fun, whether on man made whitewater courses or on rivers.

Getting your kayak to the water can be done either using a trailer or a roof rack. If you don't have the space, perhaps you might like to look at an inflatable kayak or canoe.

A good place to start with any sport is to learn the basics first. Hatt Adventures run kayaking and canoeing experiences that are perfect for getting a feel for splashing about in the boats for a few hours, playing some games and learning basic technique. From there you can progress up the on to the BCU (British Canoe Union) certifications. These are designed to improve upon your skills at each stage, awarding you with a recognised certificate at the end of each assessment.

Further Information on Canoeing and Kayaking

See www.thehatt.co.uk/adventures for more information on courses available from Hatt Adventures.

For further information on the sports, check out the BCU website (www.bcu.org.uk). Here a comprehensive list of clubs and centres can be found as well as further information on the awards and other resources.

Have a go

• Places to go canoeing and kayaking
• Canoeing and kayaking events and competitions
• Where to buy canoeing and kayaking equipment

If you like canoeing and kayaking, you might like:

• Dragon boat racing
• White water rafting