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canoe tours organises canoe and bike tours, and hikes in Estonia and Latvia.

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Canoeing

canoeing

One of the best ways to get out of your routine is a canoe tour in the great outdoors. The bigger the group, the more interesting and diverse the trip will be. You can go with your family, friends, coworkers or why not a romantic date with your partner, to spend quality time. In the case of a large amount of people you should definitely consider the amount of canoes and seats, so that nobody has to stay on shore to see others off. Anyone can handle a canoe; however, kids, the elderly and beginners should avoid white water and dangerous situations at first. Experiences paddlers also take trips lasting several days, taking tents, food and other necessary experience with them.

canoeing

Make sure to take a life jacket, otherwise the day may end sadly. In addition, there should be warmer clothes with you, kept in waterproof bags. Larger baggage can be placed under the seats, tying them to their place. Phones, cameras, etc., should be in special waterproof bags, and in case they aren’t there for some reason, it’s better to leave technology at home, then you don’t have to worry about something happening with it and you can enjoy the trip fully.

canoeing

Remember!
*You definitely shouldn’t stand up in the canoe while paddling, this almost always ends with a swim.
*When going under obstacles (for example a low hanging branch), you should always lean forward or back, never to the side.
*It’s not a good idea to grab branches, since the unexpected change of the centre of gravity might soon remind the canoer of the temperature of the water.
*The back should be straight or hollow when sitting, otherwise you’ll get tired fast.
*In the case of beginner canoers, a more experienced paddler should sit in the back, since all of the steering goes through the person sitting in the back.

canoeing

In the case of correct padding, the pull is started as far forward as possible, holding the paddle in an upright position while pulling and ending the pull at the hip. The canoe can be easily turned by pushing away by the nose and pulling by the tail. Usually the person sitting in the back is in charge of the manoeuvres, leaving the paddle as far behind as possible in the end, moving forward with small movements. This stops the movement the least. If you need to turn the canoe fast, then you push with the paddle away from the tail, but this stops the movement a lot more. Braking is done by paddling backwards. The canoe is easier to steer from the inner curve.

canoeing

To get faster speed, instead of using a normal paddle, use a kayak paddle that is being held by the person sitting in the front. They can also both be kayak paddles, which means the ride will be faster and more exciting. When choosing a paddle and blade, you need to take into account whether the canoe will be used on large and wide bodies of water, or narrow rocky ones. Compared to wood, paddles with plastic blades are significantly more impact-resistant.

canoeing

When putting in, make sure that the bow of the canoe is already in the direction of where you’ll be going. The last person to sit in a canoe is the person in the back, who will also hold the canoe in the right position, until others sit in the vehicle. When taking out, this order goes the other way around. The first person to leave the canoe is the person sitting in the front, holding the boat still until others have gotten out. In the case of flipping the canoe over, it should first be turned to its side and then lifted out of the water. When lifting the canoe onto a roof rack, place it upside down if possible, because in case of unexpected rain, the canoe will be significantly heavier.

canoeing

Read more about canoeing : link

What is a canoe ?

what is a canoe

The canoe is the boat of Native Americans and other peoples. It’s very light, with an open deck and narrow in the ends. A paddle is used for paddling. Because of its lightness, it’s easy to take to bodies of water and lift over obstacles. Originally the canoe was a one-tree boat and it was even made out of silver bark.

what is a canoe what is a canoe

It is assumed that Australian aboriginals came from Indonesia about 50 000 years ago riding in canoes.

what is a canoe

Generally canoes are used for hiking and enjoying nature, but it can also be used for different competitions, of time and agility. Lately canoes have been used a lot for hunting and fishing.

what is a canoe

Read more about canoe : Link

Kayak tours in estonia

Many nature objects, including Estonia’s proud limestone coast, cannot be seen from anywhere else than moving towards it slowly from the sea, kayaker Simmo Kikkas thinks.

