Sculling

 

What is Sculling?

I don't mean saying cheers in Swedish: skål, or  Icelandic: skál. Sculling  is a term used to describe two ways of propelling a boat using oars. One of those can also be used to propel a boat using a paddle. As a kayaker and canoeist, I'll focus on efficient paddle technique, but here is some context first.

Sculling or rowing?

Technically, there is a difference between sculling and rowing, particularly in competition, although the two terms are often used indiscriminately. Rowing (or sweep rowing) requires at least two oars, one oar for each rower. In other words, at least two people are needed to row, one oar each side. Only one person is needed to scull, using a pair of oars, one in each hand. But there is another way to scull. A single person can propel a boat using a to-and-fro movement with one oar, usually over the stern, although sometimes at the bow or over the side. 

Grab and pull method. (Or grab and push).

The sculler, facing the stern of the craft, grabs the water with both blades and pulls against them to propel the boat forward. The familiar sight of racing sculls with the scullers sitting low to the water, facing the stern using two oars, is a classic example, but many people scull small boats using two oars while facing forward. In this case the sculler grabs the water with both blades and pushes the craft forward. 

The three scullers facing the stern of the green boat work two oars each. The helmsperson (coxswain) in the back faces forward. Venice Italy.

Side-to side method, single oar.

The sculler swings a single oar thwartwise (from side to side) with the blade aligned to push the boat forward with every sideways swing.

Sculling a sampan with a single oar over the stern, using a side-to-side movement. Suzhou China.

A combination of the two techniques

Gondoliers use a modified version of sculling, using a single oar while standing in the stern facing the bow. They use the scull with a rowlock (the forcola) to one side of the stern, using a combination of the “grab the water and pull” action, and the “to-and-fro” movement. They never switch sides and mostly keep the blade in the water during recovery between strokes. The gondola is asymmetrical to make steering easier since the gondolier uses the oar to both propel and steer, always on the same side. The elevated position of the gondolier allows the oar blade to stay closer to the hull, making the gondola easier to navigate through the narrow Venetian canals. A sculler in a racing scull sits low, the oars reaching wide.

 

A gondolier sculls using a single oar to one side of the hull near the stern. Venice Italy.

Over-stern sculling

 All over the world, especially in Asia, a similar sculling movement is used over the stern of the boat. The back of a single oar or paddle, whichever is used, is engaged in a pushing mode. The leading edge of the oar is slightly closer to the stern than the trailing edge.

Sculling a Sampan with single oar blade in pushing mode at stern, Suzhou China (Above and in Video below)

Over the bow sculling

Coracles are circular, bowl shaped, so the bow in this case is more of a concept rather than a design feature. The paddler kneels or sits, sculling the craft with the face of the blade engaged, in pulling mode at the front. The coracle is used for fishing with a net, when the short paddle used single-handedly frees the other hand to work the net.  Coracle - Wikipedia. 

The sculling draw, to move sideways.

Canoeists and kayakers use sculling to pull their craft sideways with the face of the blade engaged. (We also use a similar blade action but starting with the blade flat on the water and moving the blade across the surface in the manner of a knife spreading butter, to aid or to recover balance. I’ll go into how to use that, another time.)

The blade action is a to-and-fro movement, with a slight adjustment of blade angle with each swing. The blade movement is most easily understood if we first imagine a pendulum action with the blade in neutral. That is, sliced edge-first with no pressure on either the face or the back of the blade.

If we angle the leading edge of the blade slightly away during each swing of the pendulum, the blade will try to climb sideways away from us. This is the pulling mode. This is the style used to pull a canoe or kayak sideways, or a coracle forward.

Pulling mode, here dragging the dock toward the right. For clarity, blade is shown partly immersed but it should be fully immersed when in action

If we angle the leading edge of the blade slightly closer to us than the trailing edge, the blade will try to climb sideways closer to us. This is the pushing mode, used for over-stern propulsion, and also to push a kayak or canoe sideways.

Pushing mode, here pushing the dock toward the left. For clarity, blade is shown partially immersed. It should be fully immersed in action.

