Yesterday I had paddling bliss down at St Kilda marina in clear bluue sky, warm and sunny and glassy,glassy conditions.. While paddling I saw a middle aged women paddling in the distance and though I would paddle over and say hi.. Once I got close I could see she was on a hire/demo board from the Zu shop at St Kilda.. It was one of the nice new 10'10" Naish Nalu's (great board).. I could also see that she was having a hard time with keeping the board going straight.. It seemed that it only took one or two strokes each side because the board keept turning.. I could also see the coiled leash was going from her ankle to the nose of the board..

I paddled up to her and said hi.. how's it going.. and what a beautiful day.. She agreed and said she was fine.. I said do you realize you're paddling the board backwards.. She said oh.. am I.. I said yes you should sit down.. turn around and try paddling it the other way.. You will find it much better.. She insisted that she was fine doing it her way and said that it would not make much diference to her what way she paddled it.. It took some convincing and almost insisting to get her to kneel down and turn around while I held her board (we were a fair way out from the shore) and she finally turned around and stood back up and started paddling again.. I epxlained how the fin worked but I don't think she understood.. We paddled together for a while.. I had my camera and was going to take a pic of her paddling her board backwards but decided not to.. Maybe they need a sicker on the deck that says.. Paddle board in this direction..

Here's a couple of pictures that I took yesterday just prior to paddling over to her and they show just how glassy it was.. Perfect for someone having their first paddle on a sup board.

DJ

Hey DJ,

This reminds me of a moonlight paddle we did back in November. We had a large group with us and it was quite dark. We had just paddled out around a marina and into the shelter from the light wind of a lee shore.

We had stopped and were waiting for some of the tail group to catch up. My missus suddenly exclaims, "I think my fin has fallen off". I paddle over in the dark and extend my paddle underneath the board behind her to feel for the fin ...... nothing!

I then casually explain she should turn around on the board and it will paddle better forwards

I guess it happens more often than you'd imagine.

DM

ScarbsSUP said...



I guess it happens more often than you'd imagine.

Someone very dear to me was on a friend's board just last week and complained that it was very difficult to steer (in fairness to her the board in question is fairly round at both ends).
Bless 'em.

They would work and the drag increase would be negligilbe but when they flex in a turn, it would be like trying to control a shopping trolley being pushed backwards.

you want a solid nose and a flexible tail to be able to get the fins stable.

Bit like the reason we put the rudder on a boat or plane at the tail of the plane.

62mac said...

SP said...

Haha, great story, But if you put the fins in this way would it work

Has to be DOGGIE

You would be suprised how good that works, it was macs idea

62mac said...

SP said...

Haha, great story, But if you put the fins in this way would it work

Has to be DOGGIE

reckon you're spot on - think I see a bollock hanging down over his eye

surfershaneA said...

Maybe they should have asked her whether she could swim before renting her the board and offered her a personal flotation device just in case?

I'm pretty sure they do that.

Maybe I should have offered he a go on my square nosed pintailed board..

DJ

damn DJ, that Naish board looks mint!!!

Im gonna try paddling my Fanatic Fly backwards just for the hell of it and too see how it goes

BulldogPup said...

62mac said...

SP said...

Haha, great story, But if you put the fins in this way would it work

Has to be DOGGIE

reckon you're spot on - think I see a bollock hanging down over his eye

Bulldogpup all ready to get out on the town,

^^
Think I did wake up resembling that a couple of weeks ago