Here is a new question and answer page. I probably won’t move the past questions over here but they can be found using the categories.
Wash riding is a pretty essential skill. It’s a pain and we never really use it in races, but knowing how to wash ride really helps to develop boat skills, which are essential for racing in bad wind, or washy courses. You learn balance and how to control your boat as well as subtle angles and blade angles that allow you to better control the boat. Bottom line for me is that the skills are important, but i almost never jump on wash unless the work out is specifically a washride, and even then i maybe do one a week at most. Otherwise i feel like i’m cheating if i surf for a good part of the workout and then sprint by the guy who was pulling me. but learn how and practise, it’s a basic skill that is hard to learn for some but important for everyone.
I didn’t really learn to wash ride until i was about 17-19. I tried when i was 14-17 but i had a lot of trouble. I specifically practised it to learn how. If you can, go out with friends and practice .
Tips are as follows: 1) the nose of your boat should be in line with around the block of the person you’re riding off of. 2)you should be about one meter from the boat you’re riding off of, this changes constantly in a canoe. Part of the challenge is keeping the boat on the wave. 3) when i started i used to be scared to try and ride on the same side as my paddle, but it is much easier to ride on the same side as you paddle. The wash is constantly pulling your boat forward (which is why it’s good) and in to the boat you’re riding (the hard part) so having your paddle on the same side allows you to adjust how hard you’re paddling to stay in the right place. to start you should try and do it in a light bad wind for you, in other words, i’m a right so when i paddle in a lefts wind my boat turns left and i have to j-stroke, but if i’m riding wash and paddling in a lefts wind the force of the wind and the force of the wash act against each other (a little) and make it easier to control the boat.