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Okisillo Rapids. The short film
- Thread starter DarrenM
- Start date
Mark_Schilling
Paddler
Wow - another great production! VERY 8) 8)
rider
Paddler
Great vid. that washing machine looks scarry.
Dan_Millsip
Paddler
Wickedly cool. And an awesome job on the video production Darren. 8)
*****
*****
DarrenM
Paddler
Thanks guys 
mikec
Paddler
great footage!
top tip #1 - try to work your manouvering strokes in current at the front of your boat, not the stern. a bow rudder will not slow down your hull speed, whereas a big'ol stern pry kills all your speed and 9/10 times will blow you off the wave you are trying to make. not only that, but putting your blade in that far back does nothing but anchor the stern even more on the wave face, making it VERY difficult to turn!
top tip #2 - learn to use a stern rudder as a tiller, changing the blade angle with subtle wrist movements will allow you to have better directional control that a big'ol pry stroke.
top tip #3 - experiment with the high-angle stern rudder, really practical in surf and standing waves - eg Nick Cunliffe on the wave at the falls of Lora in TITS3.
top tip #4 - use the power face of your blade only, not the non-power face!
I have no idea if you wanted any pointers, from watching the video these are the 4 things that popped out as being really effective ways to increase your fun time in the waves!
cheers
mike
top tip #1 - try to work your manouvering strokes in current at the front of your boat, not the stern. a bow rudder will not slow down your hull speed, whereas a big'ol stern pry kills all your speed and 9/10 times will blow you off the wave you are trying to make. not only that, but putting your blade in that far back does nothing but anchor the stern even more on the wave face, making it VERY difficult to turn!
top tip #2 - learn to use a stern rudder as a tiller, changing the blade angle with subtle wrist movements will allow you to have better directional control that a big'ol pry stroke.
top tip #3 - experiment with the high-angle stern rudder, really practical in surf and standing waves - eg Nick Cunliffe on the wave at the falls of Lora in TITS3.
top tip #4 - use the power face of your blade only, not the non-power face!
I have no idea if you wanted any pointers, from watching the video these are the 4 things that popped out as being really effective ways to increase your fun time in the waves!
cheers
mike
Mark_Schilling
Paddler
mikec said:
Thanks Mike. There's a pretty good article in the latest edition of Adventure Kayak that deals with the use of a high-angle stern rudder - exactly as you describe. Of course, I didn't get the copy until the day after we got back. :roll: But I'll definitely be trying it out the next time I hit the water.
Perhaps not surprisingly, I also found it very useful to use the video footage to critique my paddling style. While I'm quite comfortable edging the boat to turn in surf, doing so on a standing wave was quite different as the water was much more turbulent. It would be a very effective way of making subtle directional changes though, while maintaining the ability to apply power strokes and retain forward momentum.
DarrenM
Paddler
Phew!
I thought you were going to say, stop panning and zooming so much. :lol: :shock:
I thought you were going to say, stop panning and zooming so much. :lol: :shock:
jurgenk
Paddler
DarrenM said:
I, frankly, thought overall the video lacked proper use of auxillary lighting and juxtaposition of subject but that the panning and zooming were fine. Great job all...
Brad
Astoriadave
Paddler
Great video, Darren. Especially loved the whirlpool/wet exit. Was that MarkS? Also the mix of scenics and paddletricks. Definitely on my hot list to send to buddies.
Question to the paddlers: is that rapid confined to just one area of the channel? Looks like relatively smooth flow to either side. If so, makes for a very safe, fun playspot. I would imagine it to be almost ideal for training -- better than Deception Pas, where every wet exit is a flush out and into the path of who knows what. :roll:
Question to the paddlers: is that rapid confined to just one area of the channel? Looks like relatively smooth flow to either side. If so, makes for a very safe, fun playspot. I would imagine it to be almost ideal for training -- better than Deception Pas, where every wet exit is a flush out and into the path of who knows what. :roll:
Comoxpaddler
Paddler
Mike
Great tips, thanks. I had intended to watch TITS 1-3 again prior to our trip but just ran out of time (trapped at the office, same old story). I find imitation is one of the best ways of trying to improve strokes (certainly has worked with my forward stroke). I remember being struck by Nick Cunliffe's high stern rudder and the fine control it seemed to give him.
I certainly should use bow rudder more in choppy and turbulent water. It is a great manoeuvring stroke.
The stern rudder as tiller thing is a trick I'm trying to get but it is so easy to slide back into using it justas a pry. Some more hints on this would be welcome. From my memory of the TITS footage, lots of body rotation and try to hold the blade further away from the boat and parallel to it so that you can subtly pry and draw.
I cannot speak for Mark and Gordin, but speaking personally I would be very happy indeed to hear Top Tips # 5-10 as wel!!
Great tips, thanks. I had intended to watch TITS 1-3 again prior to our trip but just ran out of time (trapped at the office, same old story). I find imitation is one of the best ways of trying to improve strokes (certainly has worked with my forward stroke). I remember being struck by Nick Cunliffe's high stern rudder and the fine control it seemed to give him.
I certainly should use bow rudder more in choppy and turbulent water. It is a great manoeuvring stroke.
The stern rudder as tiller thing is a trick I'm trying to get but it is so easy to slide back into using it justas a pry. Some more hints on this would be welcome. From my memory of the TITS footage, lots of body rotation and try to hold the blade further away from the boat and parallel to it so that you can subtly pry and draw.
I cannot speak for Mark and Gordin, but speaking personally I would be very happy indeed to hear Top Tips # 5-10 as wel!!
