Thanks for sharing! Your video inspired me to consider canoe camping. I'm 57 and no athlete, just average. I appreciate that you make this all seem doable. I hope you continue to produce this content. Cheers!
That is awesome! Glad to hear that you are considering canoe camping. At 70 it is still a great pleasure to put all the gear in a canoe and set off down lake or river. Have fun.
That brought back some brown trouser moments on Loch Awe when my brother-in-law and I were paddling tandem with a fully loaded boat! Yours and other coaches' lessons helped us through.
Awesome day Ray, I'm only on the baby conditions at the moment but it showed what conditions are possible with experience, great to see you on the water again 👍👍☕
Yep and it was a couple of interesting days working 1:1 with Martin. It was about the limit of what I want to do on open water but that means under more normal conditions I have plenty of slack in the system. Thanks for commenting. Keep well and have fun
Wow! Loved that Ray what an exciting trip. Those gusts coming through looked pretty scary to me but you and Martin handled it with easy👍. Thanks for sharing 🙂👍.
Glad you enjoyed it. Yep there was not much of a margin left there and we were both keeping a careful eye out for gusts and a general increase in wind, hence the handshake after the crossing. It was on the limit of where I was prepared to be when out from a landing. I have been out in stronger but only when the shore was within swimming distance, certainly not out in the middle of a lake. cheers
@@madaprak It would have been ok more embarrassing than dangerous. Bigger waves and yep it would have been a real risk. Getting it wrong out in the middle of the lake would be dangerous. The canoe is a Venture Afon.
Mild day 😊 Bang a skek under fore and aft to improve tracking. Clip in ones are good but you have to adhere the clip to your keel. They're priceless when sailing canoes and kayaks.👍
Hi, thanks for commentating. If I wanted to track better, going across or into the wind. I would use a leeboard which is the equivalent of a dingy centreboard. They work extremely well. I really don't like to modify anything under the hull as on big journeys I may use the the canoe to run white water, line or even pole as well as sailing. This is a very simple rig which is easy to take along with me but I have some bigger ones that have been made by a sail maker so have a better shape to them, these are really effective with a leeboard. Best wishes and thanks again.
I'm planning on consolidating my force 3 paddling and step into force 4 this summer to branch into consolidating force 4 and step into force 5 over the winter so i can do my open water canoe leader next springish time 😉
i hope some of my stuff is helpful to you then. It is all down to fetch and decision making. In canoe I have been in force 6 but really chose my place and didn't stray far from shore (within swimming distance). But a force 4 on the length of Loch Ness is impressive by the end. Choose well and stay safe.
I have had a bit of a nightmare with the editing. I have promised myself to get back to it and make a finish. Sorry about that. I learnt some valuable lessons on how I record and section such a large body of video and won't be making that mistake again.
@@RayGoodwinCanoe I did wonder if that was an issue! I've done some editing in the past, and have ended up leaving it years before editing things due to a mental block. No pressure, but if you do manage it, it would be a pleasure to watch!
I've learned to appreciate a bit of a blowy day, paddling on a flat calm lake can start to get monotonous and if it starts to get a bit too hairy, when there's two of you you can always quickly raft up. The hardest part I find in these conditions is getting the boat on and off the roofrack!
Ah we made good decisions that day and both the unload and loading up were done in sheltered locations but that I remember days of trying to load kayaks at the beach after surf sessions. A very major task.
Sorry to hear that. I am sure Endless River would post one. The critical bit is the sail and the mast foot. I am sure you could access some metal tubing for the mast and boom. Trouble as ever is the cost. But thank you for your kind comments.
I have always been interested in the possibilities of sailing a canoe... Have you ever tried a box kite for downwind sailing, or even a steerable kite for more scope for sailing different points of the compass ? Thanks in advance...
Yes I have but it was many years ago before kites were as effective as they are now and we weren't very successful. If I get the opportunity I will give it another go but my feeling is that it would work best in a tandem canoe where one of you could concentrate on the kite and one on the steering.
@@RayGoodwinCanoe Thanks for the prompt reply - This sounds interesting.. I hope you get the opportunity to try it out.. I see some kite boarders are using a smallish inflatable kite, which looks like a very simple aircraft shape with a keel... That might be worth a try... Thanks again for the reply...
It is a NRS Drysuit. These are readily available in both the UK, rest of Europe or North America. I tend to wear a drysuit in wet conditions, on rivers in case I swim or when the water is cold. Even if I swim I remain dry (put this in for a full explanation because was not sure of your level of knowledge of kit). Cheers.
Thanks for sharing this, it's a rush sailing in wind like that but it does begin to feel pretty sketchy, more the chop than anything. Any thoughts on outriggers?
