Up the creek without a paddle

(or Poling - the easiest way to get up a river)

 

Of all the skills in canoeing, the art of poling is one that is treated like marmite - paddlers either love it or hate it.  Hopefully this article will remove a few of the myths, unveil the simplicity of it and help you onto the path of true poling love! 

One of the most beautiful things about the canoe is that you can travel to and explore parts of the world that most other people can’t get to. By using a pole as well as a paddle,  you get an advantage over other canoeists.  Being able to pole gives you the ability to travel effortlessly through very shallow water, easily work your way up river or against the wind, and gets you to places that others struggle to find, which opens up whole new areas to discover and explore.  Within the realm of canoe wilderness trips it is without doubt one of the most useful tools you can have, and all you require is a pole.

So to start you on your way you need to get a few basics solidly nailed. Perhaps the easiest way to get used to the position and controlling the pole is by trying it on land first. The pictures below show you the stances and how to hold the pole.

On land practise:

• Feet wide apart (shoulder width at least)

• Feet side by side

• Hands shoulder width apart on the pole

• Rotate at the waist so that the pole would be over the side of the canoe and parallel to centre line.

• Pole to be approx 45 degrees behind you (not vertical)

• Upper-most hand to be underneath the pole, bottom hand to be on top of the pole. This creates a rotation effect which forces the end against the bottom

• Looking behind helps to get pole in the right place.

• Ensure that the pole is pointing totally forward, no sideways or diagonal angles are wanted.

  

  So do the above, get into a canoe and give it a try! Remember that you are trying to push the canoe forward by using the pole wedged against the bottom, not trying to push the pole hard into the ground.  The pole will push the canoe in which ever direction the pole is facing. At the end of the “push” allow the pole to float in the water, acting as a stern rudder. If you find that the canoe doesn’t travel in a straight line, this is normally because of one of two reasons - either you haven’t rotated at the waist enough to get the pole parallel to the centre line of the canoe, or you aren’t doing a little rudder at the end of the push.

    On water check list:

  • Stand back of centre (standing towards the back end gives you more control over the steering of the canoe)

  • Feet shoulder width apart

  • Back of legs braced against a thwart or seat if possible

  • Ensure the pole is parallel to centre and push the canoe forward, at the end of the push use the pole as a stern rudder to do some steering

  • 'Hand over hand' along the pole gives a longer power phase, but takes longer to get ready for next push

  • 'Stabbing' moves the boat less, but allows you to get the power back on far quicker than hand over hand.

  • Allow the pole to act as a stern rudder at the end of each “push”

     

     

     

     

     

    
    The next stages:

    Once you have got confident at moving the canoe about on flat water you need to get yourself onto a gentle flow so that you can get used to controlling the pressures and flows.  Learning to lock the canoe in place in the middle of the flow really is a key skill. Get someone to hold your canoe in place while you get used to doing it.

     

     

     

     

     

    This is the point at which good instruction will pay dividends, to give you the skills to take your poling to the next level, and enabling you to get up rivers in the footsteps of the original voyageurs, making the eddies and calms as you learn to learn to travel upstream to places few will get to.

    Richard Witheridge - Chief Instructor, ProAdventure Ltd

    Copyright 2007

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