trios

You can build trio formations out of duet formations by adding another canoe to a rank or file where the canoes are doing something in a line. You can also add a canoe in a position between rank and file as in the vee formation.

You can also build trios out of duets by cramming another canoe into a circle where the canoes are relating to a common point. Three is the first number that allows you to define an area: two canoes are connected only by a line, but three canoes can define a triangle. Or they can make a star.

While the boats can pivot in the same direction (parallel) there are limited applications of pivoting in opposite directions since there are only two directions and three boats–which leaves an imbalance.

Finally, you can take advantage of the existence of the odd number of boats and have a central canoe with two outlying canoes moving around it.

See also the pages of duets and quartets, do-si-dos, group pivots, files and ranks.

These figures represent generic types rather than specific instances. Though they make excellent studies for practising your paddling, the real interest lies in what you can do by varying and connecting these and other formations in a dance.

Ratings: simple (for a competent style paddler) ; challenging ; really hard

a trio can be based on three boats in a file

+ a trio can be based on three boats in a rank

with a third boat, you can move in a vee

+ parallel pivots around a point is nice