Surfski Knowledge Base

You need to paddle backwards…..
Larry Goolsby
2:10pm #35137

Blame Dean for talking me into posting this. Yesterday, I headed down to MP for the Saturday paddle, totally unaware that there was a race filling up the park quickly. Shot over to the CBC parking and met a couple of Barnacles getting ready to head out. Like herding cats, we all paddled off in different directions. I had gone around Fairhaven Shipyard and headed south. Wind was rising and there were waves. I started doing laps between Post Point and the buoy. Some wind with rides, but nothing worth writing about - except for now.

On my second lap, my V9 started rolling over onto its side. When this happened in my Flex, I would simply lean back onto the rear deck and the boat would right itself. This has to do with the amount of rocker on the Flex hull compared to other boats. Like the other Barnacles, I occasionally forget which boat I'm in. So as my V9 started rolling over, I simply laid back onto the rear deck and fell in. Not only did I fall out of the seat, but I also let go of my paddle. Popped up, flipped my boat upright, and saw my paddle on the upwind side on my bow. This will be easy. I remounted and as soon as I did, my V9 took off downwind. You have to understand that when I was in the water, clutching my boat with a death grip, the wind was unable to pull my boat away from me. As soon as I got on, the wind joyfully separated me and the V9 from where my paddle was bobbing peacefully. Hadn't started to panic yet, because I've chased down gear before just by hand paddling.

Only this time was different. I tried paddling hard with my hands to turn my boat upwind and reach my paddle that was now 2 boat lengths upwind from me. The wind would not allow my bow to turn upwind simply because my chipmunk hands were not a substitute for a paddle. Now I am starting to sweat. Of course, since there were about 200 paddlers on shore at MP, somebody would see my dilemma and come to my rescue. Didn't happen like I dreamed. I could have called the Coasties, “Can you boys come and fetch my paddle for me?” Then all those blind paddlers on shore would surely see my dilemma and the Coasties, and would proceed to rub my nose in it. So, if this ever happens to you, paddle backwards. With the rudder being on the rear while you are paddling backwards, it holds the stern against the wind, and you now have control of the direction.

By this time, I was 60 feet from my paddle. With both feet inside the cockpit, I hand paddled backwards and was able to turn my stern south and continue my backwards sojourn towards my paddle. Easy sneezy. I guarantee you that anyone on shore won't notice something odd. Closed in on my target, grabbed my paddle and got out of there before the race started (and anyone noticing).

(Editors Note: We don't recommend getting in the habit of leaning backwards to control roll or waiting to grab your paddle until you are back in your surfski…)

Dan Mayhew 2:36pm #35138

I know Barnacles love to paddle backward, but doing it backward without a blade is next level. Nice save Larry! Sounds like another event to add to the Safety Olympics (if we ever get that started), where we have relay teams paddling backward by hand into the chop.