Paddling a Canoe Single-Handed
The open, or Canadian-model, canoe is, of course, handled more easily and with better speed with two paddlers but there are occasions when the canoe is used single-handed. When out for a few hours’ paddle, the canoeist usually balances the craft by sitting on the bow seat—or kneels on the bottom with his back against the bow-seat brace—and using the stern for the bow. This brings the paddler’s weight nearer the center and keeps the canoe better balanced than when paddling from the stern with the bow high in the air. However, when the canoe is loaded, many canoeists stow their camp duffle forward and paddle from the stern, the weight of the outfit keeping the craft on an even keel. This answers well enough for smooth-water going, but when the water is rough, or a stretch of rapids is run single-handed, the stern position is by no means a good one since the craft is more difficult to control, and much more strength is required to drive it forward. The Indian manner of paddling a canoe alone is the only correct one, for he always sits amidships—kneeling in the center—and if a load is carried, it is placed in front and back of him so that the craft is balanced on an even keel. Consequently the canoe draws less water and can be paddled faster with the same effort, while the paddler has the craft under perfect control. But the experienced line paddler does not kneel in the center, he moves out until his body is close to the gunwale. This makes the craft heel at a decided angle, it is true, but this position makes for better speed because it enables the paddle to be held almost vertical, and the more nearly perpendicular the paddle is swung the more efficient will be the stroke.
In using the double blade, the paddler dips first on one side, then on the other, and to make the blades travel through the air with the least resistance, it is customary to set them at right angles to each other. The motion is really a push and pull, the shaft of the paddle being rotated in the hands so that the blade will enter the water with the full breadth facing the canoeist. Rubber cups, to catch the drip as the paddle rises in the air when making the stroke, are sometimes used by novices, but these are unnecessary if the paddles are set at right angles, and the paddler will bend his wrist a trifle to throw the drip ahead and to one side. At the beginning, the novice will very likely throw a little water in the canoe, but a little practice will soon master the knack.