Jim now “See’s The Light”!

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

I watched your video several times and then put it to work on the water. One thing I wasn't getting was the pushing hand coming across the body. I thought I was doing everything right, but I kept finding myself punching straight down the hull of the boat, exactly what I wasn't suppose to do. I kept trying, but it wasn't coming together, so I gave up and tried one other thing you mentioned and that was to keep the blade vertical as long as possible. I figured I'd just try that. Guess what? My pushing hand came straight across my face. Sometimes you have to say it more than one way to get it across to boneheads like me. This was what worked for me.

I tried spearing the salmon. Very quickly, I discovered pain in my elbows, so I backed off to my old technique. The pain went away. Then I noticed that my stroke was actually quite good. I wasn't slapping the water or pushing air. My paddle was completely submerged when I put on the power. I figured that I had it right from the beginning. Cool!

The exit: I have an AT paddle, with a slight modified crank. I love this paddle. However, when I tried to find the right exit point, I found that it didn't seem to matter. The paddle exited flawlessly from any point. The only time I have an issue with my exit is when a steep wave hits at the exact point of exit. That's when I feel a "sticky" feel as the paddle seems reluctant to exit the water. Thoughts? Also, I'm eagerly awaiting my new wing from Patrick at ONNO Paddles in Hawaii. If you like, I'll let you know how that works.

Over all results: With my AT paddle and my extreme kayak by Current Designs, I would cruise at 5.2 mph. After watching your video, I'm cruising at 5.6. That's nearly a 7% increase. Today, I was paddling hard and checked my GPS. I wasn't going all out or anything, but I was doing what I'd call a hard cruise. My GPS said that my top speed was 6.6 mph. If that's accurate, HOLY COW! My all out top speed has increased too. I've hit 7.5 mph after tweaking my technique after watching your video. I can't wait to see the results after my wing arrives.

Thanks,

Jim