On Facebook is the Open Canoe Sailing Group and a lot of them are using far bigger rigs than me and some choose to use outriggers. Not something for me as I like to go from no sail to sailing in the simplest way possible out outriggers don't fit that model for me. But a lot of folk do use them and do it very effectively but they are aiming for sailing and not paddling. So very much a personal choice but they do give that critical stability.
Interesting, and another great video Ray. I run my sheet to the rear of the canoe, thinking that is the optimal place. Down side is when I tack, I have to duck under it, its not elegant. Your sheet looks like it is tied off near to your side. Is this better all round or just for down wind? I have only sailed in strong wind once, that whilst on a camping trip. I could feel the rush of water under my knees was exhilarating to say the least.
Yep I did, for a time, use a tight cord across the canoe at the rear of the seat and then using a krab, ran the sheet through to that. I had the same problem flicking the sheet over my back. I was dropping the sheet through the seat to my side and then running it forward to the jam cleat on the carrying thwart. I did not have my normal sail, needs a repair, and so used another and just stuck a cord on as a sheet at the last minute. Because of this the sheet was too long and slowed down the change over, you can see me coiling/gathering in the sheet during changes. Often I stick krabs through the cord along the canoe side so it saves me delving for the gap in the seat. Anyway thanks for commenting. Keep well.
Trouble is that Billie is a fidget and often bounces from gunwale to gunwale. I had to keep him under manners in these conditions. I didn’t want him over the side or capsizing us! But yep I like having Billie out with me
Normally I use fibreglass poles but it really depends on what comes to hand when I leave home. More than happy to use aluminium or carbon. Probably more flex with the fibreglass poles but they are light.
Thanks for your reply. I am about to buy a rig like yours. Do any of the Poles break? Would you recommend I buy fibreglass ones? Or would the aluminium ones suffice. I canoe on Windermere
The level is controlled by large sluices just after the Afon Dyfrdwy (Dee) leaves the lake. So for a lot of the winter the level is a lot lower so that they have the capacity to hold back flood water in the lake. When it is low the fence has to go much further out. The level shown is what is known as summer recreational level so a lot of the fence is underwater. In a big flood in can be a couple of metres higher. Hope that explains. In late September the lake will be lowered and the whole fence comes into use.
@@RayGoodwinCanoe O. Alright then. Better that than flooded homes below, eh. So, it's good to know that lake. I probably would have fenced myself in wondering who the heck has cows this far in the bloomin' lake? Thanks.
@@BuckMckawtheotherone It leads to some interesting flows/height on the Afon Dyfrdwy (Dee) downstream. In heavy rain the river rises what appears to be a normal bell curve and then peaks and starts to drop (remembering a lot of water is held back in the lake). The drop starts as the down slope of the bell curve but then levels out for maybe 3 to 5 days before dropping quickly as they get down to the low level on the lake again. It is interesting working with this as I ponder where to take customers to paddle.
I loved the integration of map points and your related explanations.
Thanks Karts. Yep that worked in my head
Thanks for sharing! Your video inspired me to consider canoe camping. I'm 57 and no athlete, just average. I appreciate that you make this all seem doable. I hope you continue to produce this content. Cheers!
That is awesome! Glad to hear that you are considering canoe camping. At 70 it is still a great pleasure to put all the gear in a canoe and set off down lake or river. Have fun.
A great watch
Thank you, appreciated
Excellent video Ray that shows the possibilities but mainly about knowing your limits.
Thank you. Yep I agree totally with the limits and where to draw the line.
That’s fast on unpowered canoe, really fast! Lucky dog experiencing all these adventures! Thanks for sharing.
Yes it was! Even I was impressed by that wake as I headed down the side of the lake. Yep Billie really seems to enjoy it.
Thanks Ray
My main takeaway from this is strategy and tactics. Having and communicating a plan.
Great vid.
Thanks Mike. Yep all in the plan and options that way decision making can be quick.
Nice one again. Spicy conditions.
Like the camera angle as I don't have to look at your Mug. LOL
Thanks again! Cheeky b....... Anyway memories of so many paddles we have had out there including night nav. Good times.
Fantastic now join the two together and get a bigger sail. I like your idea and style. Thanks
Awesome, thank you!
That brought back some brown trouser moments on Loch Awe when my brother-in-law and I were paddling tandem with a fully loaded boat! Yours and other coaches' lessons helped us through.
