Low Brace

SEA KAYAKING TIPS

Sea Kayaking:

Low Brace

Laurie Gullion

A low brace is helpful when the canoe wants to roll you toward your paddle. It is performed best from a kneeling position with a lowered center of gravity. Kneel in the canoe with your paddle in the resting or at-the-ready-position, and follow these steps to perform a low brace.

1) Without changing your grip on the paddle, roll the blade over so the backface presses against the water.

2) Face your grip-hand knuckles down towards the water to roll the paddle over.

3) Keep the paddle shaft perpendicular to the centerline for the strongest brace.

4) Extend the paddle away from the canoe so your grip hand is near or in the water, which keeps the blade near the water surface.

5) Press down on the knee closest to the paddle to move the gunwale out of the way and lean the canoe to simulate the capsize.

6) Press the blade against the water and quickly use this pressure as a platform from which to push yourself and the canoe upright.

7) Push down on the knee and hip farthest from the paddle to bring the canoe back to a neutral position.

8) Slide the paddle shaft back toward the canoe as you remove the lean to level the canoe, and return the paddle to the resting position.

-- Excerpted from Canoeing: A Woman's Guide