Welcome to the fourth article in the series which aims to cover the B.C.U. (British Canoe Union) kayak and canoe Star Awards and looks in detail at how the required skills can be developed.  The Four Star award is where we put into practise all the strokes we have learnt on the BCU 1-3 Star courses.

The Four Star award is very different from the other awards in that it mainly concentrates on controlling a boat on moving water by applying the strokes we have already covered in the last three issues.

The award is divided up into four sections; theory, equipment, practical on flat water and practical on grade 2 water.

Theory.

The theory elements of the Four Star award are quite involved and cover such topics as equipment, safety, first aid, access to British waters, the environment, planning a river trip, general knowledge of the sport, group awareness and map work. The best way to gain knowledge and experience of the above, is to get involved with other more experienced canoeists and get out there and do lots of river trips. This combined with reading books such as the B.C.U. Canoeing Handbook will give you the necessary knowledge for the award. It is also a very good idea to go on a First Aid course if you have not already done so, since knowing how to deal with an incident is even more vital on rivers where access to immediate help can be difficult.

Equipment.

The kayak and paddle need to be suitable and in good enough condition to cope with the rigours of paddling on grade 2 water, and the boat should be fitted out with integral buoyancy, thigh grips and a good foot rest system. It is also very important that the boat is "customised" to fit the paddler properly by padding out the seat with hip pads and the thigh grips if necessary with closed cell foam or an equivalent. This is essential since the paddler will not be able to control the boat's edging properly if they are sliding around on the seat.

Personal clothing

Personal clothing obviously needs to be tailored to the conditions but since most white water paddling in this country occurs during the colder months of the year, the emphasis is usually on keeping as warm and as dry as possible. Most paddlers will either choose to wear a "Long John" wet suit or a pair of wind proof SALOPETTES with a fibre pile/fleece lining, combined with a thermal vest and a fleece paddling top. The advantage of a fibre pile system is that it is much warmer and more flexible than a wet suit when you are paddling, but is colder if you fall in. They do however, warm up very quickly once you are back in your boat. Wet suits are actually designed to work whilst immersed, so when choosing between the two systems, the question you need to ask yourself is "how often am I going to swim" and more crucially if I do swim, how cold is the water and how long am I likely to be immersed in it! It is worth bearing in mind that neoprene is not very wind-proof so a pair of light weight over-trousers radically improves their thermal properties by both trapping a layer of air and providing wind resistance. Most canoeists will also opt for a pair of neoprene boots in cold conditions. A good quality cag is also essential to keep you warm and investing in a dry cag for the winter months can make a considerable difference to how comfortable you are.

Buoyancy aid, helmet and spray cover.

Buoyancy aid, helmet, spray deck and the all important skull cap

These are all essential items for white water canoeing and should conform to the relevant standards. Condition and fit is everything here so make sure your deck has an effective release strap, your helmet fits properly and you buoyancy aid not only fits but keeps you afloat. This sounds daft but I do know a paddler who at the end of a grade five river jumped into the lake and was almost completely submerged whilst wearing his old buoyancy aid!! Many older canoeists are now suffering from a condition called exostoces which is more commonly known as "surfers ear". It is caused by bones in the outer ear growing in response to the ear being regularly exposed to cold water and can result in severely impaired hearing, which may require surgery to correct. With the refinement of playboating techniques and better gear to protect the paddler against the cold, this problem is becoming much more common in both young and not so young paddlers. So if you want to avoid "loss of hearing", I would recommend as a first form of defence taping up the holes around the ears of your helmet, or better still, wear a skull cap. Ignore this problem at your peril!! (See Photo).

For details on the other equipment you will need to carry relating to the award please refer to the B.C.U. 4 Star syllabus. This is obtainable from the British Canoe Union Tel: 0115-982-1100 or your nearest B.C.U. Approved Canoe School that is specialising in these type of courses. If you have any problems please contact Kent Canoe Services on 01732-886688 and we will be pleased to forward a copy on to you.

Practical on Flat Water

Eskimo rolling.

Ideally you should be able to roll before covering moving water skills, it saves a lot of swimming!  Please see our eskimo rolling article "Eskimo rolling" . The best way to learn to roll is by going on a rolling course and then get access to a swimming pool through a local canoe club so you can put into practise what you have learnt. Regular reinforcement of what you have learnt on a course is essential if you are going to be able to use the roll for real in a white water situation.

