Paddle-sailing: an immersive dance
Paddlesailing weather
Setting off for a paddle, no-one is sailing today.
It would be easy to think that taking on a big project such as a long canoe trip is mostly about the project itself but if the 'big event' dominates the single focus can override everything else bleeding enjoyment from the journey to the start. For me it is important to look for wins along the way, to value the process so much that if for some reason the trip splutters to a halt on the start line the friendships built, the experiences and learning acquired offer a substantial counter. Offering a larger critique of the journey as a metaphor for life as a prompt for the acceleration that occurs as our eyes focus on what might come next over what is here and now Alan Watts suggests replacing 'journey' with metaphors such as a dance or piece of music where speed is not the only metric of value. Today was one of those counterbalance days, where immersion in the 'dance' was enough. A simple paddle but a beautiful, immersive and restorative experience.
Part of the joy of the canoe is the hybrid nature of the beast. In my view the canoe is the most adaptable journey craft technology, the Swiss Army knife of journeying. Their capacity to cross seas, descend white water, pole up fast rivers, portage across mountains, sail up and down wind as well as sleep in and under sets them apart. It is arguable that for each environment and task there may be a superior specialist craft, the punt, the dinghy, the white water kayak however their specialist capacity makes them unsuitable for the other tasks. Sailing canoes also have a special attribute for which they are uniquely suited. Known as paddle-sailing this technique occupies a niche between sailing and paddling. In a breeze too light to move the boat on its own but just enough to 'belly' the sail the canoeist can balance paddle strokes on one side of the canoe against the turning effect and propulsion of the sail on the other. The combined force acts as a multiplier, a little like a bar of wet soap between two hands; with the sail on one side and the paddle on the other the canoe is propelled forward with pleasing efficiency.
Today I went for a paddle.
On paper it was a 'training paddle' whose motive was 'time in the boat'. I have a canoe stored at our nearest lake, Coniston Water in Cumbria and have tried to get on the water at least once a week over the last 7 months. Today I planned to travel from Lake Bank to Lands Point and back, a 12km round trip. The water was calm but there was a slight ripple; despite a clear blue sky and warm April weather no-one was sailing the wind was too light, however I made cracking progress paddle-sailing. Timing paddle strokes to counter the puffs of breeze while balancing their force against your own power is immersive and powerful; I creamed along at speeds well above those I could generate without the help of the sail, the hull gurgling joyfully. The 'training run' became a meditative fun run and before long I was back, content and relaxed. If it weren't for the trip I probably wouldn't have been there but this was a joy all of its own, a dance I hope to cherish whatever comes next.
The end of a cracking paddle. The slight riffles in the background make for smooth paddlesailing.
A new year treat for Ronan
Ronan after his refreshing coat of tung oil
Ronan’s new year treat was a lovely coat of tung oil, in doing so we removed all the padding and air bags that usually cover up much of the woodwork and we uncovered hidden mould and a broken rib. Cleaning up the mould and repairing the damaged rib was a relatively simple matter; a quick rub with sanding paper and some whipping to hold a splint in place. In some ways the ease of mending is a comfort however the fact that the rib had cracked without us being aware is a concern however we did learn some useful lessons.
The repaired rib discovered while preparing Ronan for an oiling - easy to mend but easily broken.
From this process we learnt we need to allow an air space around the woodwork to encourage drying, we should carry some short pieces of rib as part of the repair kit and despite the time commitment involved it will be worth repeating this process before setting off in July.
Grand opening…Website Goes Live Today
Today the website went live, if you’re new here then so are we!
Who knew how complex and involved this process was…perhaps many people but certainly not us.
We’ve never created a website before and feel pretty clueless but have reached the point where it just needs to be released. Hopefully we’ll find we can learn along the way and you will stick around long enough to see where this goes.
Rich and Johan
A naescent team?
