An exploration of upwind canoe sailing in traditional canoes capable of transitioning between wide ranging environments and their potential for extended journeys

Traditional improvised canoe sails are light and quick to deploy but struggle to make real progress upwind where alternative sail rigs exist that are heavier and slower to deploy but offer a wider range of sailing options including upwind. These sessions explored the potential for upwind sailing rigs within the context of an extended duration, multi environment canoe journey including overland and white water rivers. The sail rigs were found to be highly versatile suggesting them 'worth the weight' in many contexts but their energy in anything above light winds can easily lead to high risk contexts where self-sufficiency becomes key