Rescuing and towing a capsized paddler.

There are basically three methods of rescuing a capsized paddler. 1. The most commonly used method in moving water is to get the paddler to hang on to the back of your boat whilst you tow them to the bank. 2. If the paddler is fairly light it may be possible for them to climb onto the back of your boat. This will make paddling faster but reduces stability and therefore requires more skill. 3. The third method is only suitable on flat water (say at the bottom of a rapid) where the paddler can hang on to the front of the rescuers boat. This method has the advantage of being able to see and easily reassure the paddler but is dangerous on white water where there is a risk of hitting a rock and banging the front of the boat into the person being rescued.

Practical on Grade 2 Water

Forward paddling.

Good forward paddling is about transferring power from the paddle to the boat. At this level most paddlers can paddle a kayak effectively, but to paddle really efficiently we need to combine paddle, body and boat movements perfectly. Paddle position: Aim to place the blade in at the front of the boat somewhere in line with your toes. The blade should be positioned a few inches from the edge of the boat. The idea is that when you pull it through the water, the stroke is parallel to the centre line of the boat. Clip the blade out level with your hips. Any further back and you will be lifting water which is inefficient. Lift the blade out to about shoulder level and push forward whilst taking a stroke on the opposite side and repeat the sequence. Body position: We should be leaning slightly forward and twisting our body from the waist as we place the paddle at the front of the boat for the start of the stroke. Our back should be straight so we can use our powerful back muscles effectively as we untwist our body during the first part of the stroke. Our head should upright and we should be looking forward not down at the front of the boat. Boat: We can transfer extra power by pushing on our foot rest on the opposite side to which we are paddling. We can keep the boat running flat by maintaining a our forward body position as discussed above.

Breaking into moving water.

Breaking in Breaking into moving water can cause a few stability problems when learning this skill for the first time. There are however, a few key coaching points which will resolve this. The most unstable piece of water is where the fast flowing water meets the calm flat water. This is know as the eddy line. In order to successfully break in, this must be crossed as swiftly and smoothly as possible. The key to doing this is to: 1. Allow plenty of space in the eddy, build up speed so you can cross the eddy line quite fast. 2. Aim to cross the eddy line pointing upstream at about 45 degrees to the current. 3. To avoid water rushing onto the upstream edge of the boat, edge the boat down stream just before you cross the eddy line and maintain this edge. 4. To help penetrate the eddy line and assist in edging the boat down stream, try using the following combination of strokes. Aim to place your last power stroke on the down stream side of the boat as you cross the eddy line. This should power you into the main stream. Immediately follow this by a low brace turn on the down stream side of the boat. Follow this by sculling the blade forwards on the same side and take the first power stroke on the same side. This method has the advantage of keeping all the initial strokes on the down stream side of the boat. In our experience of teaching white water skills, most beginners to white water tend to capsize when they have levelled the boat in the main current and taken the first power stroke on the opposite side to the low brace turn. This sequence of strokes helps beginners to white water canoeing quickly master break-in techniques and considerably reducing the number of capsizes. N.B. if you are breaking into a narrow jet of water you can modify this technique by using a reverse sweep stroke after the low brace turn to spin the boat round quicker.

Stopping and reverse ferry gliding.

Reverse ferry gliding

One of the key skills a paddler needs on a white water river is to be able to control the boat's speed and position in the main flow. A boat can only be steered when there is a difference in speed between the river and the boat. I.e. it must be either moving faster or slower than the water. Technical rivers often dictate that the paddler slows the boat down by paddling backwards in order to pick the right line and make successful break-outs quickly. In order to alter the boat's line in the main flow, a paddler needs to: 1. Slow the boat down or stop the boat by reverse paddling 2. Adjust the boat's angle so the boat is slightly across the current, and at the same time, lift the boat's upstream edge slightly to allow the moving water to flow under the hull. 3. Paddle backwards to "ferry glide" the boat across the current to your new line. N.B. If you want to move to your right, the boat's stern needs to be pointing towards the right and bank and visa versa.

Breaking Out.

