The Art of Kayaking: Everything You Need to Know About Paddling

by Nigel Foster

Overview

The Art of Kayaking is the distilled essence of a lifetime of kayak instruction at all skill levels around the world, with the added insights gained from years of designing kayaks, paddles, and kayaking equipment. This comprehensive kayaking manual by one of the biggest names in kayaking offers more essential detail about commonly used techniques than ever before published in a single volume. Color photo action sequences show how to perfect skills, and how to apply them. Maps, tables, and diagrams walk the reader through essential planning steps. No matter which type of kayak, paddle, or style of paddling the reader prefers, the appropriate techniques are described clearly and concisely. The progression through the book makes it easy to start as a beginner and to access as much information as can be tackled at any stage of development up to and including the expert. It is a definitive manual designed to stand the test of time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781493025718
Publisher:	Falcon Guides
Publication date:	04/01/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	360
File size:	49 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Nigel Foster is a world-renowned kayaker and an accomplished author. Considered one of the most charismatic and talented instructors on the planet, his lectures and classes attract large audiences of kayakers at all levels and all over the world. The author of several kayaking books and guides, and many articles on paddling, he also designs kayaks and kayaking gear. Nigel’s other books with Globe Pequot are Nigel Foster’s Sea Kayaking, (1997) Nigel Foster’s Surf Kayaking (1998) and Encounters from a Kayak, (2012).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Introduction viii

Glossary: An Introduction to Kayaking Terms xiii

Equipment Basics 1

The Kayak 1

The Paddle 2

Essentials 3

Other Considerations 4

Flat Water Skills 1 9

Getting In and Out 10

Capsize and Wet Exit 15

Forward Stroke 16

Reversing 27

Steering 28

Flat Water Skills 2 38

Balance 39

Edging 41

Braces, Support Strokes, and Recovery Strokes 44

Turning 49

Turning with a Draw Stroke Moving Sideways 73

Flat Water Skills 3 83

Rolling 84

Rescues 90

Towing 103

When All Else Fails 109

Dry Skills Foundation for Trip Planning 114

Charts 115

Buoys 123

Tides 128

Currents 134

Weather 135

Navigation 149

Wave and Sea Theory 168

Waves 169

Applying Skills 180

Open Water Wave Zone 181

The Wind Zone 183

Rock Gardens 189

The Surf Zone 204

Tidal Rapids 217

Expedition Kayaking 226

Kayak Sailing 237

Night Paddling 240

Equipment Detailed 243

Kayaks 244

Fixtures and Fittings 257

Kayak Transport., Care, and Maintenance 264

Repairs 266

Paddles 270

Clothing 276

Safety Wear 278

Safety 280

Skills Breakdown 289

Deconstructing a Techniques 290

Variations on a Theme 294

Strategies for Instructors or Leaders 295

Expanded Glossary 297

Index 303

About the Author 310