Author Archives: Ray Goodwin

When paddling a canoe on moving water, you must make use of eddies. To do this you have to be able to make eddy turns, breaking into eddies and breaking out of eddies. This article, and accompanying embedded video, shows you how…

Struggling to spot those hidden rocks beneath the river’s surface? In this article (with embedded video), renowned canoe instructor Ray Goodwin shares his expert tips for reading the river like a pro. Learn how to identify the subtle signs of submerged obstacles and master the art of navigating through tricky waters. These insights will help you avoid those pesky rocks and make your river trips smoother and safer. Click to learn more and sharpen your river-reading skills…

Even in easy conditions, whether we are paddling a canoe solo, or paddling tandem, we are going to have to do some form of steering. There’s a whole variety of strokes that you can use. What we are also interested in is travelling forwards. So, for efficiency, we are interested in power strokes that also incorporate some steering. In this post, which includes a very clear instructional video, Ray Goodwin first looks at the difference between two main families of paddle strokes that we may use for forward propulsion combined with a steering element, before going on to focus on the J-stroke and the ways it can be applied, in different situations and with different types of paddles…

My choice of title for this article was made carefully. This is not a general article on outfitting, covering all the many permutations according to country, environment, taste or use. Rather, it is very much about how I outfit my … Read More

There is an acronym we use within paddle sports for leadership situations which provides a good set of guidelines to follow. You can actually apply these principles more broadly, wherever leadership is required in an outdoor setting. The acronym is … Read More