Jim wrote >I like to think of myself as a kayak racer. I do long distances in flat water and oceans. I'm not a world class Greg Barton type racer, but I am a serious recreational racer who trains dilligently year round. I usually finish in the first third of the pack -- though every now and then if the field isn't too hot and I have a good day, I place in the top three. I use an unfeathered paddle. I have never met another unfeathered paddler who races. If there are any of you out there, I'd love to hear from you. I suffer considerable teasing about my choice of an unfeathered paddle <snip> ------------ my situation seems to be similar to yours. kathy and i each have a kayak paddle. hers has a smaller blade than mine, so i use it in local small town races, where wind is often a big deal. i come from a canoeing background and have been educated on planting paddles. with my speedometer i see that i can travel faster with that paddle than my conditioning will support. my limit my stamina, not the paddle. i have been using it for longer duration at closer to vertical. i just ain't man enough to plant a larger paddle for the duration of 8 to 13 miles... so why pay the weight premium for something that doesn't help... paddle-liter. as for razing. at the first race this season, a regional Current-Designs boat rep commented on my small blade ( a CD paddle).. i told him it was all i could handle. he had a larger blade from another company. at the start, i dug into the left... an heard a snap to my right. there he was, first stroke and busted paddle... blade floating... oh well. i didn't laugh too much. the race organizers let him restart 5 minutes later. i always race with a lady's paddle... but no Greenland style paddle for me thanks. larry *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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