Description:
Get your feet--or rather your paddle--wet with The Outward Bound Canoeing Handbook. In the space of just over 100 pages, Paul Landry and Matty McNair cover the basic skills needed for traveling on wide lakes, narrow rivers, and variations of the two. The authors boast solid credentials, having taught for Outward Bound and lived in Canada's Northwest Territories, a wet and soggy place made for canoeing if ever there was one. If you're heading out on your first trip and don't know the difference between a turning stroke and a brace, this book could save you enormous effort and frustration on the water. It begins with tips on choosing equipment and then moves on to efficient paddling, navigating hazards (such as waterfalls, rocks, and downed trees), avoiding mishaps and serious accidents, planning overnight trips, and dealing with wind, waves, and lightning. This last section will be a blessing to any canoeist who's ever struggled against a stiff headwind, tailwind, or crosswind; each require their own navigational technique, some of which are counterintuitive. Whitewater canoeing is the topic of the last chapter, and the authors give just enough information to keep beginners from getting waylaid by rocks, "keeper holes," and other dangers in fast-moving water. It's an area worthy of specialized books and training courses, and Landry and McNair don't pretend to offer the last word on whitewater. As they note, it should be pursued only after mastering the flat-water techniques contained in their Handbook. --Demian McLean
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