Mark_Schilling
Paddler
Astoriadave said:
Yes, guilty as charged. I would, quite honestly, have been happier to have filmed myself just rolling back up, but I seem to need a bit more practise in rolling in that nasty, fluffy, turbulent water. It's amazing how little solid water there is for a paddle to grab amid all the froth!
Yes, it is. We arrived at slack and Jonathan showed us the shallow rock shelf over which the water flows. It was barely a foot deep at that point. As the current increases, the water rushes quickly over the rock and cascades over the edge before 'rebounding' back up, creating the standing wave. Behind that, all hell breaks loose as the water gets churned up violently for at least a few hundred metres.
The fact that this shelf is quite narrow (only a few metres across) seems to create a slightly faster current flow on either side. The result is that when you try to approach the wave from the front, the current sucks you slightly to either side before you get there. For this reason it can be quite tricky to actually get on the wave. But you're right - it does make for a relatively safe place in terms of not having stuff to hit as you get flushed out (rightside up or otherwise!).
That said, there's still plenty of junk floating down that saltwater river. Among other things, we saw one massive tree cruising by, branches and foliage and all, at a healthy 9 knots. Not something you'd want to get tangled up in!
mikec
Paddler
top tip #5 - always face your work aka rotation. upper body rotation is KEY for everything!
top tip #6 - remember do do some below decks paddling! on a wave face you can carve a turn by edging and driving your boat around with the foot mashing on the pedal to drive the boat. what you do under the deck is just as important as what you are doing over the deck and in the water
top tip #7 - "concentrate daniel-san. wax on....wax off!"
top tip #8 - linking strokes together is the key to dynamic water eg bow rudder to power forward stroke
top tip #9 - power strokes to catch the wave in 3 strokes - short (exit at knee) medium (exit mid-thigh) long (exit at hip). 3 strokes is all you need to pwer onto a wave face. experiment with this on flat water first to get feel for this. remember, keep that bottom arm straight on the plant, then rotate and apply the power ex Sean Morley, TITS2 (and the very finest forward stroke I have seen in a sea paddler on conditions). bad example of this - gemma rowlands, TITS2 (absolutely horrible stroke, also why she was getting blown off the wave at the Bitches)
top tip #10 - don't sit out the best wave of the day!
top tip #6 - remember do do some below decks paddling! on a wave face you can carve a turn by edging and driving your boat around with the foot mashing on the pedal to drive the boat. what you do under the deck is just as important as what you are doing over the deck and in the water
top tip #7 - "concentrate daniel-san. wax on....wax off!"
top tip #8 - linking strokes together is the key to dynamic water eg bow rudder to power forward stroke
top tip #9 - power strokes to catch the wave in 3 strokes - short (exit at knee) medium (exit mid-thigh) long (exit at hip). 3 strokes is all you need to pwer onto a wave face. experiment with this on flat water first to get feel for this. remember, keep that bottom arm straight on the plant, then rotate and apply the power ex Sean Morley, TITS2 (and the very finest forward stroke I have seen in a sea paddler on conditions). bad example of this - gemma rowlands, TITS2 (absolutely horrible stroke, also why she was getting blown off the wave at the Bitches)
top tip #10 - don't sit out the best wave of the day!
GordB
Paddler
OH Damn.
Now I'm going to spend the rest of this wonderful day watching the TITS series. :twisted:
Gord
Now I'm going to spend the rest of this wonderful day watching the TITS series. :twisted:
Gord
mikec
Paddler
Comoxpaddler said:
the stern rudder stroke, when properly executed, allows you to change or maintain direction without losing any forward speed.
practice this on flat water
1 - turning to face your work, place your blade in the stern rudder position with a neutral, slicing blade. this will keep you running straight.
2 - if you would like to turn towards the left, cock your control hand (the lower hand, top hand is an anchor hand only with a loose grip) SLIGHTLY forwards. this will push the bow around. combine this with edging with your left knee up, driving with your right foot on the right pedal and you will affect pretty good turn with minimal loss of speed.
3 - turning to the right, do the opposite! cock control hand backwards, edge with right knee up, drive with left foot on left foot brace. you are in effect drawing the stern around on this one.
practice this on flat water, wrist motion onnly until it becomes second nature, then experiment with edging added in. give yourself some challengtes, sch as running through a gap straight, turning before an obstacle etc.
when you are comfy with all of the above, practice in light friendly surf or wind waves, moving along until you hit that big daddy wave again at the Okisollo some day, using all of that, but in a high angle position!
remember, practice makes permanent! therefore perfect practice makes for pretty good performance!
3 - to turn right, do the opposite.
Comoxpaddler
Paddler
Damn damn damn
Thanks again Mike.
Flying to UK in 90 minutes.
Good to see family.
Bad not to get to practise and play
Hurumph.
Jonathan
PS I will PM you
Thanks again Mike.
Flying to UK in 90 minutes.
Good to see family.
Bad not to get to practise and play
Hurumph.
Jonathan
PS I will PM you
DarrenM
Paddler
Have a great trip Jonathan!
Your full length DVD will be waiting for you when you get home.
Your full length DVD will be waiting for you when you get home.
Kayakbird
Paddler
You guys rock! Give me ten years, I'll be there.
Comoxpaddler
Paddler
Thanks Darren. I'm really looking forward to seeing all the footage.
Three years kayakbird. I started in 2004. Hadn't ever kayaked before (rowed crew though which helps with balance).
Three years kayakbird. I started in 2004. Hadn't ever kayaked before (rowed crew though which helps with balance).
Kayakbird
Paddler
Alright! I started in 2006 (never kayaked before - I practice yoga and that helps with balance and core strength). So, see you on a standing wave in 2009.
I sent the YouTube link to a few fellow paddlers to inspire them.