We all like to have a tail wind but sometimes on large open water it feels like my stern wants to pass out the bow. This happens when my boat is slightly bow light so I would think it would weather vane with the bow down wind. What I think is happening is that the wind is pushing the water creating a current that is faster than my boat speed, grabbing the stern,overpowering any weather vaneing affect caused by the wind. Anyone else experience this and how do you handle it?
Other tailwind issues.
For me waves are often the biggest issue. Not big lazy interval “ocean” waves, but the short, steep, high-frequency chop in shallower waters with a long fetch.
Often/usually those waves are moving much faster than my canoe. With a heavily loaded tripping canoe the hull isn’t rising atop the passing waves as much as the wave is rising high on the hull. Even planting the paddle stroke on the waves to lift the hull only helps so much. A full spray skirt would help when the wave tops get uncomfortably close to the gunwales, but mine are partials bow and stern, leaving the lowest depth center of the canoe open.
When it gets to the point that I’m desperately trying to raise the hull on the face of each passing wave it is past time to get off the water. The easiest way to manage wind-created waves from the stern is to put up a sail; once the canoe gets up to sailing speed the whole ride settles out. The waves are still passing me, but much more slowly and sometimes I can ride even a choppy crest for quite a while.
For me the worst part of tailwind waves is when my route or a turn takes me off angle to the following waves, and the waves want to slew the stern further around than manageable without ending up sideways. That is when a rudder helps, provided the dang thing is actually in the water and not dangling in the air above a trough.
Adjusting gear for trim weight astern is easier in a dedicated solo (or soloized tandem). In a tandem, even going solo bow backwards, there isn’t a lot of room behind the seat to transfer gear weight. I could stand a 115L pack there on end, but then I have enlarged the “sail” sticking up in the stern.
Packed gear height makes a difference in wind and sail-catch area. I don’t want gear stacked above the gunwales behind me in a tailwind and vice versa don’t want to need a periscope to see above the bow load going into a headwind. My body sticking up above the gunwales is enough sail area for the wind to catch, I don’t need a tower of gear making things worse.
How do I handle it?
Paddle solo boats, so my seat position and body sail-area is more centered in the boat and I have more room behind the seat for below-gunwales gear weight transfer.
Use spray covers; even the bow & stern partials help with wind resistance.
Use a small sail when the wind speed and direction are appropriate; it is amazing how much smoother choppy waves get when running downwind under a sail.
Use a rudder, especially with a broad reach route, with the wind coming over one shoulder.
The easiest solution is to use a decked, ruddered boat. The Monarch in the wind is far less of a handful than an open boat. When I first started using the Monarch I was amazed at my sudden paddling prowess in wind and wave. I was no better than before, but the decked hull and rudder (and sail) allowed me to comfortably paddle stuff that would have made me pee my pants in an open canoe.
Is it possible that sometimes you just have to deal with it, I'm sure I've tried changing the trim before. It feels like I need a rudder.
