: I have a video by Doug VanDoren, one of the narrow-bladed gurus here in
: Michigan. He says that the paddle should enter the water straight down, no
: angle (straight, no chaser ;-) On the other hand, I've read of a young
: Greenlander guy by the name of Maligiaq Padilla (sp?) who's been the
: Greenland-paddling champ 2 years running, and he advocates about a
: 40-degree-from-vertical paddle position.

I just got my copy of Sea Kayaker and so just browsed the article. But wasn't the 40-degree angle referring not to the angle of the paddle with respect to the water when viewed from the side (or front?), but rather the angle of the paddle with respect to the line of travel when viewed from the other end of the paddle?

In other words, the end of the paddle doesn't enter the water perpendicular to the direction of travel, as you would (as far as I know) with a canoe paddle, but rather angled so that it tends to dive down and in towards the boat. When I started to use this method last year it felt strange for a while, but now seems completely natural. Seems like the feel of the water is more solid and the paddle is more controllable than before.

-- Dave