Breaking out

Breaking out of the main flow requires planning and anticipation and is probably the most important safety skill you can ever learn. The key to successful break-outs is to: 1. Keep a sharp eye out for a suitable eddy to break into. You should be looking some distance down stream to allow yourself enough time to hit it. 2. When you spot the eddy, adjust the boat's angle in the main current so that the bow of the boat is pointing at the top of the eddy. You can use either a forward or reverse sweep to do this. 3. Paddle fast across the eddy line at about 45 deg. to the current. 4. Do a low brace turn as you cross the eddy line, and edge the boat hard into the turn. (see photo). 5. Only level the boat when it has lost most of its turning momentum to avoid capsizing in the eddy.

Forward Ferry Glides.

Forward ferry glide

A forward ferry glide is a very useful technique to move from one eddy to another on the opposite side of the river. This often helps to achieve "maximum line of sight" down a rapid, for example where the river bends, the best line of sight may be behind a rock on the opposite side of the river. The easiest way to do a forward ferry glide is to break into the current using a much sharper angle of attack and keep paddling across the current whilst edging the boat downstream. You may find it useful whilst learning the correct angle to use, to apply an initial strong forward sweep stroke as you cross the eddy line, on the down-stream side of the boat. The angle the boat crosses the eddy line depends on the speed and nature of the water you are crossing. The faster the current the more you will need to point the boat upstream and the harder you will need to paddle to reach the eddy on the far side of the river. You will also need more boat speed and more edge to break across the stronger eddy line. N.B. As you break into the eddy on the far side of the river you will need to apply opposite edge to keep the boat on balance.

Using a throw line.

We will be covering the use of throw lines in much greater detail in another issue. However, at Four Star level you should be able to accurately use a throw line over a distance of around 10m's. There are basically two types of throws. An under-arm throw which is useful when the swimmer in need of rescue is some distance away, and an over-arm throw which is used from high banks or where over-hanging trees would cause an entanglement if an under arm throw is used. Once the swimmer is on the end of the throw line you will feel a strong tug. To counter this it is important to be in a position where you can resist this pull and "play" the swimmer into an eddy. To do this you will need to use a waist/shoulder belay. (see photo). N.B. It is essential to always carry a knife when using a throw line just in case the rope gets tangled.                                           Under arm throw                               Over arm throw                                 waist belay

Surfing small waves:

Surfing small waves

Surfing waves is another useful technique for crossing the river or just having fun!! The technique is to break in as if you were going to do a forward ferry glide, but instead of paddling, just allow the speed of the boat as it slides down the wave to provide the power to cross the current. You have two methods of controlling you position on the wave: 1 The angle of the boat in relation to the current determines how fast you cross the current 2. How far you lean forwards and/or backwards determines whether you move up or down the wave. To successfully learn how to cross a wave you need to balance these two techniques, but as a general rule, on fast/steep waves you will need to lean further forward (to avoid being washed off the back), and will require much less boat angle because the force of gravity will mean you will move much faster across the wave.

Paddling in and out of small stoppers:

Paddling in and out of stoppers

Learning how to paddle into and out of stopper is an essential river running skill since sooner or later you will accidentally find yourself in one! The technique is as follows: 1. Paddle into the stopper by aiming the bow of the boat a few feet upstream of the stopper and allow the boat to drop into the hole. 2. At the same time it is critical to make sure that the upstream edge of the boat is raised so the water can run cleanly under the hull. 3. Once in the stopper the first thing you need to do is find the point of balance. Do this by using either a sculling support or preferably a low or high brace. (To save energy). 4. When things are stable and under control, link sculling the blade forwards with forward paddle strokes to move along and out the end of the stopper. In larger stoppers it may be necessary to use a stroke called a bow draw to lift the front of the boat out of the hole. N.B. Make sure you practise in safe open ended stoppers and only practise when accompanied by experienced white water canoeists.

Journeying:

If you wish to take a Four Star Assessment you will need to have gained experience of day trips on grade 2 rivers.

And that's it on Four Star techniques for this month. The above article needs to be read in conjunction with the full B.C.U. Four Star syllabus which is obtainable from the British Canoe Union Tel: 0115-982-1100 or your nearest B.C.U. Approved Canoe School that is specialising in these type of courses. If you have any problems please contact Kent Canoe Services on 01732-886688 and we will be pleased to forward a copy onto you.

Happy paddling!!

All text and pictures Copyright Kent Canoes 2006