> I just took my Pygmy Artic Tern out for a 2 week excursion and was very
> happy with its performance, but when I got even the slightest wind the
> stern would start going around. What really set it off was the combination
> of wind and waves. I had a 3 mile crossing in one area that was so bad
> that I had to canoe stroke on one side the whole way. My question is,
> would a skeg work as well as a rudder in these conditions, I know a rudder
> would work but I don't like the weight and my foot braces moving. Thanks,

I have not had this problem with my Arctic Tern, but you should be able to lean the kayak slightly to correct the direction. I would do a skeg instead of a rudder on that boat if I had to choose between the two. A rudder would ruin the looks of the Tern, and in my opinion it does not need it for turning.

Was the boat evenly loaded? If the bow had too much weight in it the stern could get blown around. I would look at things like that before adding a skeg or rudder.

Mike