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Yes, it is easy to be misunderstood, isn’t it? Your stern paddler – the person in the back seat of the canoe - could just be telling you to go to shore. On the other hand, perhaps not. Well, which is it, you wonder? Are we going to run this rapid and if so, how? Or do we walk around it, picking berries along the trail that leads around that maelstrom of whitewater. Running the rapid presents a new dilemma. How are we going to survive this rapid? The argument rages on: power forward as fast as possible or be a wimp and slow down. Of course, we know what the usual response is and we have seen plenty of people flipping and swamping to prove it. Well, after a dozen years behind a paddle, I think I have figured it out. Communicating (another article topic) with your partner, you must make a quick decision and set up: then paddle in, pull forward hard or paddle in, pull backward hard. Usually, one bad decision has a devastating effect so it is very important to know, ahead of time, which you are going to do. |
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Now, the second occasion is a little more complicated. In fact, I am going to discuss it after I talk about the Ottawa River. The reason for this divergence is that the Ottawa presents conditions directly related to the first occasion, described above. Now, you may have perfected your backferry. I know I have--more or less--but my advice to you is to stow it on the Ottawa. This river is full of holes and diagonal waves and is rated in the international rapid-rating scale (Grade 1 to 6, with 6 being a falls) in low water, at grade 4 and 5. The haystacks are below the holes and you will not make it to them unless you are in a kayak. The trick on the Ottawa is to paddle very aggressively. Set up to the left or right but inside the vee, then power hard across the diagonal wave to the outside and then around the hole and the haystacks æ easy once you have it. I should know: I made the backferry mistake once, only once. And holes are nasty items when you are swimming them, especially for legs. |
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Bill Mason, Canadian paddling icon and celebrated author and filmmaker, is probably the person most referenced, especially by new paddlers, when it comes to paddling technique. His books and movies are very widely honoured, as is his advice. Most of us, once we become obsessed with the sport, consider his first book, Path of the Paddle, required reading. However, while reading explains the basics, only hands-on experience makes a good paddler and having river reading skills as well as paddling technique is de rigeur. The trick is to know which technique to use in any particular river condition. |
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Understanding the second application for a backferry will
help if you first get a picture of it in your mind (figure 2.) I recommend
doing this before you encounter a backferry situation. That is, you need
to know what to do before you find yourself in a big current that is sending
you into the sweepers or overhanging trees and rocks at the outside of
a bend in the river. The key is to plan ahead. Do not wait until you are
in the corner current before acting. Get ready, set up and paddle whether
backferrying or powering through the diagonals. |
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Bill talks about many paddling techniques and the backferry is probably the most difficult concept to grasp. Yet, it is one of the most important and miraculous maneuvers you will use. While its primary function is to slow you down in big water, the technique also gives you control of the canoe's trajectory in the case of obstacles you must avoid. Sometimes you need to slow the boat down to achieve this, while other occasions require you to power at full speed, or as Bill puts it: "turn on the coal," with the help of a backferry technique. Bill discusses two types of backferries and herein begins the confusion. |
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If you have ever sailed, you will understand how keeping the sail slightly off the wind creates and controls wind power. You can control the amount of power by moving the sail. The same principle applies in current as in wind. The backferry principle requires you to understand that three things work together to create one effect. 1) The bow of the canoe must point upstream to some degree. This angle must be judged and set only by the stern paddler who can see the entire canoe. 2) The degree of angle depends on the strength of the current: the stronger the current, the steeper the upstream angle. That is, the more upstream the bow must be pointing.This angle controls how much force of water is exerted on the upstream side of the canoe. 3) Once the angle is set, bow pours on the coal while stern stokes and maintains the angle. |
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To grasp the concept of the backferry, keep in mind that two types are possible for distinct occasions and with distinct techniques, though they are related. Two concepts are vital to both. The first is that the technique requires backward paddling; the second is that both paddlers must do this in unison or the boat will turn incorrectly. Without these, the backferry will not work. The boat may (will, most likely) lean upstream because the current is pushing along its length at the waterline causing a natural upstream tilt. Water will rush in over the gunwales unless you are both quick enough with a low brace and a body lean downstream, rather than grabbing the gunwales. … The first occasion (figure1) is fairly easy to picture. When a rocky chute or abrupt narrowing funnels water, haystacks are often produced below it. These piles of water can be several feet high. When your bow plunges into them, your canoe will fill up and swamp, whereby you will lose control and float into the drink. The remedy is simple. You have only to slow down so as to rise over the top of the peaks rather than diving into them. The necessary action is for bow and stern to paddle backwards. Figure 1 (pg.65) Technically, this is not a true backferry but backpaddling to make your canoe go slower than the current. Angling your canoe into the waves will greatly improve the effect and minimize waves washing into the boat. The canoe now floats up over the waves rather than plunging through them. Timing is critical: slow down on the rise and speed up a bit on the fall. You will stay relatively dry and in glorious control. If you refer to Path of the Paddle, you will find Bill giving you this exact advice although in a longer version. Check page 85-8 |
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in a backward motion. Figure 2 (pg.111) The backward motion and angle together counterbalance the predominant action of the current on the canoe. The canoe floats gently, angled to one side and safely downstream, away from danger and in glorious control. If the backferry is not working, the angle is wrong or you have not turned on enough coal. At this point, only the bow paddler can fix the angle. Keep in mind that it may take a few strokes to work, so do not quit. Keep paddling. Backpaddling and backferring are such useful techniques and can actually stop the canoe in the current as well as safely saving your bacon. Use them when you need some time to think about what to do next. But remember if either paddler stops paddling, the manoeuvre will not work. Your canoe may crash into the rocks and trees perhaps dump and get pinned under the water. In a backferry, unless both paddlers brace and lean downstream, the boat will flip: end of manoeuvre: beginning of swim. On the other hand, you can eddy out above the rapid, which isn't so bad. You can make berry pudding for dessert.E.Sinclair
Reference: Bill Mason, Path of the Paddle, Key Porter Books, Toronto, 1984 Other Mason books of interest: |