kayak tours

First of all, let’s make it clear that a kayak is not a canoe and paddling is not rowing. The kayak is a closed top sea proof water vehicle that originates from the Eskimos, a canoe has an open top and is meant to be used in inland waters. Paddling uses one paddle and the paddler is always facing the direction they’re going, rowing always uses two paddles at the same time and their backs are to the direction they’re going. That’s it for the direction. A paddler won’t be too offended if someone calls them a rower (thanks to Jüri Jaanson’s Olympic medal, rowing is simply more popular as a sport) – when getting into the boat, he still gets one paddle that has a blade at both ends, because it’s better to use in waves or white water.
We’re not talking about rowing as a sport, but as a way of moving, which is as natural of a way of getting forward for people on water as walking is on land. Paddling races are a very small part of the whole paddling culture. A large part of the world’s paddling enthusiasts use a kayak as a way to spend time on a half-hour stimulating exercise all the way up to an expedition lasting weeks. The phenomena of this exciting activity is based on two facts: the kayak really is a sea proof vehicle that can tolerate a moderate storm without sinking and a lot of necessary equipment used for getting by in uncivilised places from a tent to photo equipment can be put in its waterproof holds.
The most common one-person sea kayak models fit around 110-150 L of equipment in the holds, kayaks meant for two people generally fit 90-120 L per person.

kayak tours

Versatility is a trump

The charms of kayaking appear mostly in the versatile opportunities of using this cleverly built vehicle. In the case of a tour lasting a whole week, the main goal is usually not to go a certain amount of kilometres, but enjoy the outdoors, discover new places, be with friends and experience many different situations. The opposite of a longer tour is kayak surfing, where a kayak without any equipment in it is used to play with large waves. In that case people go to a windy beach with the goal of testing their physique and skills in span of a few hours, riding against the waves from the beach, to then glide back towards the beach with the wave. Unlike from surfers on surf boards that are dependant on the wind, the kayak surfer’s best friends are big waves. The best time to surf is when the wind is already going down, but the waves reaching the beach are still big and foamy enough to embrace the paddler with the kayak and take them back to the shore again. In normal weather conditions, the kayak can be put to shore in any beach that has at least 15 cm of water under the bottom. Therefore the kayak doesn’t need special conditions for going into the water or getting out of it. The only limitation is the distance of the nearest road from the beach, because generally kayaks are taken near the beach either on top of a car or on a trailer. A fully equipped kayak is not hard to carry by a few people for a couple of a hundred metres; to transport it on dry land for longer distances, a little handcart has to be used.

kayak tours

Sinks, doesn’t sink…?

The person sitting in a kayak is very close to the water’s surface when paddling, and when pulling through the water, their hands often get wet. This closeness to water affects people’s evaluation of the safety of this water vehicle. According to the usual logic of an urbanised person, being as high from the water surface as possible should also proportionally increase safety. However, this opinion is wrong. First of all, even big waves pass under the kayak easily without disturbing its trajectory. Like with a bird swimming in the sea, only large bow waves are dangerous for a kayak. Secondly, a person sitting in the kayak has the physical and mental readiness for changing conditions that is completely different from a passenger on a cruise ship. The only factor that makes moving on water in a kayak more dangerous than some vehicles on earth is the risk coming from general health disorders and falling into the water, which can be fatal to a person. Therefore, kayaking alone is considered the biggest risk, because it’s quite easy for the other person in the kayak to prevent the risks posed by health disorders and careless mistakes. There is nothing else scary or unknown for the paddler to be scared of – the boats and paddles are made strong and easy to maintain, and water can’t get into the boat’s holds, which makes the kayak unsinkable. Therefore, with the right attitude and knowledge, it’s possible to prevent all risks on water. Driving on the Tallinn-Tartu highway, preventing risks is even harder than when paddling on water.

kayak tours

The sea and mountains – opposite and alike

It might be a strange comparison, but being far out on the sea, looking at the empty line of sight creates a similar feeling of universe as being up on the mountains thousands of metres from the sea. A dialogue with nature’s forces is simultaneously calming and alerting. A standing or lightly cradling body of water can become a foamy hell and a stage for waves higher than buildings with the help of wind. However, these are extreme conditions of water and nobody knowingly plans long tours on a stormy sea. You have to always be ready for changing conditions on the sea, as you do with mountain hiking. Hiding from the storm on an abandoned islet isn’t a common situation, but a merry sea kayaker accepts it like a mountain hiker accepts two days and nights in a tiny tent in the base camp.

