July 19, 2024
It’s been almost a month since our annual spring trek and I have had some time to reflect on what a great trip it was. For the group it was a new river in a new state. A new river is always exciting because like one of our favorite movie characters likes to say, “you never know what you’re going to get” and there is some profound sense of excitement surrounding that. Adding another state to our list of states we conquered rivers in is, well, frosting on the cake as they say, or paddles in the water, if you will. With each new trip, we have to wonder will the trip planner be lauded a hero or relegated to sitting on the outside circle of the fire-side conclave? Anyway, all this has given me time to re-think the age long dilemma, bowman, or stern man. Is one better than the other? We all start off as deadweight, then bowman, then stern man if we are lucky, right? If we can graduate to stern man, is going to bowman then considered a demotion worthy of belittling and much mocking? Can a great bowman hide the flaws of a lesser skilled stern man?
Let’s start at the beginning. We all humbly start out as deadweight, hanging over the side of the canoe dipping our hands in the water, getting yelled at to stop tipping the boat, and eating, lots of eating. Today’s deadweights may have something to say about that, see the Blog Canoe Trip Culinary Phenomenon. At some point you graduate to bowman. With bowman status comes great responsibility. Let’s start with some basics. The bowman is the paddler seated at the front of the canoe. Their primary responsibility is to set the pace and rhythm of the strokes, as well as to look out for obstacles in the water. They need to have a good sense of timing and be able to communicate effectively with the stern man to navigate the canoe efficiently. The natural progression is then to stern man.
The stern man sits at the back of the canoe and is responsible for steering. They use their paddle to make corrective strokes that keep the canoe on course. The stern man must be able to read the water and make quick decisions to adjust the canoe’s direction as needed.
Both roles require teamwork and coordination, with the bowman providing the power and the stern man providing the direction. Each has a unique set of skills that, when combined, allow the canoe to move swiftly and effectively through the water.
So, is one better than the other? I always thought so, you want to be the one responsible for the success of the canoe on the river. As few things are as satisfying as making it through some class 2,3, or 4 rapids without taking on too much water or tipping and then looking back and watching as Rockhound, Uncle Jorts, and Seacow tip over or take on so much water that Rubber Ducky and Beef Chowder are paddling while their canoe is below the surface of the river (they did not tip). Of course, it’s not always a battle for who will be stern man, if it’s your canoe you’re automatically qualified, skills notwithstanding. On our most recent trip, Uncle Jorts thought he might commandeer the stern man post on my canoe, and that was met with a swift “quit whining like an old lady and get in the canoe, here have some bloody mary” from yours truly. It was a false bravado though, truth being told, I was a little nervous, Uncle Jorts had been paddling longer than I have been alive, and admittedly he had a pretty good record as stern man. He is after all the self-proclaimed best Canoeist Ever, so good, there is no ranking high enough for him. The Au-Sable was quite the serpentine river, lots of turns, hardly any time to light a cigar or snag a beer out of the cooler, as any distraction means you might be careening into the bank or losing momentum and having to paddle extra to catch up to the armada. I had never been stern man to a bowman who had more experience than me. Uncle Jorts didn’t take kindly to being relegated to bowman and he pouted much of the first day, his paddle in the water only to check river depth. Was he concerned his masculinity would be questioned, sitting where the females generally sit, was he suffering from low T? Was he worried that his much younger nephew, teeming with toxic masculinity would overshadow him?
Admittedly, I was a pretty poor bowman in the beginning of my canoeing career. In an elevated Clarion River, after a whole day and night of rain, J-Stroke and I set out to get to our next camping site, J-Stroke as stern man and myself in the bow. I had a tough time reading the river and calling out obstacles for the stern man and we kept getting snagged. In a bold, selfless move, reflective of J-Stroke’s character, he moved to bowman. J-Stroke knew that the canoe was greater than that of the individual paddlers. Out of fear of me directing the canoe into a rock and spilling our gear all over Pennsylvania, I was thrust into the stern man position. It was a miraculous transformation, reflective of J-Stroke’s genius and selflessness, we became the swiftest and best canoe tandem in early Chupacabra history. Since then, I’ve experienced a few different bowmen, helping me appreciate the position. I am a great stern man, arguably one of the greatest, but the canoe is better and more fun with an experienced bowman. Some notable bowmen, of course J-Stroke, Beer Canoeist, Rubber Ducky, Escargot and most recently Uncle Jorts. I even heard that the Great Teddy Roosevelt spent some time in the bow of a canoe.
This brings us to our next discussion; can a great bowman hide the flaws of a lesser skilled stern man? I think most of us will agree that yes, they can hide the flaws, but those flaws will certainly surface at some point and be the cause of mockery and shame from others. Take for example the shameful and disappointing Beer Canoeist and Sea-Cow canoe incident on the Au-Sable. Inside sources say that while they were navigating a particularly tight turn the stern man, Sea-Cow, was caught off guard when a downed tree appeared out of nowhere, pinning them into the corner. You know how fast those trees can be. And with the current pushing them ever farther sideways into the tree, the canoe eventually took on so much water, even Rubber Ducky could not have paddled his way out of it. It is worth noting that miraculously all six of the other canoes managed to get past it. There is an important lesson here, no stern man is above learning, and no bowman can steer the canoe, just because you occupy the back seat doesn’t mean you’re qualified, and just because you have an experienced bowman doesn’t make you invincible. It takes a humble attitude, but every paddler should have an open mind to learning from those with more experience. Another way to put this is that a great bowman can be the difference between an average canoe and a great canoe. Similarly, a bad bowman can frustrate the living heck out his stern man. Rockhound, notorious for his patented paddle up maneuver, was the bane to Escargot’s canoe this year. When approaching riffles, rough water or even rapids is when Rockhound’s patented move takes over. Reminiscent of the Good Lord, as depicted by Touchdown Jesus overlooking Notre Dame, Rockhound inexplicably raises his hands high above his head, clutching the paddle as if it were a pull up bar. He’s trying to Jedi mind trick the canoe into rising above the rapids to avoid calamity. Could he be doing this out of spite? Perhaps he, like Uncle Jorts, are experienced stern man that can’t let go and let the younger generation take the stern. Enjoy the ride old men, you earned it!
So where does this leave us? As I mentioned before both roles require teamwork and coordination, with the bowman providing the power and the stern man providing the direction. Each has a unique set of skills that, when combined, allow the canoe to move swiftly and effectively through the water.
Perhaps the answer is that bowman or stern man is not something that defines who we are as men or X-Stream canoeists, but is a role we play based on the circumstances we find ourselves emerged in. In life, haven’t we all experienced a time when we are the stern man, and other times we are bowman? Experiencing sub-par bowman performance should give us the perspective to treat the role respectfully when the situation calls on us to fill that role. What’s the best for the canoe? Answer that and perhaps the success of the canoe is the reward we are seeking!
Happy Paddling
Cap’n Canoe
Author: JStroke
Master Canoeist since 2012
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