With the weather a bit threatening and being on my own, I opted for a short outing on Wyong River. I spent about three hours on the water; paddling up to the weir before turning round and paddling back down to South Tacoma then back up to the launch point. Total distance for the trip was about 15 km, with a diversion into Porters Creek which had a nice little flow going. I thought it might be interesting to see how far I could push an 18 foot sea kayak upstream in a narrow flowing creek using a wing paddle. Answer, not very far, but it was fun trying and even more fun running back with the current. I might have to get myself up to Barrington River or down to the Penrith White Water stadium sometime.
I spent a fair bit of time playing with my wing paddle to see what it would do with a bow rudder or a cross bow rudder. The cross bow rudder was a far better option as the shape of the aerofoil (hydrofoil ?) works with the turn to pull the blade away from the boat allowing a tighter turn. I had best success with the bow rudder by turning the paddle round, this is cumbersome at best and when the cross-bow rudder works better, why would you bother. There was also more braking force in the rudder stroke compared to a conventional blade. Not too surprising I suppose given the increased cross-sectional area of the wing blade.
