Classic Solo Canoeing with Becky Mason
Produced and written by Becky Mason;
co-produced by Reid McLachlan
Running time 40 minutes
$35.95cdn or $24.95 U.S.
Available from Becky's website
Reviewed by Jim Mandle (Wooden Canoe Issue #104)
April 2001
Becky’s Classic Solo Canoeing shares many of the same fine qualities with her father’s famous tapes - the photography and music are more than first rate, they are superb! Having produced a FreeStyle training video with Tom MacKenzie a few years back, I can appreciate the challenges and many hours it takes to produce a video of this quality. Although much of the material covered is not new, Becky adds some of her own tips and tricks to help the viewer learn the skills required to artfully make a canoe glide and skim effortlessly on a still pond or lake for the sheer joy of paddling. She demonstrates about fifteen strokes for the solo paddler, and touches on some important safety issues. Her low-impact focus in her instruction demonstrates that you don’t have to be an iron-pumping gorilla to handle a large solo wooden canoe with grace.
What is clear from the first few moments of the tape is Becky’s inherited passion and skills for paddling and her affection for wooden canoes. The artistic scenes of nature found in the beautiful location she selected for the filming also prove that Becky has inherited her father’s eye for detail. It is obvious that she has spent many hours in her favorite red canoe. Her easygoing style provides much useful information for all levels of paddlers. I only have two reservations about this finely crafted tape. First, so much material is covered that it could easily be overwhelming for a beginner; with so many topics, there was little time left for repeating some of the demonstration of the fundamental strokes. A beginner should expect to view each of the strokes and then take the time to rewind the tape and watch all the details a second or third time. Secondly, Becky uses her own names for a few strokes, such as slots which could possibly confuse a person who plans to get additional instruction beyond this tape.
For those of us who love to see the graceful lines of a wooden canoe skillfully paddled so it dances on water, or who appreciate how images of nature seen when you are enjoying a special quiet solo paddle can lift your spirits, this video would be a nice addition to your library. It will help improve your paddling skills, as well as provide a wonderful winter’s entertainment when the snow is deep outside and all we can do is dream of warmer days ahead.
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