Johan paddleboarding round Walney Island
In the autumn of 2020 I was signed off work, a difficult time for all concerned but I took to heart my doctor’s advice to spend time outside with family and friends. Among the difficulties I also had some great moments and two days were notable to our story. Johan Hoving is a friendly, enthusiatic and very capable man with an enviable record of skills and achievements, he also owned some stand up paddleboards. I am a committed ‘late adopter’ and despite being a paddler, stand up paddleboarding had passed me by but when Johan suggested having a go at paddleboarding the 26km round Walney Island I thought I’d have a go. We had a cracking day on crystal seas and began talking about the idea of canoeing round Ireland and the boat that I was designing. Johan seemed sceptical but we arranged that the next windy day we would go out canoe sailing together.
Kite surfing…upstaged!
Among other things Johan enjoys kite surfing, a sport where cool people fizz along on tiny boards before carving great arcs through the sky only to land and skim down the face of a wave. Canoe sailing, even in the strongest winds is pedestrian by comparison. Johan suggested we visit Devoke Water, a local mountain tarn known for ‘reliable’ winds. A strong westerly was blowing and Johan had soon left me behind, skimming the tarn at breakneck speed on his kite surf while I fought to keep my sailing canoe from the apparently inevitable capsize. Relieved to be on dry land I caught up with Johan at the top of the tarn and a chat about the relative merits of each approach led us to try sailing my canoe using Johan’s super powerful kite. We took the canoe sail down and moments later my dog (Skye) and I were crouched in the back ready to steer while Johan wedged himself into the front of the little boat.
Have you ever experienced the immense power of a large kite, I hadn’t?
My first attempt at kite canoeing, just before we capsized…
With his kite hovering benignly above, Johan shouted ‘ready?!’ (for what? thought I) then brought it down into the power zone, it was as if my canoe wanted to fly. A wall of white water formed ahead like smoke round a rocket, I was wrenched backwards (no, I wasn’t ready) the dogs ears streamed and we leaped forward faster than my humble canoe had ever considered possible. Screaming forward I began to giggle then laugh, a deep therapeutic laughter at the riddiculousness of it all. However it wasn’t long before we tried something more ambitious and the inevitable capsize occured.
Perhaps something clicked, could I work with this lad? He certainly seemed to know more than me…about most things.
It wasn’t long before the next trip emerged, a two day 130km canoe journey taking in the coastline of the Isle of Arran and things got interesting.
Rich Ensoll
If you build it they will come…the birth of Ronan
“[W]hen I said that nothing had been done I erred in one important matter. We had definitely committed ourselves and were halfway out of our ruts. We had put down our passage money — booked a sailing to Bombay. This may sound too simple, but is great in consequence. Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way. I learned a deep respect for one of Goethe’s couplets: “Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it!”
I wanted to have a go at canoeing round Ireland but my little canoe would not be up to the job.
I had an idea, ‘canoe round Ireland’ but the list of important things I did not know was daunting, What would I paddle? When would I go? How would I find the money/time?
My 650km canoe trip across Ireland, the Irish Sea and Cumbria to Lazonby had demonstrated the truth that Murray so beautifully articulates after returning from his Everest expedition in 1951. Instead of a boat to Bombay I had bought a one way ferry ticket for a canoe and two people from Holyhead to Dublin, without yet having a boat and a way of getting to our start 250km away in the Shannon estuary not to mention many other things I didn’t know I needed to know. Our 17 foot canoe with all it’s kit weighed around 70 kilos…we weren’t going to be carrying it very far on our own but true to Murray’s promise help came.
On this occasion I committed by designing and building a canoe, anticipating with nervous excitement the resolution of such questions as who would I journey with, when would I go and how would I find the time…
“You’re gonna need a bigger boat”
What did you do during the Covid 19 lockdown? Well one thing I spent time on was researching canoe designs. After a long search I concluded that the perfect boat did not currently exist, I would have to build my own. I’m a canoeist and academic with limited experience of canoe design and construction but I found a ‘John’.
