Canoeing in Swift Water 



wide. Beside my one hundred and eighty-five pounds, 

 she carried a quarter of moose meat, a tent and small 

 roll of blankets. 



I waited for a lull in the wind and paddled out around 

 the point, then headed square into the sea. A squall 

 struck me and actually backed me up against my own 

 paddle. I stuck it out, and as the gale passed, managed 

 to make considerable headway. The seas were wicked 

 and the wind blew the tops right off the waves. They 

 drenched me with spray, but that little boat cut through 

 the tops of the seas as clean as a knife. The outside rail 

 threw off the " green " water, and she shipped hardly 

 any. It was a desperate struggle to keep her head fairly 

 into the wind and sea. I made for a little island, and 

 after half an hour's fight, shot her under the lee. I turned 

 around and saw the other canoe coming with Joe at the 

 business end. I had " shamed " him into it ! He 

 was paddling for his very life and probably swearing at 

 every stroke. His canoe was an eighteen-foot bark, 

 a fine sea boat but rough on the bottom, heavily loaded 

 and hard to paddle. She lumbered into my harbour at 

 last. Joe was grinning but winded. 



After a rest we tried for the next island, made that, 

 and so on, until we reached the western shore of the 

 lake. There we paddled along in quiet water as far as 

 Wildcat Point. We carried across the point, had another 

 battle with the wind crossing the Kejimkujik River, 

 then through the Narrows and over Lowe's Lake to 

 camp. It took us half a day, and we had probably 

 paddled twelve miles to advance eight. Joe said it was 

 the worst wind and sea that he had ever paddled against. 

 The canoes were handled correctly, and consequently 

 carried us through. 



The point of the above story is that a canoe can stand 

 a terrific sea if managed properly (and you have good 



