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TRAVEL GEARS and ACCESSORIES
How to keep your kayak from
capsizing
The High Brace
The high brace is the same motion as a draw that is employed while
you are in the process of capsizing. As you are going over, extend
your paddle out to place the face of the paddle flat on the water
surface. Actually smacking the surface of the water will help
arrest your capsize motion. Attempt to pull the blade down through
the water. Keep your elbow bent at about 90 degrees. Do not reach
out too far from the side of the kayak. Doing so will increase the
risk of a shoulder separation, particularly in surf. Your arm and
elbow should be in line with the paddle. As you pull down on the
paddle, toss your head toward the paddle and rotate your hips to
rotate the kayak hull back to its stable position. Use the rest of
the paddle stroke to return your body to the center line of the
kayak. Leaning your body back over the rear deck of the kayak will
help this recovery.
A variation of the high brace is the sweeping high brace. A
combination of a sweep and a high brace, the paddle skims along
the surface of the water at the same time as it is pulled down to
counteract the capsize. The blade is angled slightly upward so it
will not dive down as you pull down on the paddle shaft. The
sweeping high brace may be performed either as a forward sweep or
a back sweep. These braces are most conveniently used when you are
starting or finishing some other stroke and the need for a brace
arises.
The Sculling High Brace
The sculling high brace is a combination of the sculling draw and
a high brace. The motions are the same as the sculling draw,
except with the paddle nearly parallel to the water surface. With
a well developed sculling motion, you should be able to hang from
this brace for a long time.
The Low Brace
The low brace uses the back side of the paddle pushed down into
the water to prevent a capsize. Your forearm should remain in line
with the paddle's resistance. Again, head motion and opposite
rotation of the hips to return the kayak hull to a stable position
aids in a successful brace. The sweeping low brace is a low brace
starting from the stern or bow and moving toward the other end of
the kayak. The stern sweeping low brace is the most natural and
quickest to deploy when the paddle blade on the side toward which
you are capsizing is behind you. When the blade is in front of
you, most find that the quickest natural brace is the high brace.
A stern sweeping brace can be transitioned to a sweeping high
brace, and vice versa, if bracing is still required at the end of
a sweeping brace.
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Kayaking
in Vietnam
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