September, 1918 
FOREST AND STREAM 
529 
BOW PADDLING WITH THE SINGLE BLADE 
THE BOW MAN SETS THE PACE AND AT TIMES BEARS THE BRUNT OF THE STEERING 
SO IN TRICKY WHITE WATER THE BETTER CANOEMAN SHOULD BE IN THE BOW 
By JULE MARSHALL 
T HERE is a common error among ca¬ 
noeists in general that the bow man 
has nothing to do other than apply 
power and set the pace. This view point 
should be corrected. It is as much the duty 
of the bow paddler to set the course and 
pick the way as it is the duty of the stern 
man, and this requisite is quite as necessary 
on a broad expanse of wind-swept water 
as it is on a small winding river. The bow 
of a canoe is likened to the whiskers of a 
cat, if it goes through safely the rest will 
follow. It is often square up to the bow 
man in open water to pick the right angle 
so as to thwart a crashing breaker and 
again in river work to choose the proper 
channel that will avoid a dangerous ledge 
of rocks. Very often conditions are such 
that the stern man cannot see the course 
as readily as can the bow man and it is up 
to the latter to indicate quickly the direc¬ 
tion by steering methods where warning 
words would be too slow. Here team work 
plays a fine part as the man astern can 
read every movement of his mate forward. 
It makes much easier going for a pair of 
paddlers when they divide equally the task 
of propelling and steering the canoe. Both 
parties will endure more and feel less tried 
after a long trip. The grind from a cruise 
is harder on the stern paddler when the 
bow man is the poorer of the two but on 
the other hand the work is more equalized 
when the better man is placed in the bow. 
Naturally the happy medium is reached 
ceiving to most people and in consequence 
the blade is pulled back in curves. The 
correct way is to start the stroke or 
“catch the water” a trifle wide from the 
canoe and pull the blade straight back near¬ 
ing the gunwale the while until it is finished 
well down beneath the side of the canoe. 
(See Fig. i.) 
To negotiate the off turn or steer the 
canoe away from the side on which you 
are paddling, you will pull your blade back 
in sweeping curves, exaggerating it until 
the middle of the stroke is farthest away 
from the canoe. (See Fig. 2.) This turn¬ 
ing movement can be emphasized by push¬ 
ing straight outward at the very start of 
the stroke which will cause the canoe to 
actually lift up an inch or two and jump 
sidewise. This movement should be fol¬ 
lowed up by a pull straight back so as to 
apply motive power. If you do not give 
forward movement to the canoe, it will 
cease to turn. An even sharper turn can 
be made in this direction by following up 
the stroke just mentioned by swinging your 
blade on the recovery to the opposite side 
on which you are paddling. Keeping your 
hands fixed as they were on the paddle, 
drop the blade in the water as far out as 
you can reach and draw the blade sharply 
toward the canoe. (See Fig, 3.) This will 
cause the canoe to be thrown sidewise and 
is of considerable use when in a last in¬ 
stance you try to avoid striking a danger¬ 
ous object. While the bow is being turned 
blade forward and outward. Then when 
you have attained a point as far as you 
can reach you draw (see Fig. 5) the blade 
toward the canoe causing the bow to be 
thrown into the turning movement. After 
the next knifing stroke forward you can 
pull a regular stroke backward thus forg¬ 
ing the canoe ahead and turning with alter¬ 
nate strokes. The knifing and pulling 
strokes are continuous movements and are 
similar to stirring with a huge spoon. The 
blade need not be taken out of the water 
during the process. At the end of the 
pulling stroke the paddle can either be 
turned in your hand to start the knifing or 
the blade can be turned in to the water. 
This is merely a matter of choice. While 
you are turning the bow in this fashion, 
the stern man is pulling wide, nicely help¬ 
ing to turn the canoe in the desired direc¬ 
tion as well as furnishing most of the mo¬ 
tive power. 
There is another style of obliquing the 
blade that the bow man should know and 
that is from the top of the blade to the 
bottom and by a method of “flatting” the 
water, he can lift his weight from the canoe 
through the paddle onto the water. This is 
extremely useful in lifting the bow over 
a wicked wave in lake travel or over a 
slightly submerged rock in river work^ 
Very often it will save the canoe from 
severe damage by merely lifting it an inch 
out of water. It is a handy thing, to know 
too in squalls where it can be used continu- 
when both paddlers are fully versed in the 
arts of the single blade. 
The principal thing for the bow man to 
know is how to apply the power correctly. 
The stroke is to be pulled in the opposite 
direction to that in which the canoe is to 
go. Most of the time the canoe is to go 
straight ahead, therefore the blade is to be 
pulled straight back and not curved so that 
it follows the shape of the canoe. The top 
lines of the canoe in the bow are very de¬ 
in this direction, the stern man is pulling 
hard and using the “hook,” aiding deftly 
his every movement. 
Suppose you now desire to turn in the 
direction toward the side on which you are 
paddling. You will continue paddling on 
the same side but you will start “knifing.” 
(See Fig. 4.) This is done by running 
your blade obliquely through the water. It 
is a planing movement that is started out 
beside you and is effected by running the 
ally on the recovery where it will often 
save one from being pitched into the sea. 
The bow man can occasionally use his 
blade to good advantage in the air at times 
when white-caps are breaking, by holding 
his blade as a bulwark against the coamer 
thereby thwarting the water from entering 
the canoe. The bow man should learn to 
let his body roll easily with the canoe no 
matter which way it may pitch. The stern 
(continued on page 560) 
