Canoe, kayak enthusiast offers tips for beginning paddlers
Aug. 18—Canoe and kayak fishing enthusiast Bryan Ford of Thompson, North Dakota, offers these safety tips and suggestions — in order — for beginning paddlers. The advice could also apply to paddlers of all skill levels.
* Wear your lifejacket at all times.
* Take a course on canoeing or kayaking.
* Travel with someone or a group of very experienced canoeists.
* Self rescue, flip a canoe or kayak in chest-high water and try to get back in.
* In fast-moving water, keep your paddle in the water as long as you can and don't stop paddling — especially the front person.
* When you enter a canoe, be prepared. Have your sunscreen applied, your paddle in your hand, fishing gear ready, hat on and secured, etc. Ford said he was told by a ranger that someone has died on every falls along one route with eight waterfalls in Ontario's Quetico Provincial Park.
* Keep heavier items in the bottom of your craft.
* Wear sunscreen and sun protection.
* Carry a floating water bilge pump.
* Watch YouTube videos on canoeing and read books from experts on canoeing.
* Learning the different types of paddling techniques; S-stroke from a J-stroke are the two most important.
* Use some kind of water protection for gear, especially in cold weather. Use super heavy duty garbage bags, if nothing else, and tie them shut.
* Learn to read the weather. Watch the high clouds vs. lower clouds, wind changes and wind speed. Get off the water in stormy weather. Don't push your luck.
* Don't wear cotton, wear quick-dry clothing. Wool is a go-to choice for Ford.
* Learn to navigate, use maps, compass and read the sun. Don't rely on electronics.
* Tie a piece of rope to the back of the canoe, something to grab onto if you flip and swim your canoe.
* First aid knowledge.
* Paddling in unison with the other paddler in your canoe saves on correction strokes. — staff report
