|
 Additional concepts. New
- Forum: BoaterTalk
Re: Catching a surf wave on the fly, What's the protocal? Aroberts New
Date: Aug 11 2008, 21:07 GMT
From: RacIVRnr
 |
|
 |
|
The best green-waves are formed by water which has speed (as from sliding down a sloping bedrock riverbed) hitting slower water (where the riverbed flattens out). If you are out in the middle of the river, facing upstream and paddling like crazy (doing your upstream ferry) you are in the strongest part of the current, accelerating (sliding backwards) down the same slope which is accelerating the water. It is tough to be stronger (faster) than the river!
Study the river above the wave. Study the FULL width of the river either side of the 'sweet spot' (the deepest, tallest part of the wave). Waves seldom exist 'in the middle of nowhere'. People often refer to "V" waves, where the 'sweet spot' is at the downstream 'point' of the 'V', but there are 'shoulders' leading into that spot from one or both sides. Instead of trying to drop straight back into the sweet spot, aim (while on your upstream ferry) to drop back onto the outer flanks to either side of the "V", and then use that shoulder-wave to just surf across into the sweet spot!
If your wave is not a "V" wave (there are no shoulder-waves leading into it from either side), at least look for where the water is slowest leading into the wave. If there are eddies or nearby shoreline, start your approach from nearer to those. If water is slower to one side or the other, get out of the fastest water. Make sure you are in the slowest water which will still take you back into (or allow you to ferry into) the wave!
As others have suggested, where your body weight is can make a big difference. Often, if you are 'blowing off the back' of the wave, it is because your weight is too far back in your boat. People often lean too far back when they are afraid of the bow 'pearling'. How likely that is depends upon a number of factors, primarily being: (1) the shape of the face of the wave, (2) the length and the rocker (and otherwise general nature of the hull) of your boat, and (3) where (fore-and-aft) your weight is in the boat. A longer boat, or a boat with less bow rocker, will often pearl-in on waves where shorter boats or boats with more bow rocker have no problem. If your boat has a 'slower hull', is longer or has different rocker/profile, waves which other boats/boaters are able to catch and surf (on the fly or otherwise), you may NOT be able to catch or surf. If that is the case, you may wish to consider getting a different boat. Otherwise (if others of similar weight, in similar boats) are catching the wave on the fly, and not seeming to have problems pearling-in, if your weight is just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
So, you really have a number of possible, separate, and potentially conflicting issues here. The solutions to avoiding pearling CAN include things already mentioned, such as lifting one knee, to quickly put your boat 'on edge' to 'dump' the water off the bow. Before the bow has a chance to pearl, you may need to 'keep an active boat', constantly carving side-to-side across the face of the wave (however wide or narrow you may need to or may be able to while still staying more-or-less within the 'sweet spot' of the face of the wave). However, if you are worrying about pearling, even before you have caught the wave, you are likely to blow your chance to catch it. Worry about catching the wave first, THEN work on what you may have to do to keep from pearling.
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
BoaterTalk 