kayak tours

Paddling calendar on the Baltic Sea / kayak tours in Estonia

The Baltic Sea is a shallow inland sea and there are no ocean waves here; but for kayaking, our own home sea offers great conditions. When it comes to water temperature, the coastal sea is good for paddling with no special clothing for four months. There is usually more than one closing angle on islands and islets, which allows you to replan your tours taking into account the wind direction. The official weather forecast is good to know, but changing conditions and westerly winds that are common on our coast have to be taken into account.
Longer tours are usually out of the question for an amateur from October until April, because the wind speed on the autumn sea can go up to 10 m/s almost every day and when facing the paddler it means at least double use of strength when going at a normal tour tempo (6-7 km/h). A falsely planned crossing can mean being out of strength in the middle of the sea.
In the spring months, melting ice masses and lumps floating around on the sea have to be taken into account. Although this period isn’t long in the case of most winters on the Estonian coast. The shallow Straight Sea between islands is the first warm “oasis” in the spring, where you can paddle all day without getting cold, while the Gulf of Finland is still icy. April-May is the usual good time to start looking for your paddling cognition and training muscles on shorter rides on inland waters. The best months for a fresh amateur to plan their first long tour are July and first half of August. Air as well as water are most likely warm in Estonian waters at this time and solving new situations during the tour shouldn’t be too difficult.

kayak tours

About the equipment

Estonians are lucky – good hiking kayaks are produced in our own country and the price is about the same as an average bicycle. A beginner hobbyist can get all the necessary equipment (in addition to the boat you need a paddle, splash skirt and life jacket) in one day, what takes time is learning to use all that. This basic set is enough for shorter sea crossings or going by the coast, when planning for longer tours you have to increase the budget for equipment as well. First of all you need to follow up on safety equipment. To get a full experience from kayaking, even a hobbyist’s arsenal becomes more complete over time with different convenience equipment that includes comfortable clothes, a choice of waterproof bags to pack different things, etc.

kayak tours

Take care of the environment!

The unwritten rules of kayakers say that a kayaker moves around in the nature without leaving any tracks and disturbing the wildlife. When visiting islands and islets, take into account any possible wildlife protection laws and private land.

kayak tours

What is a kayak ?

 

A kayak is a small and narrow boat that is mostly used with human force with a paddle with two blades. The paddle is well adapted for the sea – it’s fast, easily steerable with the paddle, light and tipping over isn’t dangerous.
A traditional kayak has one covered deck and one or several cockpit openings. Every seat is in a separate cockpit and a spray skirt is used to cover the opening, which stops the water from getting into the cockpit. Thanks to the spray skirt, Eskimo rolls are also possible.

About the Eskimo roll:  Link

The first kayaks were made by hunters, who used them on lakes, rivers, and waters in the coasts of seas and oceans. Kayaks were originally made from different animal skins – of wood and on the skeleton of a whale. The age of the kayak is thought to be close to 4000 years.

The most important property of kayaks was the noiseless and unnoticed movement during hunting. The other important quality was good sea solidity. Of course, after successful hunting, the kayak had to fit any prey that was caught or at least some of it.
There was no uniform type of kayak – different areas had different weather conditions, traditions, prey and distances.
Today, kayaks are more used as leisure and sports equipment all over the world.

what is kayak

Read more about kayaks : Link

Fishing in a canoe

Fishing in a canoe is very different from classical fishing in a motor boat and has its advantages. A canoe offers fishers more mobility and allows them to go into more unusual places, where it’s impossible to get in a normal boat and that aren’t accessible from the shore.
But you also have to be more careful. You mustn’t forget that you always have to sit in the middle of the canoe , balance is easy to lose and then you’ll be swimming with the fishes. Although in the case of our canoe , even fishing standing up is easy because it has good balance, it still needs a bit of practice.t.

Fishing in a canoe Fishing in a canoe Fishing in a canoe  Fishing with canoe

Transport is easy – the canoe weighs very little and it can be put on the roof rack of a car very easily.
Slow rowing allows you to just enjoy the beautiful outdoors and see wild animals you usually wouldn’t run into. It’s always good to have a little camera in your pocket!

Türi Tori marathon

” Türi-Tori Marathon “ is the coolest paddling marathon in Estonia, which starts for the tenth time in the spring of 2019.

Türi-Tori Marathon

The marathon with distances of 78 km and 47 km takes place during the spring floods on the rapid Pärnu River that offers the most exciting experiences for the participants – here you’ll feel that in some places you’re speeding, in some places you’re flying and in some places you’re just swimming. This is a party for the experienced, no wusses allowed!!!!!

And the main prize is, of course, a good canoe from us – Reveil canoe

More information can be found at : www.tyritori.ee