What is paddlesailing or kayak sailing?

The Oosterschelde estuary, the Netherlands, november 2019. Windforce 4 on a beam. This is my old Flat Earth sail on my Capella seakayak made by British P&H. 
Photo Mike Griffin 

Kayak sailing is a great way to paddle and sail simultaniously, hence the correct name 'paddle sailing'. With the right sail the two activities merge into a whole new fusion. It usually feels like a strong guy sitting on your back deck who is paddling very hard. Kayak sailing is therefore a lot of extra fun and it will not wear you down easily. Another comparison is the feeling of being on a perpetual surf. That one wave is constantly staying with you and pushing you ahead. You may paddle less like on a surf, but you still have to steer with your paddleblade or rudder to stay on course and sometimes enjoy fully fledged paddling because that movement is in the genes of every kayaker. Especially on an upwind course when you need give the sail a little push. Kayak sailing does not mean sitting back and reading a book. Sometimes it is possible, but usually not.

Despite the great speeds you can reach paddlesailing and all conceivable courses up to 30 degrees upwind, just like a sailing boat can, a kayak with a modern sail is not yet a sailing boat. It will alway remain a (sea) kayak!

An experienced sailor who is not good at kayaking does not move around easily in a kayak and certainly not with a kayak under sail. But a good kayaker who knows nothing about sailing will understand how it works in a few minutes and be off happily. In short, the kayak and classic paddle technique remain essential. That is why we also speak of 'paddle sailing'.

First group

Let me be crystal clear about what shows up on the water as a 'canoe' or kayak type of boat with a 'sail'. The world of skinny hull boats with a sail can be divided into two groups. The (sea) kayak with a small sail is one group. That's what this blog is about. With a seakayak with a small, modern sail you should be able to do everything you are used to with a regular seakayak. Rolling, rescues, waves of two meters high, wind force five / six on the ocean. No problem if you can do that too without a sail.

 

In my humble opinion there are only two serious, safe sails for sale, the one from Flat Earth for the heavy work because that sail is forgiving and the one from Falcon for the slightly less heavy work (up to windforce 5 I would say) because this sail may be faster but as a trade off also less forgiving. The Falcon is an Arabian thoroughbred, a Maserati. The Flat Earth sail is a thoroughly reliable but slightly slower Sherman tank. The Flat Earth sail is a workhorse, an all-rounder, originally developed by experienced, rather intrepid seakayakers around the Tasman Sea near Australia. Anyone who knows the Tasman Sea knows what that means. Since the nineties these kayakers have worked with heart and soul to perfect their sail with the philosophy that any good kayaker can handle it without the slightest fear of capsizing. 

All other sails (Pacific Action Sail, Windpaddle, etc.) are not suitable for the rough stuff, even worse, cannot face the wind at an angle. These sails are fun for sheltered waters and with a modest tailwind on a summers day.

Second group

The second group consists of Canadian canoes or other wide open less skinny boats with outriggers, leeboards, enlarged attached rudders and God-knows-what-more. With these vessels it is possible to rig much larger sails. This is already starting to look more like sailing boats. The paddling has faded into the background (except in a Canadian canoe with outriggers far aft or forward, I think). Those unfamiliar with sailing are advised to first take a sailing course, yet another indication that it is more about sailing than kayaking. That is not necessary with a modern (sea)kayak fitted with a small modern sail specially designed for paddlesailing. Those who cannot sail but can kayak well, will understand how it works within two minutes.

Furthermore, the rig on a wide Canadian canoe is three times as heavy and bulky and three times as expensive (around 1300 euros) and it takes at least ten minutes to assemble the sail with accessories or to store it with all kinds of loose parts for which matching sheaths and special carts are needed. This building up and dismantling has to be done on land, once on the unexpectedly rough water you can no longer do anything. A capsize seems dramatic to me because rolling back up with outriggers and a large sail is impossible. Admittedly, it is easy with outriggers to get back into the boat once it is upright again. But with a Canadian under sail of about eight square meters, the disaster is incalculable. A sea trip is therefore out of the question unless you have the rock-hard guarantee from our maker personally that it will remain under force four wind all day long. With such wide kayaks or Canadian canoes a suddenly increasing wind on large open water is therefore life-threatening because at that moment the sail can no longer be stowed away or not even reefed quickly in a safe way.

A modern sail of Flat Earth or Falcon is precisely designed to do just that. Within one seconds it lies flat and five seconds later folded neatly together, secured under the bungee. Rolling with such a nifty sail is also possible for those who can already roll with a kayak without a sail.

But fair is fair, such a super tanker under sail with leeboards and outrigger is a lot of fun on the lakes with fair weather. Moreover, in a Canadian canoe you can take a lot more gear and baggage with you which is great during camping. More information can be found on the excellent website kanozeilen.nl I'm sorry, it's in Dutch but you can use google translate if you don't mind the bewildering vocabulairy and grammar.

So in short, if you really want to keep a feel for kajaking and want to make long crossings across open seas it is better to opt for a Flat Earth (or its clones Sea Dog Sails from Australia and Nortik Sails from Germany) or a Falcon sail from Ohio, US which is more powerful but in return requires more leaning and solid paddle braces in winds above force 4.

Paddle sailing with a modern sail is defenitely a real fusion of kayaking and sailing. The other vessels and their rigs are more a transformation towards a summer sailing boat. Just so you know before you make a choice.