Graham wrote:
Since I last posted, I met a guy who gets the wind to tow a canoe by
attaching a kite to the canoe using heavy (trolling - woven??) fishing
line. He claims that the canoe is much more stable than having a mast
that could cause the canoe to flip in a cross gust.

Has anyone else heard of this technique?

It's what Gillet used on his kayak trip from California to Hawaii. I've
tried it a few times, but there are some problems when the wind isn't
steady. When the wind disappears for awhile the kite drops into the sea -
faster than a kite held on land since your boat keeps moving forward. And
it isn't easy to get the kite down quickly if needed when the wind suddenly
picks up.

For downwind sailing I've found a large umbrella works surprisingly well.
Easy to deploy, quick to take down and stow, and raising it vertical
depowers it almost immediately. It also does double duty as a sunshade
when picnicking on the beach.

See http://206.40.48.186/uploads/UMBRELLA2.JPG