Subject: Re: baidarka drip rings for narrow blade
From: James Mitchell (mariner@seanet.com)
Date: Mon Jan 01 2001 - 22:05:00 EST
Ya know, if I used drip rings as you describe and found them effective, it
would suggest that I am not getting enough rotation into my stroke. This is
most true with the Aleut paddle, but even with Euro style blades I think
this is a valuable thing to notice.
When I am paddling properly with a Euro style blade, my "uphill" hand is
across the centerline of the hull on every stroke. If I am stroking on the
left side, my RIGHT hand is across the centerline. If that is not true, then
I am "windmilling" the paddle, keeping my hands over their respective
gunwales and "pedaling" with the paddle as if on a bicycle. That is
wasteful, uses lots of arm energy and nothing else. The body rotation I
described at first powers the stroke from my abs and my legs, more than with
my arms.
That rotation will carry the blade over the deck, where water can easily
drip down on the hull. The problem is more extreme with the Aleut paddles,
because a proper stroke involves having BOTH hands over the same gunwale.
You will be sweeping the paddle clear across the deck on each stroke, so
drip rings are useless.
I suppose drip rings set at the throat of short blades on a long loom might
be far enough away to not drip on the spray skirt, but that will certainly
not be the case with the Aleut blades we have been discussing.
----- Original Message -----
From: <dldecker@se.mediaone.net>
To: <baidarka@lists.intelenet.net>
Sent: Monday, January 01, 2001 4:08 PM
Subject: baidarka drip rings for narrow blade
> it was 30 degrees when I got up this morning to paddle a salt marsh with
> some friends, finally got to the lower 50's by afternoon. One thing about
> my paddle is it is wet and my spray skirt and hands are always wet. In the
> summer this isn't bad but winter it sucks. I don't like gloves so this
> morning I got two rubber bands, the 1/4 in wide kind and tripled looped
> them one on each side on the loom and blade transition. it worked great.
> Keep 75% of the water off my skirt and my hands dry till I dug to deep and
> put them in the water with the blade. Anyhow thought ya'll might like to
> know so you can try it. plus they are movable to slide any where on the
> paddle you want. I tried the blade for a while and it worked there too.
>
> Dana
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