Re: [Paddlewise] ACA Greenland certific

Colin Calder wrote:
>>
I've been playing around with a homemade 'greenland style' stick (thanks
again for your building notes Chuck) for a couple of months, and would
also tend to agree with Nick and John's comments. No reason why extended
paddle strokes etc can't be done with a euro paddle, however the 'feel'
of greenland style paddles does differ markedly from euro blades, and my
observation would be that bracing and skulling strokes are also somewhat
different - clearly harder to stall the 'greenland' stick when skulling
and rolling and it definitely doesn't interact with the surface in the
same way while bracing. Interesting to know whether the differences
are primarily because of the aspect ratio, immersed blade area, or
section.
>>

and John Winters wrote:
>  I have a project underway right now testing the various strokes with a
> variety of blade styles that I hope to finish soon. So far the most
> interesting paddle has a blade half way between the common high and low
> aspect ratio paddles narrow with a short overall length that one sues   like a
> racing wing.
>
> It consistently produces more speed for the same effort ( as determined
> using the Borg Scale for perceived effort) and has the added benefit of
> being lighter than most paddles. An equally interesting paddle if only
> because I have had a lot of difficulty getting it shaped properly is a
> wing blade with convex surfaces front and back.
>

and Chuck Holst writes:

I think the blade section, perhaps combined with the aspect ratio, is
what makes the biggest difference. A well-made Greenland paddle has a
double-convex section, which someone pointed out a while back is similar
to the wing section of an acrobatic airplane. If this is true, then a
paddle with the same profile as a Greenland paddle but made with a flat
or spoon-shaped blade should feel and act differently.

It is interesting, the different opinions you get on this subject. One
paddler I know who purchased a quasi-Greenland paddle (the blades were a
bit wide for him and had nearly parallel sides) asserts that it can be
used with the same technique as a Euro paddle. In contrast, last
Wednesday I loaned my Greenland paddle to a kayaker who was using a wide-
blade feathered Euro paddle (FWIW, he is also a canoe racer). He was
amazed at how much lift it had when swept through the water, and after
paddling with it for about 15 minutes thoughtfully remarked that it
required a different style.

I think we non-Greenlanders who have been studying Greenland paddles and
paddling techniques and posing as authorities are a bit like the blind
men of the Indian fable: everyone has hold of a different part and thinks   
it represents the whole. For my part, I suspect that the Greenland paddle   
and the sliding stroke evolved together, and I do not consider any paddle   
that cannot be used with the sliding stroke to be a Greenland paddle
regardless of appearance.

Chuck Holst   
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