Whether you are planning a short tour with the children or an extended wilderness canoeing expedition, taking some time to perfect your paddling technique will add to your enjoyment of your canoeing holiday significantly, allowing you to make use of your energy resources in the most efficient way, help you move through the water as efficiently as possible. You may be surprised how a little time spent honing your paddling skills can make a huge difference to those tired muscles!

Launching Your Canoe

In general, it is best to try to launch with as little weight in the canoe as possible, particularly if you are launching into a river which has steep banks or if access to the water is tricky. If possible, place your canoe into the water so that it lies parallel with the water’s edge. If paddlers have a difference level of experience or ability, put the strongest or most experienced paddlers at the back, as this person will have greatest control over steering and maneuvering the canoe.

Getting Into Your Canoe

Make sure the canoe is floating freely and the bottom will not ground on rocks or stones before putting your luggage into the canoe. When getting in, place your hands on either side to steady the canoe and lower yourself in gently. You may wish to straddle the canoe with a leg either side before sitting down.
Canadian canoes are extremely stable and under normal circumstances you are very unlikely to capsize when paddling on calm waters. However, when people do fall in, it tends to be while getting in or out of the canoe!

Land Transports

If you need to take the canoe out of the water to cross between lakes, etc, try to carry as much of your luggage as possible and leave as little weight as you can in the canoe during transports. Transporting a canoe full of luggage makes it much easier to damage your equipment.

Paddling Technique

Generally, the paddler in the back should paddle on the opposite side to the person at the front, both changing over when someone gets tired. Try to move the paddle in a straight line, having most of the blade of the paddle in the water during your stroke. Keep your paddle strokes close to the line of the canoe (if you wish to paddle in a straight line) and match the speed and rhythm of your strokes to that of your partner.

For braking or turning, the standard front stroke can be reversed.

Steering Your Canoe

Whoever sits are the back of canoe will be in greatest control of steering. Changing the angle of your paddle to use a “J-stroke”, you can make minor adjustments to your course as you move through the water, though take care not to oversteer. To do a “J-stroke”, start your forward paddle stroke as normal, but then turn the paddle 45 degrees (in a clockwise direction to turn the canoe to the right, anticlockwise direction to turn left) as you reach the end of the stroke.

Navigation

When you are crossing a large body of water such as a lake, it is easy to end up taking a zig-zag course, travelling further and using more energy than necessary. To avoid this, choose an easily identifiable fixed point on the opposite shore and keep the front of the canoe pointing directly at it.

Canoeing is a seductive combination of tranquility, adventure and close-to-nature experience – Happy Paddling!

Nature Travels is the UK specialist for Sweden holidays, offering outdoor ecotourism holidays including dog sledding, cross country skiing, timber rafting, canoeing, sea kayaking, hiking, wildlife safaris and multi-activity holidays in Sweden. See our Wild Sweden blog for the latest news on outdoor holidays in Sweden.

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