Refining the paddle stroke.

Keep blade upright to go sideways, or flat to aid support.

The stroke is most effective at pulling the craft sideways when the blade is held upright: perpendicular to the water, with the blade fully immersed.  The closer the blade angle approaches horizontal, the less effective it gets at pulling sideways; it climbs to the surface rather than sideways from the craft. When it climbs to the surface it may be used to aid balance or recover it. A 45-degree angle to the water surface will offer a lot less sideways pulling effect compared to a 90-degree angle.

Here, the blade is used one-handed in pulling mode, the shallow water necessitating a low blade angle to the water of about 45°. While less effective at this angle, you'll notice it did offer some balance support. Lake Toba Indonesia

Positioning the top hand directly above the bottom hand throughout the stroke will prioritize the sideways pull, while lowering the top hand to the level of the deck will make the blade more useful in maintaining balance.

To maximize sideways movement, rotate your torso to face your direction of travel, hold your top arm straight, horizontal at shoulder level, over the water perpendicular to the side of the kayak. Control the blade angle with your lower hand. Pause momentarily at the end of each swing while you change the blade angle.

 Try using the paddle in the manner of a pendulum, with the top hand in a fixed position and compare the effectiveness to when you move both arms together, keeping the top hand vertically above the bottom hand. Does torso rotation help your draw stroke?

Figure of eight.

Watch your blade carefully throughout the stroke. During the pause at the end of each swing, when you change the blade angle ready for the return swing, your kayak or canoe will slide closer to the blade. To allow for this, the blade must creep a little farther from the hull during the following swing. This makes the motion of the paddle naturally describe a figure of 8, (8 on its side against the hull as shown) even when you try to simply pendulum the blade in straight lines. 

There is no need to deliberately focus on describing a figure of 8 with the blade, as this will occur naturally. Any deliberate pull toward the hull at the end of each swing will tend to make the kayak yaw while moving sideways.

Steering while moving sideways

You can steer by sculling with a lesser blade angle in one direction than in the other. You can also turn by sculling only at one end of the craft, leaving the other end almost stationary. Play with it!

Find more tricks and tips in my book, The Art of Kayaking.

Learn more about the author at nigelkayaks.com

Rips and Undertow explained

For many of us, after the calm of summer come autumn winds, and with the winds, rougher conditions along the coast. This is a time when it’s good to remember that hand in hand with the tumbling surf  comes the danger of undertow and rip currents that pull away from shore.

Powerful shore-break on Brighton beach can create undertow

Rips are formed by surf when white water tumbles down the face of breaking waves toward shore. That water then escapes along the beach to a deeper channel cutting out to sea through the surf line as a rip current. Beyond the break line, the current dissipates. Rip currents are relatively narrow and focused currents, that can flow much faster than a swimmer can swim. The water carried to shore by the surf will drain along the beach until it reaches a rip. You can often feel the sideways pull of this alongshore current against your ankles in shallow water, and by walking downstream locate the rip. If you pass the rip, you’ll feel the water flowing in the opposite direction.

Arrows show rip current. Look for breaks in the lines of surf and also moving water

Viewed from shore, the rip will appear as moving water with more confused wave patterns than the surf on either side, and with smaller waves. The scouring effect of the current gouges out a deeper channel. As the waves push in and slow against the current, they converge and crisscross and run off to either side, leaving a visibly calmer channel. Rips are most easily seen from elevation. Once you have located a rip, look for landmarks that will help you locate it from the water.

If caught in a rip, escape by swimming across the current. Once you are out of the current the surf will help push you toward shore again. You’ll be quickly exhausted if you try to swim to shore against the rip current and if If you do nothing, you’ll be carried beyond the surf, so swim across the current.

Launching through surf to sea kayak, or to go surfing, the rip can offer an easy way through the break. (You can also read more in my book The Art of Kayaking).In a rip the waves are smaller and more broken, and the current will help carry you from shore. The danger is that once you’ve been carried out, you’ll find the conditions more than you bargained for, and have difficulty returning to shore.

