Micmac

[Micmac]

Skip Snaith, a skin-on-boat builder and historian, created this little video and posted it for us all to see at YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jptcv0gsnvY

The canoe featured in the video was built by Thelma Cameron in Atikokan, Ontario. She and her husband Randy build two canoes designed by Paul Fletcher.

Micmac as Skip names the canoe in the video is really the Fletcher ‘Fancy’, a 15′ wilderness tripping,that doubles as a freestyle solo canoe. The design of this canoe is based an aboriginal bark-canoe designs created by the Micmac people who inhabited the Eastern Maritime Regions of Quebec, Newfoundland, Maine and New Hampshire. A good source for the history of Micmac canoe design can be found in The Bark Canoe and Skin Boats of North America by Edwin Tappan Adney and Howard I.Chapelle. The book as well as the two Fletcher canoe can be found on this web site in the Advanced Paddler book section and Canoe Guide section respectively.

Last, point that my be of interest– Becky Mason, the daughter of canoe legion Bill Mason paddles a Fletcher Fancy. The other canoe which the Camerons built is called the Bill Mason Special, a 17′ deep hull work horse that can be classified as an Expedition canoe. Bill Mason paddled this canoe and gave the Camerons the right to use his name on the canoe.

And, if you want to know more about Skip Snaith check out his web site at

http://www.rockisland.com/~kyak/

[kcanoe]

That canoe is a beauty! Thanks for the link — how is paddling a ‘freestyle’ solo canoe different than another wilderness tripping canoe? How did you learn to paddle ‘freestyle’?

[Micmac]

Paddling a solo canoe is different because you paddle sitting or kneeling in the middle of the canoe. The canoes are typically shorter 11-15 feet and narrow in midsection. By design, solo canoes most often have the seat positioned in the in the middle of the canoe with the idea that you can paddle on either side of the canoe simply by switch from side-to-side. And, in the States we call this freestyle paddling; but not in Canada. Traditionally, and it Canada, freestyle paddling in carried out from a kneeing position at the center thwart with all the paddle stokes made from one side of the canoe only; the starboard or port side. Very rarely do you switch sides when making strokes. Canadian freestyle paddling is a real art and beautiful to watch; the canoe is leaned over on one side. From another vantage point, it looks as if the canoe is going to flip over but it doesn’t. The reason to ‘heel-it-over’ is to make the canoe shorter. When the canoe is on its side both the bow and the stern ends are lifted out of the water, the canoe is shorter which makes it more maneuverable.

I learned to paddled solo in a 17’ tandem canoe on a wilderness trip into the Woodland Caribou Provincial Park in Ontario. On my way out of town I purchased Cliff Jacobson’s book, Canoeing, which has all the basic essential paddle strokes. I took the book with me into the bush and I taught myself ‘how-to’ freestyle paddle over the course of 10 days. It doesn’t seem to matter if the canoe is 20’ or 10’ as long as you know the freestyle strokes, how, and when to apply each one, you can paddle almost any canoes solo. But the key is to know the paddle strokes and the best way to learn this is with an instructor.

After that solo trip I sought out a certified freestyle-paddling instructor to help me correct the bad habits I created by doing-it-on-my-own. My mentor and instructor is Sue Plankis who was mentored by Omer Stringer in Canada. Now, whenever I have the chance I take a lesson or paddle with an experienced paddler to learn more and to learn the proper way. What I came to learn was that the Canadian freestyle approach requires less energy, you learn to paddle slower, with more proficiency and control. You can actually learn how to make the canoe come to your paddle. Sounds crazy but its very cool. Taking the lesson from those who know is everything. I once attended a North House Folk School (located on Lake Superior in Grand Marais, Minnesota) event just to take a 2 hour group freestyle lesson from Becky Mason. Wow was that an experience, and another story– while taking the lesson I swamped (Lake Superior – cold)! Becky and her husband rescued me, everyone in the group benefited from seeing the classic ‘how-to-rescue’ and upright a swamped canoe. I know how to get the most out of a lesson! Well, Cliff’s book will get you started but I highly recommend lessons or joining a group of freestyle paddlers.

This summer, I have started paddling with Sue and her friends who are all very accomplished paddlers and instructors. The group includes: Bob Brown, Dan Cooke and Rob Kesselring. Our group paddles and practices in the Minneapolis area.

[dtumbleson]

I paddle the Canadian style too. I use this technique always except in whitewater or in high winds. This style takes a while to learn but once you get it you will never go back to sit and switch. I learned it by using the Bill Mason Path of the Paddle Videos. It is an artful style and much more graceful and relaxed than the sit and switch so commonly seen in the US. I have a Wenonah Minnesota II, a Nova Craft 16′ Royalite Prospector and a Clipper Kevlar Prospector and find that the Prospectors both do well using the Canadian style. The Wenonah is 18.5 and with zero rocker so it does not do well using this technique, especially in wind. Of course the purpose of that canoe is to paddle tandem and go fast while carrying lots of gear and that it does very well. I love all 3 of these boats and they all get plenty of use.

[Micmac]

I recently read to move (position yourself) forward of the center thwart when paddling into those strong head winds. The forward position forces the bow down and the stren up making it possible to control the canoe.

[mark the splasher]

@timmy 28 wrote:

I recently read to move (position yourself) forward of the center thwart when paddling into those strong head winds. The forward position forces the bow down and the stren up making it possible to control the canoe.

Absolutely. My 15′ canoe has a kneeling thwart which is a perfect position (just back of the centre) but in head winds I just turn around and lean back on the yoke, puts the nose down lower and makes a huge difference. I spin like a top without doing this in my light canoe or use all my energy to keep ‘er close to straight.

[Preacher]

It’s a lot of fun to just mess around when the wind is still. I have no training, only picked up from what I’ve seen in videos and watching others. Experiment and play. There’s something to be said for just trying something and seeing how it works. Sometimes you get wet, sometimes you look goofy, sometimes it just works. Heel ‘er over and mess about! See how close you can get the gunwale to the water.

That canoe is a beaut. Gotta get it over a little more.

[herryjohn]

hope a better article

[Author]

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