Lake Canoe Intermediate Solo Skills

If the candidates have taken the Lake Canoe Tandem Skills program some items under the knowledge and risk management only need to be confirmed.

The Lake Canoe Intermediate Solo program expands upon skills, strokes, and principles with a focus on safety, skill refinement, expanded strokes and manoeuvres. Participants will explore how to adapt for changes in the environment as well as perform water rescues.

General Learning Outcome

Participants will leave with greater confidence, ability and awareness of the environment for their lake adventures.

Prerequisites

Lake Canoe Introduction Solo Skills or equivalent skills at the discretion of the course instructor.

Course Length

16 hours

Class Ratio

1 instructor: 6 participants

Minimum Staff and Certification

One Lake Canoe Intermediate Solo Instructor.

Environmental Conditions

Class-1 conditions which are described as: Non-challenging waters with mild wind effect (0-20 km/h or 0–11 knots), little or no current (0-1 km/h or 0–0.5 knots), uninterrupted easy landing options, and ready access to land-based assistance. Sea state is calm to light chop.

Participant Assessment

Assessment at this level occurs throughout the course as the instructor observes the performance of each participant's skills and overall development as a paddler.

Teaching Resources

Lake Canoe Skills Checklists

Canoe Strokes Resource Document

Skills and Manoeuvres

The following skills will focus on refining stroke technique and effective body position to perform specific manoeuvres. Participants will demonstrate effective strokes with core rotation, vertical paddle shafts, with their grip-hand over the water. Participants should demonstrate body position based on boat type (tandem canoe or solo canoe).

Strokes

Progressing from the Introduction level, participants will demonstrate the following strokes:

• Draw (underwater)                
• Sculling Draw
• Cut                         
• Pry
• Jam                  
• Reverse J-stroke
• Bow Draw                   
• Box
• Low Brace
• Righting Pry

Canoe Stability

Participants will demonstrate how to keep the canoe stable by showing proper positioning within the canoe (based on their physical ability), and how to brace the canoe under momentum.

Lifting and Carrying a Canoe

Participants will review the introduction level.

Launching and Landing a Canoe

Participants will review the introduction level.

Pivot Turn

Participants will pivot the canoe one complete revolution in one direction, and then one complete revolution in the other direction. Limited forward and reverse movement.

Forward and Reverse Paddling

Participants will paddle:

• forward in a relatively straight line for 25 metres within a 3 metre corridor, and
• reverse in a straight line for 25 metres within a 6 metre corridor with limited yaw.

Forward Paddling with Turns

Participants will paddle forward in a straight line for 30 metres within a 3 metre corridor and change direction of travel for another 15 metres (straight line). Rectangular course: 25 x 12 metres.

Stopping

Participants will be able to demonstrate stopping the canoe in any direction of travel with limited to no yaw.

Circles - 2

Participants will demonstrate carving two connected circles with a smooth transition between them. 

Docking

Participants will demonstrate carving inside and outside turns for docking, maintaining a consistent slow pace. Participants will stop the canoe with limited yaw, between two points, 8 metres apart. The participant or the canoe must not touch or skid into the dock.

Sideslip (stationary)

Participants will sideslip the canoe laterally for 5 metres one way and then the other way without switching sides. Limited (within 30 cm) forward and backward movement and yaw.

Knowledge

Concepts

Participants should have a general understanding of the following:

• stroke phases: catch, power, recovery,
• Newton's Third Law: every action has an equal and opposite reaction,
• carving a canoe when executing turns and circles,
• MITH Method (Momentum, Initiate a turn, Tilt, Hold),
• onside and offside, inside and outside turns,
• physical principles (yaw, pitch, and roll),
• lake anatomy (shoreline, waterline, upwind, downwind, windward, leeward, fetch), and
• wind ferry.

Equipment and Knots 

Participants will demonstrate knowledge of: 

• outfitting for solo paddling (knee pads, kneeling assists: thwarts, saddlebag, and hanging seats),                                      
• methods to use for ballast/counterweight: gear, water in a bucket/jug or collapsible containers and why this is important,
• expanded parts of the canoe (waterline, freeboard, rocker, etc.),
• canoe design and materials,
• different paddle designs and materials for lake paddling,
• optional gear for lake travel (for example, dry bags),
• securing gear within the canoe,
• securing a canoe on a rack or a car,
• Bowline knot, and
• a Truckers Hitch with 2 twists and half hitches.

Hazards

Participants will discuss the following hazards:

• hazards around the shoreline (for example but not limited to uneven ground, rocks, slippery surfaces, docks, etc.),
• wind, waves, water, weather,
• wildlife, and
• human.

Environmental Impact

Review Introduction level, if needed. Expanded items can be added here depending on location and current issues of the area.

Canoe History

Participants should be able to discuss some national or local canoe paddling history.

Resources

Participants should be made aware of resources from Paddle Canada, possible provincial organizations, canoe clubs, etc.

Risk Management

Lifejacket: Always Wear It!

Participants will demonstrate how to properly choose and secure a lifejacket.

Personal Preparation

Participants will discuss the benefits and value of:

•  PaddleSmart: Taking the essentials, Training, and having a Trip plan, 
•  when not to go, weather considerations,
•  Transport Canada Regulations and Guided Excursions,
•  rescue priorities: paddlers, canoe, gear,
•  hazards (environmental and human, identifying weather patterns, lightning protocol), and 
•  preventing hypothermia and hyperthermia.

Safety Considerations

Participants should review Introduction items, if required, and discuss the following:

• emergencies: wind bound,
• open lake crossing, the risks, individual and group skills, and
• cold and heat issues (prevention, recognition, and management).

Communication

Participants will review Introduction items as well as discuss the following:

• communication device pros and cons: cell phones, radios, satellite phones, personal location beacons, satellite communicators, and
• paddle signals.

Safety and Rescue

Participants will review Introduction level as well as discuss the following:

• the importance of float plans,
• accident prevention,
• group paddling, lead and sweep, leadership roles,
• weather awareness: seasons, forecasts, sudden changes, recognizing sudden changes, the effects on navigation, and what to do, and
• cold and heat issues (prevention, recognition, and management).

Rescue Practice

Participants will demonstrate the following:

• 2 of the 3 types of canoe rescues quickly and smoothly (upside down canoe over canoe, upright canoe over canoe, tandem parallel, and stirrup re-entry),
• keep swimmer in constant contact with the rescue canoe (hanging on either end),
• do not have the swimmer assist with the rescue as they will lose additional heat by swimming,
• assist swimmers back into their canoe by either the scoop method or climbing in midship,
• canoe towing: leg-over the end or with a painter/rope,
• how to dispatch a throw bag to a swimmer,
• how to restuff a throw bag, and
• how to dry a throw bag (daisy chain).