A rip can easily help carry you out farther than you might want

So, although paddling out against the surf can be exhausting, it’s best to locate and then avoid the rips to start with, at least you know how big and powerful the waves really are today. When battling through waves from the beach between rips, you can easily turn back when you choose, before you meet the biggest waves. If you find yourself beyond the break, waiting for a big set to ride the biggest waves, and you are comfortable with the conditions, then you might consider using a rip to make your paddling out easier.

A rip is not the same thing as undertow, although you’ll often find the terms misapplied. Undertow is caused by shore-breaks, rips are caused by surf. But the two sometimes work together when there is both surf and a powerful shore-break. Undertow is caused by the backwash returning down the beach after a wave has broken. In certain wave conditions beach cusps form as a series of scooped out hollows separated by spurs pointing seaward. Each beach cusp focuses the power of the shore-break into a tongue of water rushing up the beach which drains back into a narrow channel of rapid water often powerful enough to sweep a person from their feet. This focused backwash drags through the next breaking wave, so it can carry an unwary person beyond the shore-break into deep water.

Returning safely to the beach might require outside assistance: for example, a throw-line.

Beach cusps funnel backwash into jets that push out to sea as undertow

When a beach has both a sizable shore-break, and lines of breaking surf, you can find both undertow at the shore, and rips running out through the lines of surf. The undertow can feed a swimmer into current that runs into a rip. The rip can deliver the swimmer beyond the break into ocean current. People swept from a beach by undertow don’t always return.

Rips and Undertow are beach hazards. The Rips and Undertow Video Presentation takes about ten minutes and shows more clearly what is going on. If you find it useful, please spread the word, and be safe!

Escape to Blake

One of my favorite viewpoints of and from Seattle has always been from the Alaska Way viaduct that ran overlooking  the piers of Elliott Bay. Passing through Seattle on my shortest way home from the airport  I always looked forward to the rejuvenating  view to one side of the steep city streets and tower buildings, with to the other side a spectacular panoramic view of the piers, docks and beyond toward the Olympic Mountains.  

Demolition of the viaduct began this week. The city plans to replace the aging structure with a hopefully earthquake-proof toll-tunnel to by-pass the city center by 2016. Then my route will likely follow the dreary I-5 corridor. But there is an alternative way to experience the wide panorama without going through Seattle.

 
Out across Elliott Bay and past the peninsula of West Seattle is the small tree-covered Blake Island. 
 




From Seattle's Golden Gardens Park in northwest Seattle, Blake Island is just a short journey by kayak.   


A lighthouse-hopping mostly coastal route takes you past West Point lighthouse in Discovery Park, across the mouth of Elliott Bay to Alki Point lighthouse, then over the narrow channel to arrive at Blake Island. 


 A quieter more direct alternative down the center of Puget Sound from West Point lighthouse leads directly past the south end of Bainbridge Island to Blake; quiet that is apart from boat traffic which includes the occasional container ship bound to or from Seattle or Tacoma, and ferries crossing the sound. 

If you're lucky you might spot a passing orca or two.

 

 Blake Island is unbelievably calm compared to the mainland; an oasis of peace within sight of the city. A state park since 1959, the only development is at the northeast corner. Here is the Tillicum resort, with its boat docks and the largest of the island's three camp grounds. 

Ceramic artist Kristin Nelson of krikristudio

The rest of the island, logged of its forest in the mid-1800's at a time of strong timber demand from San Francisco, has grown back into what might be described as a wonderful woodland park.  Through this woodland meander miles of trails, including the round-the-perimeter trail of about 4 miles.

Black tailed deer

 

At the base of the spit on the west side  is the second largest camp ground. Boat moorings offer a mostly sheltered tie-up a few yards offshore the main camp sites. 

Photographer Joel Rogers sets his tent

A more exposed area of the spit is reserved for kayakers and canoeists and is part of the Puget Sound water trail. It's not wilderness, but it is a treat and retreat!
 

