Cutting Your Teeth without Losing Your Neck
by:  Jessie Ravage

I begin with a cautionary tale:  A few years ago, two young men decided they wanted to do the regatta.  In early April, the located a boat.  For their first practice, they launched in cold, rushing water just below the dam near Bassett Hospital [Cooperstown].  They negotiated the first few turns and shallow spots without difficulty, but in the S-turns behind the high school, the current shoved the canoe into a snag.  As the current forced the boat down into the base of the snag, the boys wisely grabbed a stout branch overhead [usually, not recommended behavior in a canoe] and hoisted themselves out.  The boat stayed pinned underwater, held by the current's hydraulic pressure for days -- a reminder of how lucky they'd been.

All seasoned paddlers have stories of poor judgment and good luck.  We know that current is powerful and dangerous; we don't want to be turned sideways in the river or pinned against obstacles where the water can send us do Davy's Locker.  There are good places to get early season practices, especially, for inexperienced paddlers getting used to the boat, a partner, and the water.  Specific locations and guidelines for choosing good early season practice sites follow.

• Look for places where the current is slow, the water deep, and obstructions are few or non-existent.  These conditions allow you to focus on paddling technique, navigation and stroke rate.  At the north end of the racecourse, good places include the [Otsego] Lake itself and the short run of river above the [Bassett] hospital dam.
   

• On the Lake, stay near shore as a mishap could mean a lethal swim in cold water as you try to reach shore.  Check the wind before putting in so that you can paddle in the lee of the surrounding hills.  As our prevailing winds are westerly, paddling along the west shore is often your best bet.  If you're just getting started, you can also use the shore to visually keep the boat tracking a straight course.
   

• The stretch of river above the hospital dam may seem dull, but the short run allows you to watch the effect of current on the boat repeatedly.  This helps develop water reading skills necessary in the more technical parts of the river.  It's also the perfect length for short, hard sprints to develop stroke rate.
   

• Further downriver, the stretch of river between the State Highway 166 bridge in Milford to Goodyear Lake in Portlandville provides deep water with wide bends allowing you space to make mistakes.  The section above the bridge is the most technical part of the river, and might be better left until you're feeling comfortable with the section below.  Between these two points, the Crumhorn boat launch on County Highway 35 provides a third put in.