Wednesday, July 08, 2020

Waterborne Wednesday: Coracles

Coracles

I'm not a fan of canoes. The idea that you sit, trapped, in a narrow boat that is so easy to roll that performing an "Eskimo roll" is part of the "fun" doesn't appeal to me at all. 

Much as I like boat, I think I should be on top, the boat underneath and the water below us. Reverse that order and things have gone wrong. 

A coracle though - not sure. They should be nice and stable. Moving and steering with a single oar looks like a challenge, but practise should make perfect. 

I like the idea of making one quite a lot though. Mind you, a radio control model coracle would be a challenge!

3 comments:

PatC said...

Hi Phil. Sounds to me as if it's the idea of being trapped ina kayak that you don't like, not a canoe. I've spent much of the alst 30 years paddling, traveeling in and teaching people how to use both kayaks and canoes. I'd really recomend that you look again at the canoe where you don't get that feeling of entrapment. I've paddled coracles as well, loads of fun and very 'interesting' on moving water.

Love the blog, try to catch every post if I can.

Phil Parker said...

To me, kayak's are an open-top boat sailed by red indians in cowboy films and canoes the ones you sit in by sliding yourself into a hole in the top. Whatever, if I'm on the water, being wrapped in a boat isn't my idea of fun - but each to his own.

PatC said...

Ha, ha. No, other way round. Kayaks are enclosed, double ended paddle (think Inuit hunting craft), canoes are open with single blade paddle (think native americans, Hudsons Bay company and fur trappers).