How to do the Carving Off-Side Turn Canoe Stroke

To look at turning a moving canoe, we're going to break the turns down into four parts.

• The first part involves building forward momentum.
• The second part of a moving turn involves the turn initiation.
• The third part involves controlling the turn.
• And the fourth part of the moving turn is the recovery, when you end the turn and continue propelling your canoe forward.

The solo off-side turn involves carving a smooth turn to your off-side and uses this four part sequence.

Once again, you'll start with some powerful forward strokes to establish a good forward momentum. You'll then tilt your canoe towards the inside of the turn (which will be your off-side) and initiate the turn with a stern draw.

With your canoe now on edge and carving, you'll use a cross bow draw to control the sharpness of your turn.

The more you open the power face to the bow of the canoe, the more water you'll catch and the more aggressively you will turn the canoe.

To finish the turn, you'll feather your cross bow draw into a cross forward stroke and level out your canoe. You're now back in your regular, forward strokes.