Paddle, Paddle, Paddle划、划、划

On a river trip, this is the most commonly heard and used phrase – “Paddle, paddle, paddle!” It cannot be just “Paddle.” The verb has to be repeated three times in a row with a steady tempo and an affirmative tone to deliver the power. “Paddle, paddle, paddle!” has to be the dogma for every boater; it will not separate the Red Sea for you but it will definitely pave your river way.

A whitewater kayaker should have a snugly fitted boat; the boat is an extension of the boater’s body and the paddle is the arms. The more I kayak, the more I think kayaking is like swimming. Only the parts which engage with the water would be able to maneuver and change the directions of travel. Therefore as long as you always keep the paddle in the water, you have the bargaining chip to negotiate with a river.

I didn’t covert into a wholehearted believer of this incantation until this year. It was on a Lehigh River release weekend, and I was paddling the upper gorge again. I arrived at the popular play spot which tipped me over last time, and I wondered whether this time I could at least get in and stay there for a while. I watched other boaters carefully and tried to apply what I had learned from my observation to my first attempt – it did not work, and I was washed out right away.

I returned to the line but when it was my turn I hesitated. I looked around and I saw encouragement from another boater and I squeezed out a smile and said embarrassedly, “I don’t know what to do.” He replied, “You ferry out and drop in the wave and surf. You are doing well.” “I know the theory but I don’t know where to aim and how to stay in.” He pointed a smaller wave a little more upstream than our target and told me that was my aim, and continued “After you get there, Paddle, Paddle, Paddle!” Damn it. It’s the code. “Paddle, paddle, paddle.” I felt like I have been hearing that since I was born and it seems like it’s more important than “Being a good kid.”

I ferried out aiming at the upstream wave and since my location was higher than last time, I could feel that my boat was dropping in the surfing wave. “Paddle, paddle, paddle!” A clear and strong voice rising from behind and I realized that at some point I stopped paddling maybe because I was haunted by the new experience. I immediately followed the order and paddle-paddle-paddled. The aggressive forward paddling and water circulation combined, I was able to stay there and surf.

I wasn’t able to surf long before the strong current brought me downstream, but I tasted the sweetness of the so-called sweet spot and grasped the concept of settling the boat. My paddle was still in the water, but instead of forward paddling I only had to do stern rudders to keep my boat facing the water flow.

Since then I have been actively trying to catch surfing waves on river trips. I spot them, I turn my boat facing upstream, and I drop in and at the same time paddle paddle paddle. It’s no longer just a void concept, and it opened to the first page of playboating.


「划、划、划」，這振奮人心的三個字，大概是在河上泛舟的人最常使用、也最常聽到的口令了。可不能只是「划啊」或者是「向前划」，一定要以堅定的口吻，精神飽滿地將「划」這個動詞，重複三遍才算及格。嗯，雖然說「划、划、划」不能給我們摩西劈開紅海的神力，必要的時候，它可是指點河上明路的耀眼燈籠。

對於從事激流獨木舟運動的玩家來說，擁有一艘合身的小船，是最重要不過了。必須感覺那小獨木舟，等於是身體的延伸，而兩端備刃的長槳就是左右臂。我多划獨木舟一次，就多感覺一分獨木舟運動和游泳的相似處。只有與水有接觸的部分，擁有操控方向的能力。也因此，隨時保持槳在水中，是獨木舟玩眾必須牢記的心法。

不過我也是直到今年，才真正領悟到「划、划、划」的精髓所在。又是一個水庫洩洪、供玩家泛舟於Lehigh River的週末，不用說，我又跑去泛Lehigh River的upper gorge了。當我來到上次翻船的著名玩點，心中不禁又燃起「這次一定要衝浪」的熱焰，於是，很努力地觀察著其他玩家的動作，憑著三腳貓的領悟，划進該浪中。果不其然，該浪潮笑我不自量力，一下子就把我的小船往下游方向衝得老遠。

不甘心，划進等待玩浪的隊伍。輪到我的時候，卻突然膽怯了，我左右張望，捕捉到另一個玩家鼓勵的眼光，我赧然地擠出一絲微笑，說：「我實在不知道該怎麼做。」他回答說：「你就側划出這塊安靜水域，進入浪中玩啊！我看妳上次還有模有樣的，多練習幾次就是了。」「理論我是知道啦，可是我實在不知道應該將船頭瞄準何處，也不知道該怎麼做才可以停在浪中？」他抬起手，指著該浪潮上方，因另一個小浪造成的一塊泡沫聚集處，說：「假想妳要將船擺到那塊地方，到了之後，就『划、划、划』，知道了嗎？」呃，又是這神秘的三字口號，似乎早從我出生開始時，這句話就開始縈繞耳際，重要程度可不亞於「要作個好孩子」。

依照他給的指示，側划出去，船頭瞄準那堆白色泡沫，突然，我感覺到一股向下游拉扯的力量，慢慢地將我的小船拖入該浪潮中。說時遲那時快，身後突然響起洪亮的聲音「划、划、划」，咦，不知道什麼時候，我的雙手已停止划槳的動作。事不宜遲，兩手臂開始奮力地向前划、划、划。這股向前進的力量，加上水流向後拉扯的力量，讓我的小船得以從容地找出該浪潮中，可供停泊的點。

雖說過了一陣，還是被浪潮洗往下游。這次的體驗卻終於讓我品嚐到「就是那裡」的甜美滋味，我領悟到，在浪潮中，是有那麼一塊地方，可以把小船穩穩地抓住。那時候，就不需要用力地朝上游划，只要將槳面垂直於水面，平平地從船尾放進水中，以隨時調節船頭面對的方向即可。

此後，每次泛舟我都會找各式各樣的機會，練習在不同的浪頭上衝浪。先是遠遠看到一個適合的浪潮，接著將船頭船尾調轉過來，在感覺到船尾開始漸漸地掉進浪中的那一刻，開始划、划、划。這三個字再也不是空虛的口號，已成為實在的力量，也開啟了我玩船（playboating）的第一章。