How not to paddle a war canoe, or . . .

[Glenn MacGrady]

. . . what happens when you are hut challenged.

 

[Tryin']

I laughed, but there is NO way my crew would do any better.

 

[scoutergriz]

I'll stick with north canoes, you can't hut when there's someone beside you...

 

[clemency]

Perfect practice makes ... something something something.

 

[Alan Gage]

That would be tricky trying to slide seats in synch at the hut.

Alan

 

[lowangle al]

Maybe that's why the Hawaiians use two words when making the switch, Hut and Ho. You pull your paddle out on the Hut and put it back it on the Ho.

 

[yknpdlr]

I have paddled various "war canoes" (nowadays called "voyageur canoes") outfitted with 6 or 7 paddler seats while racing in the Adirondack 90 miler, the Gerneral Clinton, and the Yukon 440 and 1000 milers beginning in the 1990's. It did not take long to realize we had to install roller side sliding seats for all mid-seats except the bow and stern paddler. The stern paddler (usually) calls the hut at the beginning of the stroke, or not later than the middle of the power stroke. This gives the brain time to ready for the side switch. Usually in calm waters the huts tend to be called at the same silent stoke count. It all works pretty well, even with fried brain at 0300 in the morning in the Yukon, only if all are paying attention. it looks like paddler in seats #2 and #3 successfully slid from right to left, but seat #4 failed to do so. we always figured that you could usually survive a single miss "bobble" with a late slide, but two would for sure take you down. Other than our very first race on Blue Mountain Lake many years ago, that has never happened again to us on any race, including where it would be most critical on the Yukon.

i have trained in a Dragon Boat with the Australian National team one day when I happened to there on a business trip shortly after a Y1K race, and I got invited to paddle with the team; I do not remember if the huts were called in two parts, but I did notice that every call to every portion of paddling was extremely regimeted by the drummere calling out the actions.

 

[Alan Gage]

I can see where it could be disastrous if a paddler was slow to slide their seat. As other paddlers slide to your side the canoe would start to heal, making it easier/ faster for them to move into final position and almost impossible for you to overcome gravity and shift to the other side to balance things out.

Alan