Putting it all into practice
Watching Nigel Foster at the East Coast Kayak Festival was the highlight of the weekend. His ability to effortlessly
control a kayak and communicate how he does it is simply amazing. Rather than head off on a long paddle, I stayed close
to the dock and worked on putting in practice what I learned from Nigel.
My main focus was the bow rudder. I've always been one of those guys that has to just keep sweeping until the kayak is
pointed in the right direction. After a couple of hours of paddling between pier pilings, I now think I've got the hang
of the bow rudder. I still loose too much speed, but I can work on that.
This was also the first time I seriously edged my boat. I've done it before, but never under such controlled
circumstances. It turns out that I'm sliding around too much in the seat. I guess I'll need to add hip pads to go with
my new foam backrest.