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 side slipping a Canoe

Moving the boat sideways while moving forwards is an essential skill that can get you out of difficult situations. As an example, it is often easier to miss an obstacle by moving the boat a short distance sideways using its momentum, rather than trying to turn and ending up broached on the rock you were trying to avoid. So in all the following descriptions, the canoe is moving straight and forward before applying the stroke.

If you can do draws strokes and cross draws then you are well on the way. To perform a hanging draw, the canoe needs forward speed. In the photo (Side slips 1 in the photo above) the blade is in the draw position with the indicator thumb pointing to the stern. Chest and knees are rotated to the paddling side. The blade is then put in parallel to the direction of travel and level with your hip. The power face of the blade is towards the canoe, and the indicator thumb is pointed backwards. The blade should be slicing through the water.

After a split second, you gently rotate the leading edge (photo sideslip 2 in the gallery below) of the blade away from the canoe. This allows water to hit the blade’s inside face, (photo sideslip 3 in the gallery below) providing a strong pulling action – the canoe sideslips to the paddle side. Putting the blade into slice allows you to gently open the blade to a pressure you can manage. Putting it in with an angle already on it jars you and easily turns the canoe.

There is rarely a perfect spot for the paddle, and the best of us will make minute adjustments as we move. The canoe often starts to turn rather than move sideways. If the canoe turns to the paddle side, close the blade’s angle so that it is slicing parallel to the boat and then move the paddle back and reopen. If it turns away from the paddle side, move the blade forwards. A real key is not to give up if the canoe starts to turn but to keep with it and move the blade.

The hanging draw can be done cross deck (cross-deck hanging draw). As the paddle swings across, slide your knees to face the off-side (photo sideslips 4 and 5 in the gallery below). The power face of the blade is towards the canoe, and the indicator thumb points forward. The blade should be put in parallel to the centreline and then gradually opened until pressure is felt. The blade goes into the water level to where it would be in the hanging draw on the opposite side; so if your hanging draw is working, choose the same spot on the off-side: you can use a rivet, your body, or a piece of tape as a marker.

The running pry is a dynamic method of sideslipping your canoe away from your paddle side (photo sideslips 6 in the gallery below). If you have mastered the hanging draw, this does the same move but without swapping sides. Instead of the leading edge of the blade being angled away from the canoe, it is angled towards it. The shaft is on the side of the canoe, so there is no pressure on you. The boat has forward momentum. The blade is slashed in from behind and the side. As the blade is angled then the moment the paddle connects with the hull, it will kick the canoe sideways away from the paddle side.

Sideslipping a tandem canoe

I use this as an emergency avoidance stroke on a white water river. Slam the running pry in as far forwards as possible, kicking the bow away from the paddling side and an obstacle. Then allow the paddle to slide back along the gunwale to push the rest of the canoe away from the rock/log.

When sideslipping a tandem canoe, the idea is to go from travelling forwards in a straight line to travelling forwards and sideways. It is satisfying and slick when done well. Several different strokes are combined, the action of the bow paddler being matched by the stern. It is an awesome exercise in teamwork.

The canoe has forward speed (photo sideslip 7 in the gallery below), and the bow paddler does a hanging draw. As the bow begins to move sideways, a stern rudder is used to cause the stern to follow suit. The bow leads the move. If the bow points away from the move, it will cause the sideslip to stall.

Photo sideslip 8 in the gallery below shows a bow jam paired with a hanging draw.

Photo sideslip 9 in the gallery below. A cross-deck hanging draw at the bow is matched with a stern hanging draw at the back. Note the amount of chest rotation used to get strong positions for the arms.

It is sometimes difficult to know how well these manoeuvres are going, so try parallel parking at a jetty or use buoys to gauge your success.

But make no mistake, these are not strokes just for flatwater play or manoeuvring but useful in white water as well (photos sideslips 10 and 11 as in the gallery above).