Water trail camp sites at the spit

Sunrise over Seattle

"In the view" between Blake Island and Seattle

Bacchanalian Baja

Kayaking without reason



This was a kayaking excursion but as with most good kayaking adventures... it's not just about the paddling. This tale also involves a burro in disguise... (no, that's not REALLY a zebra!)... and a critical volume of tequila (nobody knows exactly how much)


And in the good tradition of Aqua-Adventures adventures... (There HAVE been others... adventures... well, traditions too...) there was more to it behind first glance. Following festivities at a local bar/restaurant on March 31st (maybe I'll elaborate on those later...) had strayed beyond midnight, one person (I'll call her Jen to protect her identity) hatched the grand plan to open a zoo in a vehicle belonging to the Johnson kayak reps. This plan meant capturing wild animals from the plains of Mexico, and transporting them down the hill to the campground... starting with... yes, a zebra! It was dark... we didn't see the sign!

I have to say that I was amazed by the courage of AC-DC style rock singer Phil Hadley of England... who had earlier jolted the whole bar-full of youngsters onto the dance-floor with his inflammatory frontmanship... as he bent over to check out both ends of the zebra in the dark to figure out firstly which end was the front, and secondly whether the animal was male or female... I've always had a healthy respect for teeth and hooves... and the rest of the arsenal, so to speak. Brave man!


The zebra was tethered by a long rope... but didn't seem to want to move an inch from where she (Phil decided) stood. (Video clip by Russell Farrow... but don't tell Claudia)

It was then... in the silence of the wide plains of Mexico... quite close to the silent village... above the silent bay... that the zebra began to bray! The deafening foghorn of a sound echoed around the valley.

Two things then happened. First, almost every one of the brave hunters standing around the zebra sprinted off into the dark, followed by the sound of tumbling and crashing as they discovered the edge of the tall dusty bank down to the road. Second, the two remaining with the braying zebra (myself included) ran out breath through laughing so hard we became almost totally helpless.





Next day some of the group remained in disguise, just in case they could be identified...



Under the circumstances, if (Jen) had managed to borrow the burro, she could have ended up in a Mexican jail... which was exactly what happened to one of the two Johnson reps on the way back across the border, after the next, and our last, morning of paddling in Baja. (Jen), back at San Diego, received the phone call. Their vehicle had been impounded, one of them detained, perhaps indefinitely, leaving the other stranded at the border without transport. As (Jen) wrote down the details on her note-pad in dismay during the five minute phone call, she repeated out loud no less than three times for the dazed rep at the other end... yes... the date? Again? Yes... April first.

Oh and the other video clip? (Jen) kindly lent me her Point65 Whisky16 for the week... but with the repeated plea "PLEASE don't damage it". Of course, I love rock-hopping and playing in rough water... and I love the challenge of doing it without contacting rock... unlike someone else in her other fiberglass boat... how does the song go? "We don't tip-toe through the tidepools"? Well... of course what the eye doesn't see...

(There are more Baja 2009 images on my web-site nigelkayaks.com)

Kayaking in China

Kayaking in China....


Kayaking in China with our Chinese friends was an opportunity not to be missed! Our first excursion is on the Huang Pu River in an area where large barges on the main river transfer sand to smaller barges that can navigate the maze of narrower waterways that break the flat land into a mosaic.









Paul watches sand fall into an already heavily laden barge.









A line of moored sand barges stretch into the hazy distance...




We turn from the main river into a canal and explore a route through small villages and farmland













Richard passes a pig-pen on the left and chickens to the right, and heads for the setting sun.









We pull from the river near a bridge where our truck driver will find us. Jasmine (left) and Young play with their shoes while they wait.
















The Bund... Our second trip proved to be more spicy! Finding a place to launch in Shanghai close to the historic Bund district is not easy! But the rewards made it worth the search. At night the tall buildings of the Pudong district across the river are lit with colorful lights. Brightly lit ferries and tour boats cross paths with commercial barges and ships, while house-sized TV screens on barges show adverts!

The busy traffic kept us dodging, while wakes rebounded from the river walls and docks. The five of us kept close together for safety; five sets of eyes on the lookout for the next boat sliding away from a dock into the darkness.





