MikeSoja wrote in message
...
Your boat is gonna side slip even if you keep the skeg down. The
skeg may minimize the crabwise action, but not much. All it really
does is affect the way the stern responds to wind. The bow of the
boat will still happily blow where it will.

Yes, it will, but at least with the skeg forcing the stern somewhat in line
you can be assured of traveling through the water along the keel of the boat
(or closely, anyway). You may have to do some downwind-side correcting
strokes to hold a course, if the wind is really strong.

I use minimum skeg, too, because the damn thing slows me down.


I've tried to get a feel for this by using a GPS, but in rough water and
wind and ever-changing river current it's sort of hard to tell, so far. It's
real easy to tell in calm conditions that the skeg is detracting from the
glide of the boat, though, don't need a GPS for that.

Mike