Sea kayaking

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article or the following section is not adequately provided with supporting documents ( e.g. individual evidence ). Information without sufficient evidence could be removed soon. Please help Wikipedia by researching the information and including good evidence.

In view of April Fool , it must be clarified and proven to what extent the boat is the “smallest” - perhaps the lightest?
Sea kayak (own construction from fiberglass ) in coastal waters off Texas
Sea kayaker crosses barge in the Gulf of Mexico

Sea kayaking (including coastal paddling , salt-water canoeing , coastal Canoeing , sea kayaking , lake paddling , ocean paddling , off-shore Kayaking , Open Water Paddling , Sea Canoeing , Sea Kayaking , Sea Paddling or Shoreline Kayaking ) is a special form of canoe hiking . The first kayaks of the Eskimos were used for hunting in the Arctic. Therefore, paddling on the sea is one of the most original forms of this water sport.

Description and history

Most sea ​​kayaks are characterized by their length, the keel jump and the shape of the bow and stern to be better suited for the swell. They have a bulkhead, wrap around line and a skeg or rudder. For surfing , however, kayaks are also used, which are more based on whitewater kayaks, in some cases their functional design is based on surfboards.

Canadians are less suitable because of their greater susceptibility to wind outside the protected coastal area.

The German physician Hannes Lindemann proved that you can also go sea ​​kayaking in a folding boat. He traveled the Atlantic (from Las Palmas to St. Martin in the Caribbean) in just 72 days with a standard Klepper (520 × 87 cm; 27 kg) in 1956 crossed. This is still the smallest boat that a person has ever used to cross the Atlantic.

In 1928, Captain Franz Romer sailed across the Atlantic with a custom-made Klepper folding boat in 58 days from Lisbon via Lanzarote and Gran Canaria to St. Thomas . However, he first drove to Puerto Rico , and then, despite the hurricane warning, continued towards Florida and has been missing since then.

The specialty of sea paddling, compared to paddling on smaller bodies of water, is the distance to the bank, as well as the influence of the tides and currents . Therefore, more precise timing is required to adapt a tour to the tide , and certain rescue and navigation techniques . In open water, navigation is of greater importance, as one cannot orientate oneself on the bank. It is also necessary, in open water, the Kenter role to dominate or other recovery techniques to get back into the canoe to the boat turmoil and to alert the rescue. The paddle should be protected against loss with a paddle lock .

Dealing with a sea kayak, especially with waves, must be trained. Likewise, the use of rescue , safety and signaling equipment to give a distress signal . Correct loading of the sea kayak is also important.

Solo trips pose increased risks. The driver should be equipped with special clothing , provisions , and radio equipment or the like. He must be in the physical condition to cope with the route taken even if the ambient conditions change and should be able to safely master situations such as capsizing in cold water by mastering techniques such as Eskimo roll or re-entry with or without aids.

The weather also plays a major role. On the one hand, the swell is more pronounced in open water , on the other hand, orientation is difficult due to bad weather (e.g. fog ), and due to the distance to a suitable coast, landing is not always possible.

The kayak in the waves

The water waves have different effects depending on the direction from which they hit the kayak:

  • Wave from the front: The kayak is slowed down by wind and waves (depending on the construction of the boat), if it hits the trough of the waves, it is slowed down again - stable boat position.
  • Front-side waves: The kayak is usually in a stable position, critical situations are manageable.
  • Waves from the side: Breakwaters - especially near the shore - can overturn and capsize in a split second.
  • Waves from the side and back: the kayak is usually still in a stable position, critical situations are difficult to understand.
  • Waves from behind: The waves can make the kayak surf and it can get very fast. The bow bores into the water. At high waves that can rear and thus the control can be lifted out of the water so that the kayak is no longer directional stability, it can cross-beat and capsize. A movable skeg is installed closer to the middle of the boat and thus keeps the kayak more stable in the water.

See also

literature

  • Stefan Jahn: Sea kayak - equipment, techniques, navigation Stein, Welver 2011, ISBN 978-3-86686-352-1 .
  • Willi Münch-Khe: Captain Romer conquers the Atlantic: A factual report Voggenreiter, Potsdam 1939.
  • Hannes Lindemann Alone across the ocean: A doctor in a dugout canoe and a folding boat Ullstein, Berlin 1993, ISBN 978-3-548-23062-7 .

Web links

Wikibooks: Chapters in the wiki book on sea kayaking  - learning and teaching materials