BCU 3 Star Training

I know I've said that chasing BCU stars is a little silly for recreational paddlers, but the BCU training framework is world class. The recent revisions to make the 3 star and 4 star training focused on journeying and leadership make it even better for the sorts of paddling I enjoy.
When I heard Osprey Sea Kayak Adventures was offering the new 3 star training with Steve Maynard, I decided to take it. TM was also taking the course. I figured it would be fun and educational.
To make things even more fun I decided to take the course without the mighty stick. I figured Steve was more familiar coaching paddlers with Euro blades and I wanted to get as much out him as possible. I can do the translation between my lollipop and the mighty stick.
The first day of the course we headed out of the Westport Town boat ramp. The current was running pretty strong up river when we launched and they would be running pretty strong down river on the return trip. We were hoping that they would offer us some fun at the mouth of the river before we paddled back.
The first thing we did was play in the eddies created by the three rocks just before the bridge. Like well trained paddlers we picked good angles to enter the eddy, leaned downstream when the boat started to turn, and pulled in behind the rock with a little correcting stroke. Once we were all safely in the eddy behind the first rock the teaching started. Steve wanted us to stop with the bracing and slowing down as we crossed the eddy line. Instead we needed to keep paddling forward and use the eddy lines to navigate the kayak. The forward stroke provides enough lift to keep a paddler upright and the eddy is going to push the kayak around regardless. Instead of trying to overcome the eddy, he wanted us to plan our routes such that the eddies would do most, if not all, of the work in turning the kayaks. He had some great saying about this, which I have completely forgotten.
When I tried doing as told, tentatively at first, I discovered that when you plan properly it is actually much easier to get from point to point. The correcting strokes and bracing take a lot of work that is not needed. Of course, when I miss read the eddy or the amount of speed needed to get the desired turning, things did not go as smoothly. I got pushed over a rock at least once because I didn't pick the right angle to cross the line.
After playing in the currents for a bit, we paddled down river towards the mouth. The paddle was a chance to get some tips on forward strokes. The two most memorable tips were "no yo-yo hands" and the "circle of power."
Yo-yo hands is when your hands move up and down during your forward stroke. They are inefficient and creates an imbalance between the front and back of the shoulder muscles. The fix for yo-yo hands is to keep the top hand in a level horizontal plane as you rotate through the stroke. When the stoke is unwound, lift the bottom hand as the top hand moves down to plant the paddle for the next stroke. Lifting the bottom hand engages the rear part of the shoulder muscles and strengthens the muscles that stabilize the shoulders.
The circle of power describes the shape your arms make as you paddle. Your arms should be slightly bent and your hands should not go above the shoulders. This position is powerful, protects your shoulders, and helps keep your core engaged.
Steve also showed us how to optimize our forward power by sliding the paddle blade out to the sides while unwinding the stroke. Moving the paddle straight back starts the water moving. If the blade keeps moving backwards along the same vertical plane, it quickly goes from moving water to chasing the already moving water. By moving slightly to the side through the stroke, the paddle keeps moving water.
After lunch, Steve showed us a few control strokes that don't kill forward speed. Two of the strokes were pretty familiar: the bow rudder and the side draw. The third stroke was combination stern rudder and hanging draw. The paddle is placed in the stern rudder position, but the stroke draws the stern toward the paddle. The trick is to keep the pressure on the power face of the paddle so the water is pushed under the hull. Using the stroke allows you to steer the kayak from one side of the kayak. The only hitch is that it doesn't offer much in the way of support.
The rest of the afternoon was spent practicing in the little surf along the beach. One of the drills we did was to "kiss the beach." The trick is to get as far up the beach without getting stranded. It helps with kayak control. It also simulates a surf landing because you want to land as far up the beach as possible to minimize the chances of getting whacked by the surf when trying to get out the cockpit.
Day two saw us paddling out of Sakonnet Point in wispy fog. The fog was fine since the day was about navigation. Navigation and rocks. As we paddled down the river towards the lighthouse, the fog thickened up. We did some more navigation exercises using hand-held compasses and a topo map. The hand-held compasses are easier to use with a map to find locations and get bearings. According to Steve that deck compasses is just a pretty hood ornament. The deck compass is good for hold courses, but doesn't sit on a map very well.
The topo map was a fine alternative to a chart. It has sufficient details of the hazards just off the coast and has excellent detail of the land.
One of the rock games we played was hold position near the rock. Then we did swoop in and hook a tow onto the paddler near the rock and drag them away. I swooped in to pull TM out, hooked the tow line onto his kayak, and edged too hard on the turn out. I was under water next to a rock hooked to a tow line. I could see the rock through the bubbles and all thoughts of rolling fled. I pulled the loop. TM's bow was right there. If I had reached up, I could have grabbed it. Anyway, it was a good chance to practice a rescue.
We spent the rest of the day doing drills near the rocks and practicing navigation. It was a good day.
The two days was a good opportunity to practice and get pointers from a world class paddler. I look forward to practicing the strokes in my regular paddling.