Yep it can get pretty mean out there. Been scared a few times myself😬
Awesome day Ray, I'm only on the baby conditions at the moment but it showed what conditions are possible with experience, great to see you on the water again 👍👍☕
Yep and it was a couple of interesting days working 1:1 with Martin. It was about the limit of what I want to do on open water but that means under more normal conditions I have plenty of slack in the system. Thanks for commenting. Keep well and have fun
Very nicely done
Thank you very much! Appreciated
Fantastic as always.
Thank you! Cheers!
Wow! Loved that Ray what an exciting trip. Those gusts coming through looked pretty scary to me but you and Martin handled it with easy👍.
Thanks for sharing 🙂👍.
Glad you enjoyed it. Yep there was not much of a margin left there and we were both keeping a careful eye out for gusts and a general increase in wind, hence the handshake after the crossing. It was on the limit of where I was prepared to be when out from a landing. I have been out in stronger but only when the shore was within swimming distance, certainly not out in the middle of a lake. cheers
@@RayGoodwinCanoe
Great to watch from the safety of my lounge 🤣.
Well done to you both 👍.
Looks like loads of fun!
It was tremendous fun. I had a grin all evening after that. Mind there was not much of a margin.
Great! Thanks, Ray
Appreciated, thanks
stellar, Ray! greetings from Maine
Greeting to Maine! Thanks for your kind comment. Appreciated.
This looks like a lot of fun
It was. But we were close to the limit of what I like to do in a canoe, not much room for error.
@@RayGoodwinCanoe You were just skimming that headland there at one point... scary stuff. What canoe were you in on that particular video?
@@madaprak It would have been ok more embarrassing than dangerous. Bigger waves and yep it would have been a real risk. Getting it wrong out in the middle of the lake would be dangerous. The canoe is a Venture Afon.
@@RayGoodwinCanoe Thanks a bunch for your response and top notch videos
Mild day 😊
Bang a skek under fore and aft to improve tracking.
Clip in ones are good but you have to adhere the clip to your keel. They're priceless when sailing canoes and kayaks.👍
Hi, thanks for commentating. If I wanted to track better, going across or into the wind. I would use a leeboard which is the equivalent of a dingy centreboard. They work extremely well. I really don't like to modify anything under the hull as on big journeys I may use the the canoe to run white water, line or even pole as well as sailing. This is a very simple rig which is easy to take along with me but I have some bigger ones that have been made by a sail maker so have a better shape to them, these are really effective with a leeboard. Best wishes and thanks again.
I'm planning on consolidating my force 3 paddling and step into force 4 this summer to branch into consolidating force 4 and step into force 5 over the winter so i can do my open water canoe leader next springish time 😉
i hope some of my stuff is helpful to you then. It is all down to fetch and decision making. In canoe I have been in force 6 but really chose my place and didn't stray far from shore (within swimming distance). But a force 4 on the length of Loch Ness is impressive by the end. Choose well and stay safe.
I like you rig there.Have been thinking of trying to make my own since a sailing rig is expensive and hard to find.
All my earlier ones were home made. You should have enough information from my various videos i have on my channel.
Hey Ray! Are you going to upload more of your Alaska big expedition? That first video is excellent.
I have had a bit of a nightmare with the editing. I have promised myself to get back to it and make a finish. Sorry about that. I learnt some valuable lessons on how I record and section such a large body of video and won't be making that mistake again.
@@RayGoodwinCanoe I did wonder if that was an issue! I've done some editing in the past, and have ended up leaving it years before editing things due to a mental block.
No pressure, but if you do manage it, it would be a pleasure to watch!
I've learned to appreciate a bit of a blowy day, paddling on a flat calm lake can start to get monotonous and if it starts to get a bit too hairy, when there's two of you you can always quickly raft up. The hardest part I find in these conditions is getting the boat on and off the roofrack!
Ah we made good decisions that day and both the unload and loading up were done in sheltered locations but that I remember days of trying to load kayaks at the beach after surf sessions. A very major task.
Thank You Ray for this amazing and instructive video Unfortunately in Italy I can't find such a rig, no one import from Endless River UK
Sorry to hear that. I am sure Endless River would post one. The critical bit is the sail and the mast foot. I am sure you could access some metal tubing for the mast and boom. Trouble as ever is the cost. But thank you for your kind comments.
I have always been interested in the possibilities of sailing a canoe... Have you ever tried a box kite for downwind sailing, or even a steerable kite for more scope for sailing different points of the compass ? Thanks in advance...
Yes I have but it was many years ago before kites were as effective as they are now and we weren't very successful. If I get the opportunity I will give it another go but my feeling is that it would work best in a tandem canoe where one of you could concentrate on the kite and one on the steering.
@@RayGoodwinCanoe Thanks for the prompt reply - This sounds interesting.. I hope you get the opportunity to try it out.. I see some kite boarders are using a smallish inflatable kite, which looks like a very simple aircraft shape with a keel... That might be worth a try... Thanks again for the reply...
