- War Canoe
A War Canoe is a type of flatwater racing
canoe .War canoe is a largely Canadian sport, with some teams coming from the northern
United States as well; it is not sanctioned by theInternational Canoe Federation . It does not enjoy the massive popularity of Dragon boating, but is nonetheless an important part of most Canadian canoe club racing programs. The term 'war canoe' is derived from large indigenous peoples' canoes intended for war.A war canoe holds 15 paddlers including one
coxswain , or cox, for steering. War canoe is sometimes referred to as C-15 on regatta schedules, with the 'C' standing for 'canoe'. The paddlers, 7 to a side and slightly offset from one-another, kneel on one knee while paddling. The coxswain stands with their calves braced between a yoke on the back of the boat. Paddlers on the left will kneel on their left knee and vice versa, as in aSprint canoe , and the foremost paddler, whether on the right or left, will set the stroke. Boats are most often constructed ofwood , although some newer boats will be made offiberglass . Races will typically be of 500m or 1000m. The paddles used can be made of wood, butcarbon fibre paddles are becoming standard, as their reduced weight leads to improved performance.War canoe is seen as a prestige event atregatta s where it is held, as it allows a significant portion of a club's racing program to be in theboat at once and compete together. It is a large team event in a sport that typically focusses on individual achievements. Crews will be taken from the appropriate age range (eg Bantam, junior, masters, etc), and races are held for men's, women's, or mixed crews.Typically, a war canoe will be faster than a dragon boat over any given distance, because of a better hull shape (narrower and without the characteristic 'w' shape of dragon boat hulls), lighter construction, and the kneeling position allowing for a fuller, more powerful stroke than the sitting position used in dragon boats.
ee also
*
Dragon boat
*Sprint canoe
*Canoe racing
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