Rick wrote:
Gene,

Dowd (I believe it was he) wrote that only in a
direct headwind does a feathered paddle produce any advantage.

Defintely words of wisdom and absolutely correct. When you consider that
when paddling into a headwind, the paddler is in the strongest, most
stable position, the difference that a feathered paddle makes is not
that great. Also, feather angles less than 90 degrees will cause the
paddle to lift or dive in a headwind. Overall, I found feathering to be
an overall disadvantage.