If you are just getting into kayaking, you should know that eddies are your friend. No, eddie is not a person. It is a natural rest stop on a river.
An eddie is relatively peaceful area of water in the middle of a current of water. How can this be? Well, you will find eddies behind obstacles in the current. A classic obstacle is your average boulder. As the water flows around the boulder, a slight reverse current is created behind the boulder. This occurs because the water does not immediately come together behind the boulder. Think about it and you will figure it out.
Eddies are great when you are kayaking because they are places where you can essentially take a pit stop. Most eddies are calm enough that you can take time to look around and figure out how you are going to attack the next section of the river. You can also relax and let your arms revive. Sorry, there are no vending machines or bathrooms.
To take advantage of eddies, you need to be able to get into them. There is both a technical and artistic element to it, particularly if you are in fast water. Explaining it in words is a bit difficult, but here we go. When coming up to the boulder, you want to aim for the bottom edge of rock. You literally want the bow tip to swing around the rock and end up facing up river no more than a foot from the obstacle. The idea is to perform a controlled slide around the boulder by essentially doing a 180 degree turn. This may sound difficult, but it isn't after a couple of tries.
As you approach the boulder, you want to make sure your speed is sufficient for the bow tip to just wrap around the boulder. As you come up to the boulder, start turning into it. You want to paddle just enough to get your bow into the eddie. This is the key. As your bow enters the eddie, it will be pushed up towards the boulder. At the same time, the flowing current is going to push your stern [rear] down the current. This essentially gives you the power you need to make the turn.
Now, you have to do some work as well. The minute you come around the boulder, it is time to show some of your strength. You want to dig in on the upper boat side and pull for the eddie. The exact stroke you use depends on the conditions you are in, but the idea is to push the boat forward to move it into the eddie. You should already have the natural turn from the current pushing the rear, buy you will have to gauge the situation based on the water you are in.
Getting out of the eddie is relatively simple. You want to accelerate towards the obstacle and turn to either side. Basically, you are doing things in reverse. As your bow comes out of the eddie, the current will grab it and turn you downstream. Depending on the speed of the current, this may be enough to get you going or you may need a couple of paddles.
At the end of the day, you will learn to love eddies. Now you know how to get in and out of them.
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