By Lee Benson (Avid Free- and Canadian-Style Paddler)
In a conversation with my favourite tech-guru about a particular tandem boat I wanted to paddle solo, Charlie Wilson quipped, “It’ll be fine if you only want to paddle half a boat.”
“Oooooh,” I said, “I do. You can’t knock it until you try it!” And the first Western Pennsylvania Rendezvous Paddle-Half-a-Boat Demo was born, in 2023.
In his Cross Post article, “What’s in a Name—FreeStyle vs. Canadian Style,” (whats-in-a-name/) Charles Burchill puts the styles on a continuum of “smooth, efficient paddling with precision boat control,” rather than separating them as different disciplines. He likens them to dressage, with freestyle’s paddler(s) more prominent than Canadian Style paddlers. In both styles, boat and paddler are a team, but to me, the freestyler guides the horse with shiny bit and bridle. In other words, the freestyler actually seems to be doing something. In CSP, the paddler sits bareback, with halter and rein, but doesn’t seem to be doing much at all.
Another difference, tucked into his comparison table, is the motion of the paddle. To me, in freestyle, the paddle is the conductor’s baton in the dramatic swoops of Strauss’s Voices of Spring. In CSP, it is Bach’s violin in perpetual motion in Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 (though at a much slower cadence, of course).
Continuous motion, like that of distance cycling or running, or canoe tripping, can be meditative. It can be an incubator for subconscious problem-solving and creativity. Add to this the mind game of training your paddle to move your canoe in patterns willed by your mind’s eye. Then sensing the magic of being one with your boat and doing it all by feel, without thinking. Sometimes, I am there. That’s where I verged off into the world of paddling half a boat, and it happened this way…
Hook
During the COVID lockdowns, FreeStyle Symposia were cancelled. Well, most things were cancelled. Long story short, Charles was without canoeing students, and another Ontario paddling friend and I were without FreeStyle instruction. He generously supplied some videos to help us build our skills. A month in, he said, as an introduction to an email, “This is really trending away from FreeStyle, but I thought you might be interested.” The email’s title was Sculling Strokes – A Thought Experiment. After that email, I practiced “…adjusting weight, pitch, and placement” to do more than pivot or go sideways with a sculling stroke. Wow! I was hooked.
Line
Now added to Charles’s email subscriber list, I received Summer Transitions in Style, in which he talked about transitions between manoeuvres in FreeStyle and Canadian Style. In an embedded video, he danced his tandem boat, Canadian Style, through pivots, sideways motion, a bow pivot, reverse arcs, and more, all without his paddle leaving the water. In my many years of tripping, I had never seen this. The hook was in, the line swallowed. I couldn’t seem to play enough with this new-to-me style.
And Sinker
Two years ago, on a rainy, misty October day, I had the great privilege of paddling line pivots with two wonderful CSPaddlers: Charles Burchill and Shannon Carson. This newbie was middle boat, so I was coached along wordlessly by following their boats’ motion. As a happiLee meditative, loner-paddler, I had no idea how poetic and magical this simple canoe dance with others could be. I was gone, hook, line, and sinker!
Intrigued?
Together with one of those wonderful paddlers (Shannon Carson) and another (Gordon Haggert)—all of us past or current editors of the newsletter of the Ontario Recreational Canoeing & Kayaking Association (ORCKA)—the three of us are hosting Canada’s first CSP Rendezvous on September 21-22, 2024. Because FreeStyle has so many fantastic symposia, we thought we would try one of our own.
This event is for you if you are an ORCKA Level 4 paddler with CSP1a/b certification; a Paddle Canada Intro Canadian Style Paddler; or an Intermediate American Freestyle Flatwater Paddler; or equivalent.
Think Western Pennsylvania Rendezvous—camping, fun, music, comradery—with a few more scheduled activities. We won’t have structured classes. Instead, newbies will paddle between those more experienced, and everyone will share, play, and learn—and, I hope, feel the magic I did on that misty October day.
See the announcement on the FreeStyle Canoeing Events page. Or email me for more information, to register, and to receive updates as the event draws near: simpleegardens1 at gmail dot com (Humans know how to convert that to a real address).
Cheers, and happy paddling!