Lina and Nigel... (with Richard, Paul and Staffan)... our truck driver somehow left all our paddling clothes at the factory and brought only kayaks and paddles...








Eventually we were spotted by police, and two police boats with sirens and flashing lights cornered us agaist the sea wall. With searchlights trained on us they shouted instructions through a megaphone in Chinese. We never made it back to our launch place.






On the phone, our Chinese legal representative translated for us. We were put ashore from the police boat onto a ferry ramp. Free again, we retreated with our kayaks to the nearest street.

(the group from left; Staffan, nigel, Paul, Richard and Lina.)

From snow to sunny Mexico

It snowed in Seattle the day I flew to San Diego. April showers of snow for a few days while I endured the salty Californian air, played in the waves with VCP rep and fellow British transplant Sean Morley, and joined Jennifer Kleck for her sea kayak symposium in Mission Bay.

Then… the first Point65 Whisky16 sea kayak to see North America arrived by truck from Los Angeles, having been specially flown in from China. It’s my latest design. I was excited to see it but sad to find it had been squished beneath something heavy. Jake tenderly nursed it to health with his healing hands and a fiber-glass repair kit, so it was on the water by Saturday afternoon… Jake was the first person to paddle one in North America!

It’s always a pleasure to help symposium paddlers improve their skills, but it was equally fun to socialize on Saturday evening around a fire-pit on the beach swapping songs until rain stopped play… This year Jen did not flame her blonde bangs… and the keg remained secure on the beach until empty… (Listen to the lyrics of the symposium songs or ask her for those particular stories!)

Sunday evening Thom and Lynn invited all the coaches for a wonderful dinner at their home, followed by double-shots of espresso... and fine 16 year old Lagavulin single malt in celebration of the Whisky16!

And next day we all crossed the border to play around the rocks of the Mexican Pacific coast; it was a real delight for me to use my new W16 in fun conditions and to hang out with my buddies! Thank you Jen for putting it all together and saving me from the Seattle snow! For more symposium images check out Michael Franklin's site!

Florida, dear Florida!

Manatees, alligators, warm water and sun;

Yes, it's the time of year when places in the south appear more attractive than those further north! Late February is when Sweetwater Kayaks hold their annual sea kayaking symposium, and that gives me the excuse to visit Russell and Claudia, and Jean Totz and to meet up with friends from across the country and from across the ocean!

The BCU (British Canoe Union) is grappling changes imposed by UK government, and one interesting result is a shift in focus bringing an upsurge of interest in canoing.... that's "canoing" of the North American meaning, not the "canoeing a.k.a. kayaking" of UK usage. I'm pleased because I've always enjoyed canoes and finally had the opportunity to use them in Florida this winter! As Steve MacDonald and Phil "4th of May" Hadley from UK began stitching canoe skills into the US kayakers, it was fun to see all manner of American kayaking coaches on their knees for a change, freeing themselves of white "kayakers legs"!

Apart from single-bladed paddlers at the event, there were the usual narrow double-blade contingent (ably aided by world-class instructors Greg Stamer, back from circumnavigating Iceland last summer, and Cheri Peri and Turner Wilson). Plus there were the usual "we're here to have fun and get wet in warm water!" contingent, learning to stand up, or to roll, or to laugh outside the box (a place where I typically hang out), and a crowd of paddlers steering their way through the changing levels of BCU certification. I didn't see many long faces.

After the symposium I lingered longer to paddle with Swedish friends Roland and Britta (who coordinate my annual trips/courses in the Stockholm archipelago), Seattle photographer Joel Rogers, and of course Russell and Claudia. We skipped around the local rivers seeking manatees, alligators, turtles and roseate spoonbills, hiked a couple of places and watched Russell's band at a gig in Dunedin... Florida is always synonymous with music for me, jamming with Russell and other friends, checking out used guitars at "Legends" in Tampa or heading out to to a live concert. An amazing number of my kayaking friends are talented musicians!

So, now back in sunny Seattle, I'll be wondering where the warm went until the next trip south... to San Diego for the Aqua Adventures symposium and some fun in the rock gardens of nearby Baja Mexico! Will I see you there?

