Canoeing is the sport — or the quiet pleasure — of travelling in a canoe. A canoe is a light, narrow boat; you sit or kneel in it and move it with a paddle. People canoe on rivers, lakes, and sometimes the sea. Some race; some go slowly and look around. The word is simply the boat-word canoe plus -ing, so it names the activity. A kayak looks similar, but you sit lower and the paddle has two blades. Learners often mix the two; even fluent speakers do in casual talk, though clubs keep them apart.