"The same ease of pulling can be given to a modern blade by making the shaft shorter, and this has the virtue of not using slip, which is inefficient, to make it easier."

One of the articles I provided a link to mentions this "slip". Pardon my ignorance but I don't know what this term refers to. Care to explain or link to an explanation?

"This also means that there is no advantage in wind. If the smaller blade is easier to push into the wind it is only because the wind has less to push against, and this means that the water has less to push against and the two effects cancel each other out."

That makes sense. I was thinking more about the fact that with a sliding stroke a lot of the paddle is taken out of the wind and buried in the water. Also, where I paddle there are a lot of sudden gusts coming from different angles. The Euro paddle seems to get caught like a kite and want to jerk out of my hands.

"A greenland style is easier to roll with due to its blade thickness. Operating as a wing it is less effected by angle of attack."

That explains it. I thought there was no way the small amount of buoyancy provided by the paddle could have such a pronounced effect on my ability to roll. There had to be something else involved.

Thanks for your response. Humour me a bit, though. If I shorten the shaft on a Euro paddle, make the blades thicker and out of wood, give it a better grip, use the low stroke... wait a minute, I've got a Greenland paddle.

Just bugging ya'. Seriously, though, there must be some real disadvantages to the Greenland paddle if most experienced people prefer the Euro style. I'm curious what they are.

"Some people think the greenland paddle is somehow mystical in its virtues."

Actually, "mythical" might be a better word. There 's certainly something to be said for the historical imagery of boating. There's the athletisism, the craft, the engineering, but certainly the aesthetics mean a lot.