Rough Water Handling by Doug Cooper

[...]

Has anyone read the book entitled, "Rough Water Handling" by Doug Cooper. (I saw it listed in the books section of the Body Boat Blade store.) If so, would you recommend it? If not, any other good books on rough water handling? Seems like these cold winter nights are a good time to curl up with a good book.

Warren

[josko]

I like this book a lot and got a lot out of it. The terse, powerpoint style makes it hard to read cover to cover, but I found it a great reference when I'm stuck on a particular move or set of conditions. There's a lot of information in there.

[...]

Josko,

Thank you for your insights. I suspect I will be adding this book to my library.

I have spent most of my paddling career finding way around rough water. Now I need to understand the dynamics involved and see if I can cultivate at least a tolerance for those conditions. Who know, maybe I will drink the Kool Aid and start to enjoy at least the intellectual exercise involved in successfully navigating those waters.

Warren

[Pintail]

Warren, I do not know <this> book; but I had one called "Sea Kayaking Rough Waters" by Alex Matthews and would not <particularly> recommend it. By all means, buy this one; but your best way forward would surely be to take one of those Rough Water classes that are available locally -- there is an annual (?) symposium conducted down in Connecticut, with certain illustrious Brits in attendance, and there are one or two instructors hereabouts who will help you. Personally, I reckon you just need to get <out> in it! There are one or two spots where you can play in current, in preparation -- why don't you go (with one or two friends, whom you trust) back up to Maine and go play at Sullivan Falls? Even more locally, there are some small spots where you can play and get used to faster-running water...

Edited January 27, 2014 by Pintail

[...]

Chris,

Thank you for your insight into the Alex Matthews book. You are absolutely correct that a book should never be a substitute to structured learning from a good BCU trained coach. We are very fortunate to paddle in a section of the world where excellent coaches are available. Funny that you mention Sullivan Falls since a few of us have been speaking with a great coach about using that venue to improve our skills before returning to Cobscook Bay later in the season.

Chris, if Alaska beckons, and I am not eaten by bears or mosquitoes, I may want to explore the Kenai Peninsula next year. That is when the rough water skills would be essential. For me, I need to first get my head around a series of actions and create a need for the skill. The structure learning enables my body to follow where the mind leads. That is how I learn.

Of course, I may change it up completely and just paddle in ponds and lakes. Well......maybe not.

Warren

Edited January 27, 2014 by Warren

[billvoss]

Has anyone read the book entitled, "Rough Water Handling" by Doug Cooper.

The Amazon reviews were good enough that a used copy was ordered for me as an X-mas present. It should arrive in February.

[EEL]

Warren:

If your interest is in paddling in dynamic, flowing water as opposed to "rough" seas, you might find going to the NH AMC WW school very useful as well as doing a few of the follow up WW trips. It is a great experience although it is done when the water is just a few degrees above freezing. Does not seem to matter though.

Ed Lawson

[...]

Ed,

Burrrrrr......

Just the thought of a cold water immersion today gives me a chill.

Warren

[PeterB]

Rough water paddling is not always a demonstration of thrill seeking, chest thumping or drinking cool aid; it can at times be, ironically, the safest and most conservative means of getting someplace.

EG: While paddling with a group in San Francisco Bay , we rounded Angel Island during the ebb;

a bumpy tide race vectored out from the southeastern point of Angel Island ; to our right , just around the corner and hugging the shore, was calm looking water.

(The attached diagram shows Angel Island, the location and direction of the tide race in blue, our route in black, and the eddies in dark red.)

While it looked appealing to avoid the bumpy looking tide race, head into this calm looking eddy and make our way along the shore , we would then in fact have been paddling against eddy currents (red arrows) of maybe 2 knots, instead we veered left, and into the wave train and bumpety bumped for about half a mile towards our destination. Taking the bumpety route for ten minutes saved us an arduous, time consuming and energy sapping slog through smooth water.

Much of kayaking is maddeningly counterintuitive!

[John Martinsen]

Get a smaller boat. I picked up a surf boat a few years ago, started kayak surfing, and feel I've learned a huge amount from that. Great to get out in the surf boat for even an hour every few weeks during the winter, if it's not polar vortex cold. Ditto for getting out in a little white water, helps tremendously with bracing, edging, and rolling.

[kate]

I third the suggestion to try whitewater paddling. You will learn a huge amount about how to read what the water is doing, how that affects your boat, and how to maneuver through it and use it. Okay, wait until it warms up a little. Then go visit Zoar and spend a weekend or two on the river. Before you know it, you'll be hunting out the roughwater places to go have some fun.

[billvoss]

The NH AMC Paddler's White Water School is being held in April for 2014.

The Boston AMC White Water Schools will be later in the year.

-Bill

Disclaimer: I've volunteered as a NH AMC White Water instructor again this year.

[EEL]

Warren:

Thank you for making me aware of Cooper's book. Bought it and after a few days this is my take. It is excellent, but it is quite dense as in amount of info per page. I find it is best read in small sections with concentration and in conjunction with mentally replaying bits of water and visualizing going through sequences de3scribed in book. I rather thinki I will be going back to it time after time next season.

Ed Lawson

[Jed]

If reading helps with your process, then by all means read anything and everything that you feel will help Of course, nothing short of getting out in the chop and confused water will drive all the theory into practical skills.

There are lots of ways to dial-in just enough excitement to promote learning without exposing yourself to the kind of death-defying feats of elite storm paddlers. Slow moving water can teach you a lot about how currents and eddy's work. White water is great for this but if that's too intense, you may want to try milder stuff - there's plenty to be had in the local area. Just watch your current direction vs wind direction (bodies in the water are carried by the current while boats are pushed by the wind).

Surf zones (inside the breakers) and rock gardens are great for learning how to chill-out while the boat is being pushed around beneath you. There are small races all over the place (Sullivan Falls, The Piscat @ Portsmouth and upriver, the Straight between Long Island and Peaks @ Casco, Woods Hole, etc) there's not enough space to name them all. I have a preference for those features in the ocean and larger rivers since the exposure is normally limited to a small area and the wash-out is huge and knackered-paddler friendly.

You'll find most paddlers will gladly help out someone looking to push their limits a bit into the rougher water games. When you do well, they'll be your cheering section and when you slip-up, they'll take advantage of the opportunity for rescue practice - so everybody wins!!. Once you get comfortable with swimming a little in rough water, then a class (or a few) of some sort is highly recommended.

cheers and good luck,

Jed

[EEL]

Jed

Jed? As in Jed Luby? Taking a break from the guitar?

Ed Lawson