Chris, that paragraph on eddying describes my habits to a tee. I tend to wait to late and then can't accomplish a clean eddy move because the eddy line is much less crisp. I also get scared when others are already in the eddy because I'm really bad about knocking into people, and I know that's really annoying for some.

I also tend to run into surfers, a lot. I just don't know enough about surfing to know what their next move is so that I can avoid being at that spot of the next move. Or, I flip trying to avoid them like I did, yesterday. I've got creek rock rash on my left arm. This should be cause to leave work, right?

Yes I rolled both times. Thanks to Hanley et al., I've learned some skills.

I agree, usually, I wouldn't lean enough downstream and then lose my balance, but have never flipped that way before-never seemed to really get that upstream edge caught. This time I was just over, didn't feel it coming. Seems like on the downstream side, just not sure

As for the eddy, its that place below lunch stop that has a drop of a couple of feet with a large, deep pool right below a bit of land/tree that juts out - the strongest part of the current is right next to the pool. It has caused me problems in the past for not leaning enough. This time, I saw it fairly late and was on the wrong side of the creek, but went for it. Had good downstream and cross-stream speed. Knew I'd need a big lean to stop, just started it early and went over before I got across the eddyline.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/04/2009 04:39PM by dperkins.

Don, perhaps you mis-spoke, but from your description you were peeling into an eddy and leaning downstream. Do that and you will go upside down so fast you won't know what hit you (which also fits your description). If you haven't been flipping to date while executing this kind of move, then it's because you're hitting the eddy so low that you're really not even doing an eddy turn, just catching the tail of the eddy and working back up into it.

When entering an eddy and trying to do an eddy turn, you must lean upstream.

If you get confused about which way you have to lean (downstream when peeling out, upstream when entering an eddy), just remember that you are always leaning to the inside of the turn.

I cannot stress this enough. Bubba, AKA the eddy tyrant, will back me up on this. Good eddy turn, peel out and ferry skills are essential whitewater skills. I'm seeing way too many folks shying away from doing a real eddy turn or peel out, even though they are paddling class IV water. If you are boating anything above class II and you can't perform a strong eddy turn, then that should be your number one priority. Work it every chance you get.

FYI: Jaws is a good place to play with Eddy lines too.

Hanley

Yeah, sorry about that rock rash Lydia.

It's okay. I should have just run into you.

Probably so.

Thanks Hanley
I think Don didn't mean he was leaning downstream in the eddy turn. I remember having a hard time at Lunch Stop on both laps yesterday. I thought I could drive right into the eddy through the diagonal waves, but found it more difficult than it looked. I ended up too low in the eddy for comfort (because there's wood at the bottom of it), and alas, did not stop for lunch.
My guess is that Don did exactly what he said - leaned too early. At that spot, what would have flipped him is not that his edge caught, but the wave itself. Does this make sense, Don? In other words, if you are broadside to a big wave, you need to lean into the wave or it will just roll you right over.
Lunch Stop has gradually become a more interesting place - not for surfing, but for eddy turns and peel outs, and dealing with big waves. It seems that the waves are now diagonal, whereas they used to be just about perpendicular to the current. It might work well to go from the river-right eddy just above the island, then paddle through the top wave into the "Lunch Stop" eddy left of the island. But that, to me, is not nearly so much fun. I like to get right into the meat of that wave train. Still, it would be good practice for catching eddies, and one could carry the boat a few yards up the island to do it again and again. (I'll have to try this next time.)
Chris S

Chris Schardl

Right Lydia. Surfers are supposed to give way. But, of course, they don't. And I hate to mess up a good surf. And, besides, it is good practice to pick a route to avoid them. But it really takes dealing with a lot of information very quickly, which definitely requires lots of practice.
Chris S

Chris Schardl

If I'm surfing and someone is coming down toward me, the main thing I want to see is a consistent line. If the person approaching picks a line and sticks to it, I can surf around them 99 times out of 100. If they are trying to decide how best to avoid me, then we are more likely to crash.

Hanley

So, I should disregard the surfer and just do the line I'd normally do if they weren't in the wave? Nine times out of ten, right now, that would mean I'm going straight through the wave they are currently surfing.