By Ray Goodwin

Thanks to Venture Canoes, NRS and Freebird Paddles.

Ray Goodwin’s website:
www.RayGoodwin.com

Ray’s YouTube Channel is:
www.youtube.com/c/
RayGoodwinCanoe

Ray Goodwin’s Poling (Part 2)

Poling upstream is a test of skill, river reading and, at times, a bit of brute force. It was a critical skill to the folk who travelled the waterways of Canada who needed to go in both directions on rivers. Nowadays, most of us are doing it for fun and challenge. It allows me to play on the river in low levels and set myself challenges in otherwise easy conditions. 

Photo 1:

Heading out from an eddy, I already have an angle on the boat ready to ferry glide across the current. Gaining speed in the eddy allows me to cross with ease with only a couple of extra pole plants midstream. 

Photo 2:

Rather than go directly up against the current, I am heading for the slower patch of water/eddy. Close to the bank, the water is shallower, and it is easier to get a good plant of the pole. Note that the bow is light, and I am stood well back from the mid-point. This makes control easy as long as there is no wind. In the wind, the trim you need for upstream travel, bow light, can make life difficult to impossible as the bow is blown about. 

Photo 3:

My feet are square across the boat, which allows me to swap poling side quickly. If I use a diagonal stance, I would need to swap every time I changed the pole side. This style uses quick swaps. Knees are flexed to absorb boat movements, and, in this case, weight is on the right foot to give the canoe a slight edge/lean to its right. 

Photo 4:

Again, heading for a small eddy with a cross/ferry glide rather than heading straight upstream (easily possible but using more energy).  

Photo 5:

Yet again heading up and across current to another eddy. It is this linking of eddies and moves that make the river reading and poling so satisfying.

Photo 6:

Leaving the same eddy. As in any eddy exit, the canoe needs to be edged into the direction of the turn, whether you are turning downstream or, in this case, ferrying across. Without the lean, it is time for an early bath! Pole is wide, and as the canoe comes past, I can pull the stern of the boat towards it and straighten up. 

Photo 7:

Heading out of the top of an eddy. Canoe has edge and speed, and with the pole well-planted, I am climbing the pole hand over hand to get the acceleration needed.

Photo 8 and 9

Leaving another eddy with evident lean. Pole planted well wide, ready to straighten the canoe up to the current. Weight is on the left foot, with the right maintaining stability and edge control. Again, the pole is well planted. The bottom hand is pulling in, and the top is pushing out and over the water. This allows me to pull the stern towards the pole. The pole should maintain its grip on the riverbed but if it isn’t enough in one go, or it slides, repeat the process until you get the angle you need. 

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Photo 10:

Heading directly upstream with a series of quick jabs. The bed here is shingle, so it is the most effective technique. On a rockier bed, I would make use of every good plant and, hand over hand, climb the pole. Note the body rotation into the push and that both hands have thumbs at the top of the grip. The backward angle of the pole is good. Too steep an angle, and more of your energy goes into lifting you rather than propelling forward. If it goes wrong and you end up going backwards, then you can tell the experienced from the inexperienced.

The experienced poler will drop the pole angle, even flexing the knees more to drop the pole, gradually taking the backwards speed off the canoe before bringing it back under control. The inexperienced will allow the pole to be pushed up more vertical where it becomes very ineffective.

Photo 11:

Pulling a turn. As ever, the move is led by the head and chest, the focus making the new direction obvious. Using hip and hand to do a crossbow draw, a cheeky little move. I soon had my other hand back in play to finish the turn. 

Photo 12:

Heading downstream with the current. Generally, I would be doing this on easy section, like sections of the Wye in low water. It is easy to build up a good speed doing this, and I may windmill the pole: so alternating ends and dropping it in well ahead of me but waiting until I have passed the pole before pushing off the bed with it. If I hit deep water, then I will use the pole like a kayak paddle. Mind, if you hit a rock or shallows at speed, it is likely to end in a quick and ignoble exit. 

Photo 13:

Entering an eddying, heading downstream, the canoe is edged into the turn, and here it is being tightened with a crossbow rudder come draw. Hand are towards the top of the pole to enable me to reach further forward. 

Photos 14/15/16:

Snubbing or slowing the canoe. In the days of birchbark canoes, this was a vital downstream manoeuvre; it enabled the crews to slow the boat and protect the bow from impact in rocky rapids. In the days of plastic canoes, it is a bit of an anarchic technique, although it can occasionally still be useful, and it is another set of challenges. The canoe needs to be stern light, so either using a heavy load upfront or the poler themselves, the weight needs to be ahead of the mid thwart. Again, a square stance. Heading downstream to pole is placed well ahead and at a low angle. The canoe can be held stationary or speed gradually jabbed off of it. The pole does not cross the body diagonally: if it gets stuck, a diagonal pole will sweep you out of the canoe as you pass under it. To use the other side, the pole goes over the head before replanting. 

Photo 17/18:

By slowing and changing the angle, it is possible to reverse ferry to move position on the descent or even reverse ferry directly into a target eddy. Note: you can see the stern light trim. Without this, the current will get hold of the stern and push them back into turn. 

Photo 19:

I do allow the pole to cross the body for a sideways push. I do not slow the canoe in this position as the risk of a pole jamming is too high.  

Remember that there are two types of poler, those of us that have swum and those of you that are going to. So be prepared for that unexpected exit.