I’m Curious what your wearing and where you purchased it? Keep it up
It is a NRS Drysuit. These are readily available in both the UK, rest of Europe or North America. I tend to wear a drysuit in wet conditions, on rivers in case I swim or when the water is cold. Even if I swim I remain dry (put this in for a full explanation because was not sure of your level of knowledge of kit). Cheers.
Thanks for sharing this, it's a rush sailing in wind like that but it does begin to feel pretty sketchy, more the chop than anything. Any thoughts on outriggers?
On Facebook is the Open Canoe Sailing Group and a lot of them are using far bigger rigs than me and some choose to use outriggers. Not something for me as I like to go from no sail to sailing in the simplest way possible out outriggers don't fit that model for me. But a lot of folk do use them and do it very effectively but they are aiming for sailing and not paddling. So very much a personal choice but they do give that critical stability.
Looks like fun. I did notice you were not trying to surf the swell. Was that because you were bow light?
Just couldn’t pick up enough acceleration. The Afon is a relatively slow boat. In a sea kayak I would have been storming it
Interesting, and another great video Ray. I run my sheet to the rear of the canoe, thinking that is the optimal place. Down side is when I tack, I have to duck under it, its not elegant. Your sheet looks like it is tied off near to your side. Is this better all round or just for down wind? I have only sailed in strong wind once, that whilst on a camping trip. I could feel the rush of water under my knees was exhilarating to say the least.
Yep I did, for a time, use a tight cord across the canoe at the rear of the seat and then using a krab, ran the sheet through to that. I had the same problem flicking the sheet over my back. I was dropping the sheet through the seat to my side and then running it forward to the jam cleat on the carrying thwart. I did not have my normal sail, needs a repair, and so used another and just stuck a cord on as a sheet at the last minute. Because of this the sheet was too long and slowed down the change over, you can see me coiling/gathering in the sheet during changes. Often I stick krabs through the cord along the canoe side so it saves me delving for the gap in the seat. Anyway thanks for commenting. Keep well.
I remember our dog would go insane, if we did not take him in the Canoe, up ta camp, Sebago Lake, Maine.
Trouble is that Billie is a fidget and often bounces from gunwale to gunwale. I had to keep him under manners in these conditions. I didn’t want him over the side or capsizing us! But yep I like having Billie out with me
i think you mentioned it in another video but where did you get your sail? thats exactly what im lookin to set up for mine
It is an Endless River sail. There is a link to the company in the description below the video. Hope that sorts it.
Can anyone help me... What's the sail area of this sail?
I will check for you in a week. I am in Ontario at present and flying home on Wednesday
@@RayGoodwinCanoe oooh... Thank you very much.
Is your sail an older and smaller version than the newer ones? I bought on two years ago and I think it's bigger than yours. or is it just the go pro?
I think it is just the GoPro but I will check.
Do you use aluminium , fibreglass or carbon Poles?
Normally I use fibreglass poles but it really depends on what comes to hand when I leave home. More than happy to use aluminium or carbon. Probably more flex with the fibreglass poles but they are light.
Thanks for your reply. I am about to buy a rig like yours. Do any of the Poles break? Would you recommend I buy fibreglass ones? Or would the aluminium ones suffice. I canoe on Windermere
@@robnbecnal Aluminium would be absolutely fine.
@@RayGoodwinCanoe Thanks for the advice Ray. Let me know if you come canoe sailing on Windermere.
Is it high water for the fence to be submerged? Or it was just overflowed in time?
The level is controlled by large sluices just after the Afon Dyfrdwy (Dee) leaves the lake. So for a lot of the winter the level is a lot lower so that they have the capacity to hold back flood water in the lake. When it is low the fence has to go much further out. The level shown is what is known as summer recreational level so a lot of the fence is underwater. In a big flood in can be a couple of metres higher. Hope that explains. In late September the lake will be lowered and the whole fence comes into use.
@@RayGoodwinCanoe O. Alright then. Better that than flooded homes below, eh. So, it's good to know that lake. I probably would have fenced myself in wondering who the heck has cows this far in the bloomin' lake? Thanks.
@@BuckMckawtheotherone It leads to some interesting flows/height on the Afon Dyfrdwy (Dee) downstream. In heavy rain the river rises what appears to be a normal bell curve and then peaks and starts to drop (remembering a lot of water is held back in the lake). The drop starts as the down slope of the bell curve but then levels out for maybe 3 to 5 days before dropping quickly as they get down to the low level on the lake again. It is interesting working with this as I ponder where to take customers to paddle.