(Jennifer Kleck, owner of Aqua-Adventures recently became the first American to qualify as a BCU level 5 sea kayaking coach! Congratulations!)

Be safe on your surf-ski

Wednesday evening I gave a slide presentation at the WAKE kayak club (at Bellingham Wa) about kayaking in the Faroe Islands. (“They said the Faroes were in Egypt”.) I was sad to hear of a local paddler who died recently. He was a member of the paddling community if not of that club. WAKE is very safety aware and so everyone took note to see what could be learned.

I gathered he was paddling at dusk on a surf-ski, had tipped into the water and become separated from his ski by the wind. By chance another paddler on a surf-ski came by and tried to retrieve his ski for him. He too spilled, and had difficulty climbing back into his seat. By that time in the dark he could see neither the swimmer nor his craft. With his VHF radio he called the rescue services which found the stray kayak but at first could not see the swimmer. When he was eventually spotted and rescued, it was too late. Sadly he died.

Without going into his situation in detail, I thought I might pick up on a few factors that could be of help to others. I’ll focus on surf-skis although most of the points apply to any kayak. I’ll choose just six; there are many more; please feel free to post your own favorites here.

1. Surf-skis generally float well, don’t swamp, yet are lightweight and are easily blown. They blow away more rapidly than capsized sea kayaks, and often more quickly than you can swim. Race craft built for light weight, they often have little in the way of deck-lines or grab handles, and can be slippery when wet. Consider a tether of some sort so you can keep contact. Some surf-ski paddlers tether their paddle to the ski, so if they keep hold of the paddle they have a way to get to their ski. Wave ski paddlers, riding surf waves, make use of an ankle tether which attaches to the ski so it does not get carried to the beach in event of a spill, and this could work well on a surf-ski too.

2. Especially at this time of year when it gets dark early, an after-work spin could finish after dark. Wear reflective clothing to be visible especially if you should end up swimming. Your head and shoulders will show most. Reflective tape shows up really well if someone is shining a light to look for you. Carry a light and you can signal too. Waterproof headlamps and flashing lights of the kind used by cyclists are good inexpensive options. (for a better option see comment by Reni below)

3. If you’re swimming in windy choppy conditions, the chances are against anyone hearing your calls for help. Carry a marine VHF radio, and learn how to use Channel 16 in case of an emergency. With a radio you may be able see and direct searchers straight to your aid even before they can see you.

4. Wear an appropriate PFD (float-vest). Make sure it's the right size, fits correctly and make sure you’ve fastened it correctly.

5. Wear clothing suitable for where you are going and what you could end up doing. Shorts might seem fine for what you first intend to do, but if you could spill into cold water, or you could end your trip wet and in a chill wind, it’s best to dress for those eventualities. A dry-suit is great, but its insulating properties in water are only as good as what you wear inside it. Check for yourself how warm your clothing actually is from time to time by floating around in the water by the shore after paddling.

6. Finally; a few pointers about strategy. It’s easier to get to shore if you are close to it. It’s usually easiest to paddle straight into the wind. It's harder to control a kayak down-wind. It is much more difficult to turn around, and unstable when you are side-on to the wind and waves. In a tippy kayak your easiest and safest route might be from A to B along a shore directly into the wind. Think about it; you don’t want to fall into the water far from shore with an offshore wind while trying to turn around. You don’t want your first rough-water attempts at climbing back on in deep water to happen when you are by yourself in cold water at dusk. Practice your techniques in a safe place! It’s generally safer to paddle with a companion, and a good idea to tell someone responsible where you are going and when you expect to be back. Figure out your strategy to make it easy to stay alive!

Most safety advice is “common sense” when you think about it, but sometimes you don’t think about it till afterwards. The real skill is anticipating events that might happen and figuring out possible strategies to deal with each of them. Preparation includes gear, skills and awareness, and should also include a “get-out clause” so you can turn around and go home without getting wet whenever you don’t think you have all you need to be safe on a particular outing.

You can find a lot more safety tips in my book "Nigel Foster's Sea Kayaking", Globe Pequot Press.