The "Racer's Line" Through Nantahala Falls

[sbroam]

A couple of weeks ago I pestered this board with questions about gunwales, lacing airbags, gluing d-rings etc while restoring an old ME. That ME maybe an oldie, but I think it came out a goodie - it's the best looking 18 year old boat I've seen in a while, if I must say so myself. But we didn't put that boat together to look at, we put it together to *paddle* - mainly for me to paddle with my kids, though it works great solo, too. I started about 13 years ago in an ME and it's good to be back. I forgot how fast they are!

At any rate, we were fortunate enough to have someone capture the boat's and my son Noah's inaugural descent of Nantahala Falls on film (phot credits to Larry Kemmerlin). I stitched together a sequence of 5 shots into one showing our line. I thought it best to start them off with a conservative line, picking the right hand "racer's line". Take a look here :


larger 236K image :
http://home.sc.rr.com/thebroams/pix/Noa ... quence.jpg

Thanks for your input!

Scott and Noah

[Mike W.]

Sweet run!

That sequence of photos would be awesome in a frame. I know that you & Noah (is that boater's name or what ) will treasure it for years to come.

[PAC]

Way cool! Looks like there will be more than one C2 (or OC2) at the next Armada! I'm sure he enjoyed the run as much as Dad!
CU 2 soon!
Paul C.

[ezwater]

Have only run that line once, in a decked boat. How dry was it?

Lately I have been coming down the standard left-of-center approach when soloing my MR Synergy, but instead of angling off to the right over the normal runout, I have been boofing off the left side. The boat lands dry, and I usually don't smash any playboaters. It is possible to brake and turn to surf, however my route would involve some brief loss of momentum if downriver racing.

[Mike W.]

Last year the OC whitewater nationals were on the Nanty. We all ran Scott's line (or tried to ). It's pretty dry. The driest line is to go river right of the last big rock & bounce through like a pinball . It's not pretty, but it's dry! You completely miss the biggest drop. Don't try this line in a glass boat. Actually, don't try it in any boat that you like.

For playing I like to run left & eddy out above that pesky little ledge so I can jump in the hole. It's fun to do in an OC when a 'yak is sittin in the eddy .

Here's the dry line: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/wh20crazy ... pg&.src=ph

Here's the not so dry line:
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/wh20crazy ... pg&.src=ph

[wesser]

Great pictures!

I think the hot move in oc-1 at nanty falls is to start left, drive hard right and boof into "Macro Eddy" behind the big rock on the right. I call it "the eddy of glory." Possible in an oc-1 too.

[sbroam]

I've run that line a handful of times and found it very dry. Once we were up for a winter wildwater race (Glacier Breaker weekend?) in an open boat (Dagger Interlude, 16', fast flatwater boat) - our practice run was dry as a bone; in our real run we came in wet, hit a rock with the stern (the boat sits low in the back when I'm back there....), pulled my seat bolts through the gunwales, and finished the race with me under water and my bow partner 6" out of the water... In the run with Noah we didn't take on more than a sprinkling; perhaps modifying my memory that the ME was a wet boat. We never had more than an inch in there and that was centered around me!

I want to get more aggressive and creative running the Falls. We have a friend who turned the 100 yards preceding into a river running drill for us ("How many eddies did you catch? There are more!"). However, I usually finished the run with the standard left of center / angled right line. My twist on that is to eddy out on the *right*, I think a peel out from there sets you up nicely. I've only caught the micro eddy once which was especially satisfying in an open boat (the stern 4' hung over the drop).

I've always liked that sequence Kent Ford does in the "Solo Playboating" video - catches micro, ferries to macro, does a paddle toss peeling out into the main flow and catches it at the bottom. Next time....

[Sir Adam]

Nice work

A warning though...my parents STILL have a picture of me and my father in our old OC2 (Millbrook prototype for AC / DC) on their wall...and we all know what happened to me .

If you need a C2 to borrow let me know...I have one I'd be happy to loan you and Noah for a year or two

[sbroam]

Thanks! We've got he C-2 angle covered though, almost. That's another project boat - we have an old (20 years?) Noah Moldau C-2 that needs finishing up. It's another one of those brand new boats that has sat around for a long time, except this one has never seen the water because it needs walls, cockpit rims (ready to glass in), outside seams (kevlar tape is on the shelf), and outfitting (minicell is in the garage). I even picked up some small waisted skirts a while back that may fit the kids.

I told Hannah and Noah that my dream is that they paddle that boat together as training for a slalom boat so they can be the US's mixed C-2 entry in the 2020 Olympic games...

[CKelly]

What a great photo sequence!

For me it is hard to catch micro and then get to macro.

Some times I make it but other times I come out the back of Micro and over the left ledge. (which is not all bad cause you are set up to surf the hole)
Chris Kelly

[chuck naill]

My 23 year old son and I were reminising at GAF about his first run though Lesser setting behind me in a Blue Hole Star Burst @ 4 years old. I had 14 throw ropes, a crane , and a helicopter standing by.

Congrats, there is nothing like having those good memories with your children. Paddling is for a life time.