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Kayak

0:00.0 6.00 km 1st / 8

On the wash: resting

Balance assist on: tilt isn't available

Tap left, then right, when the ring closes · Slide a finger sideways to steer · Turn the phone to lean · Tap Sprint for a burst

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R

0.0 km/h 0 strokes/min

Rhythm

Sprint

Kayak

A first-person marathon kayak race. Find a rhythm, keep your balance, sprint to catch a wash and rest on it, and save something for the finish.

Your boat Stable forgiving, slower Club racer in between Racing fast and tippy; needs a quick, steady beat

Turn your phone sideways to race

Leaderboards

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Controls

← → paddle strokes. Alternate them on a steady beat, up to about 90 a minute: rhythm is speed, and holding it builds flow, a few percent more over the next 20 seconds. Uneven strokes, two on one side, steering hard and bumping into people all knock you off it
Shift or Space (held) to sprint: every stroke pulls harder, and you can go quicker than about 90 a minute. It spends the sprint bar. Use it to catch someone, then rest on their wash: the bar fills there several times faster. Without sprinting, a beat quicker than about 90 gets you nothing extra
The start: you begin behind the field. Paddle up into a gap on the line, stop, and wait for the horn. It comes without warning after "Are you ready?" Go early and everyone waits while the line comes up to you
A D lean to keep your balance. Standing still is wobbly; speed steadies you
Q E rudder. It only bites when you're moving
Tuck in right behind a boat, or alongside its back half, to ride its wash: you go further for less effort and your sprint fills up, but the boat rocks more
Race distances and times are shown four times longer than you actually paddle, so a 6 km race takes about 7 minutes. On the Reading Thames and the Time Trial Loop the river is true to size and you cover it four times faster
Time Trial Loop: boats go one at a time, 30 seconds apart, and your time runs from the start line. Keep right: after the turns, the boats ahead come back the other way. The gap at St Mary's Island takes two boats at most
Swans won't get out of your way: paddle into one and you're in. Ducks fly off
Gamepad: LT RT strokes, left stick rudder, right stick lean, hold A to sprint
Phone, held sideways: tap the left or right half of the screen to stroke, in time with the rings at the sides. Tap Sprint for a burst, and again to stop. To steer, put a finger down and slide it left or right; the bar under the balance gauge shows your rudder. Turn the phone like a steering wheel to shift your weight: when the boat dips one way, lean the other, as you would in a real kayak. (Tilt needs the page over HTTPS on iPhone; without it, balance is done for you)
P or Esc to pause, M to toggle sound

Reading Thames and Time Trial Loop map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

Paused

Turn your phone sideways to race

Race friends

A live race against up to five others.

Course You'll get a link to send to the others.

Code The four letters from the link you were sent. The course is the one its maker chose.

Race on ·