The beautiful lines of a traditional Irish curragh under construction
Everyone needs a ‘John’ (or Jane), someone with the skills to help you but also the willingness to listen, think critically and question. John Wilkinson is a master canoe builder who runs a company called ‘Valkyriecraft’. Based in Northern Ireland John builds beautiful, light canoes using a skin-on-frame design akin to the hardy curragh (or currach), ancestors of which still ply Ireland’s coasts and inlets. Sometimes known as pointy baskets these boats employ a flexible wood framework of thin, steam bent ribs woven together using twine and sheathed in canvas. With its spindly framework and the waterline clearly visible through the thin canvas, on first use you may imagine these craft to be fragile. However this design dominated in the UK for many thousands of years and in 1977 Tim Severin used one to demonstrate that St Brendan the Navigator could well have crossed to the Americas 500 years before the Vikings and a 1000 years before Columbus.
The bones of an idea - Ronan under construction
Ronan’s name means little seal. I first came across the gaelic meaning of Ronan in Frank Delayneys beautiful book ‘Ireland’ in which we follow the adventures of Delayney’s young protagonist of the same name; as he explores and learns about his native Ireland. I too hope to explore Irelands rich people and culture.
So, what shape should Ronan be? I needed a boat fit for a circumnavigation of Ireland, ideally this would be fast, dry and stable in rough seas. While researching boat design, I learnt that the sleek lines of the sea kayak originally mimicked the streamlined shape of seals. At 18’ 6” Ronan is large for a canoe and may not quite have the length and silven elegance of a seal but the name stuck. At his widest point Ronan is 36” which is modest for a standard canoe but narrow for a sailing canoe. Canoes are typically symmetrical in plan view - imagine attaching both ends of two 18 foot planks together then wedging a 36” stick to prize the central part open and you have the symmetrical plan view of a canoe. Sailing canoes are typically wider in the middle to create more leverage when balancing the effort of the sail.
A plan view of Ronan showing how width is carried toward the stern (at right)/
I hoped for a 38” to 40” boat but the widest John could build was 36” so he agreed to build an assymetrical, pear shaped plan view. Seals are0 ‘fish-form’ that is, widest ahead of the centre line making them fast under water. To be quick on the surface, displacement hulls are typically ‘swede-form’ where the maximum width is carried behind the centre line combining speed with stability.
With Ronan built and housed in my garage at home, I was committed. I had a canoe and an aim but noone to paddle, no support, no resources and no time but I looked forward to the unforeseen incidents and meetings that will arise from stepping into the unknown.
An idea is formed…
The journey so far…
During our trip across Ireland in 2019, amazing what good back lighting and angles can do.
I’m so glad I can’t see into the future,
In August 2019 I returned from a series of cracking trips including 650km canoe trip from the Shannon estuary over the Irish Sea, across Cumbria to Lazonby; Brexit had not hit home and the phrase ‘Covid 19’ would have triggered thoughts of a 70s prog rock band.
Setting off from the Shannon estuary in 2019. Tim, one of the many generous souls who volunteered support waiting in the background while I faff nervously.
Tom working hard during our trip across Ireland in 2019
One of the lovely things about putting trips together is the people you meet. Among the many generous souls my friend Tom (the handsome one in black and white)and I encountered was Colin Skeath, fresh from becoming the first to canoe round the British Isles. Colin enthused about Ireland and dropped casually, in his estuary english drawl ‘You know that no-one’s canoed round Ireland don’t you?’ A seed was planted.
The closure of 2019 ushered in a heady cocktail of redundancies, Covid-19, Brexit and more government changes than…(reader insert here) blended into a period of sick leave with depression. One of the many things that got me through, was scribbling childlike drawings of boats, researching Ireland and reading books/blogs about Ireland…in short dreaming about canoeing round Ireland.
Rich Ensoll