main reason Aaron and I went solo is because I didn't know left from right.
We recently converted a Whitesell to tandem, took it out once, after 4 years of solo paddling, which followed 4 years of tandem, mainly cl.2. Things changed, we're better as a team now, almost good, managed to surf and eddy out cleanly. I prefer staring at something besides Aarons back, however, and like to switch sides on occasion. Basically we like doing our own thing, and though we'll tandem together on occasion, having the 2 of us run a feature...or not ..individually,is enough teamwork for me.
Now tripping is another story. I love the horsepower of 2 paddlers in a loaded big canoe; as well as being far enough apart in the tripper so I don't whack Aaron with the paddle when I switch.
Last edited by mattm on Tue Apr 20, 2010 10:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
so glad for Krylon, ABS and acetone.Squirt, sail, paddle and pole.
my advice for getting your lady involved is go slow & let her dictate the pace. if you scare the (insert favorite explicative here) out of her right off the bat, you'll be hard pressed to reverse that experience.
I did that not intentionally but it happened I put her in the caption.
one time on a river that hits you right off the bat no chance for warm up Piscataquag in Goffstown NH
Then 4th July weekend last year we did the Androscoggin below the Pontook dam normally the flow is about 2400 cfr it was running between 7600 -8600 CFS.
The first trip down the river not even 15 mins into the trip water was coming over the bow the waves were about 3ft high. The boat filled with water to the gunnels the float bags kept us up and I am yelling at her to keep paddling. She was almost in tears.
We almost made it to shore but we hit a 3 -4 ft wave. Well we made it to shore and she was ready to quit right then and there. If we were on the road side of the river she would have walked to the car. But I got her back in the boat and we did ok but we swamped again but this time we made it to the take out .
So the next run I ran solo. She did go again the next day but I took a much more conservative approach and she enjoyed it more. This year so far I have not been able to convince her to do it again she is going to do the 4th of July again hopefully the river is lower
Sounds like we need to have another go at "Tandemodium" and / or Tandemation". A gathering of OC2s / C2s! Last run was a couple years ago on the LY (Loop+ in ~ II-III).
Interest?
Paul C.
Cboats Moderator
Official TOG Member (Team Old Guy)!
I do some OC2 paddling with my daughters, who are content to go in nice weather and if I carry the canoe and do most of the paddling. That works out OK for runs like section 3 of the Chattooga, but its hard to find someone with the skills and experience to paddle tandem on rivers with a higher degree of difficulty.
My girlfriend and I will come out for a tandemonium event for sure. We recently picked up a tandem boat and have been loving it. We styled the Tohickon this past spring.
My last tandem boat made a few runs down the Lehigh before I destroyed it on the Bottom Moose, but it was worth it. The thrill of running Fowlersville with a tandem partner and a 17ft boat is unreal. We broke a gunnel in funnel and that was the beginning of the end.
somebody mentioned the divorce boat. thats pretty much it, in my case. (not actually, but you know what i mean). in addition, theres just so much more you can do on the river in a solo boat, you don't have to worry about finding a partner, etc etc.
I will say, however, that up in these parts you see a lot of Quebecqois paddling the heck out of some tandem boats, often Blasts. Big moves on big water, combat rolls, the whole bit. But they're pretty unique.
All I had to start paddling whitewater was MRC Explorer. I turned my then gf who was a head taller than me into a sternswoman. It was fun while it lasted. I almost didnt break up with her so I would still have a sternswoman. We didnt break up with her becuase of paddling.
You still see tandems on the Ocoee, but not often. CGRR used to have a tandem day on the Ocoee with 10+ boats each year. Made up mostly of solo paddlers who teamed up in borrowed boats. It was a lot of fun and amazing in places where you needed extra power you had it. We generally played everything that we did solo, not as successfully though.
Bill
Same for us, we paddle tandem 95% of the time and rarely meet other Tandems in Whitewater which is a pity. 2 in total the last 4 years, one in Costa Rica 2 Years ago and one was James aka Funkidreadz with his wife which is an unusual combination in an OC2.
In our WW-Tandems (Esquif Blast, Canoah Amerika C2 and hopefully in a few days a Millbrook Big Boy) we're quite confident on class III-IV and our roll is getting better. In solo boats we're both far worse paddlers. The teamwork is great, you have to paddle some time together to make it work and it's no divorce boat for us (we're not even married )
A Tandemonium would be really great! If we can plan long enough in advance that maybe worth a long jouney...
I like to bring people out in a tandem who have never experience white water I bring at least 1 newbe a year out. I like to spend an hour on a pond before I bring them on the river but in not I show them the basic then they learn on the river lot of fun
Bill M wrote:You still see tandems on the Ocoee, ... We generally played everything that we did solo, not as successfully though.
Bill
The good tandem teams could do some moves we couldn't get solo, particularly when a river was blown out. They could attain back upstream to waves that even the good deck boaters couldn't get to.
I started out tandem with my wife in the bow and missed all the fun and.. the fear (if you like that stuff). I didn't realize what a different world it is in the bow in big water, very, very spooky, especially when the leverage gets going on 16' boat thru the haystacks. I blew her mind so severely that she wouldn't paddle with me. Try and trade into the bow seat where all the fun is.
..individually,is enough teamwork for me.
