Queen Anne’s Salute is an exercise I’ve found useful not only for creating a more efficient paddle angle for a high brace, but also for forcing the paddler into a position where a recovery stroke is mandatory. In Image 3, the paddler is in the starting position for the salute.
Image 3: The position for the “Queen Anne’s Salute” in preparation for capsizing away from the paddle.
Notice that his outboard hand is down near his hip, upper hand is low, and the power face of the paddle is oriented such that if he were to capsize to his left side and keep the paddle in this position until his head hit the water, the paddle would be in an ideal position for a high brace, as shown in Image 4. When the paddler hits the water, the paddle will be horizontal with the water surface. To come back up, the paddler, as in Image 5, keeps the right (inboard) hand fixed as a pivot, pulls down with the left and performs a hip snap.
Image 4: By holding the “salute” while falling away from the paddle,
the paddler is in the correct position for a high brace.
Image 5: From the “salute” position, the paddler pulls the outboard blade down, hip-snaps the boat, and recovers keeping his head low.
While the Queen Anne’s Salute is a good exercise for forcing a capsize and putting the paddler into a good set-up position for a deep high brace, rarely will you find yourself in the Queen Anne’s Salute position during normal paddling. |
