its called "trim"
Posted by: Mattt
on Feb-21-13 9:23 AM (EST)
trim the boat level, or just a little bow light for normal conditions
trim a bit bow heavy for headwinds
trim a bit bow light for tail winds
the stronger the wind, the more you need to trim the boat
quartering winds, particularly quartering stern winds seem to be the hardest to deal with
all paddlers will experience issues with strong winds blowing - you just need to be adapatable, by shifting the gear load - sometimes, its easier to go where you want if the stern paddler is on the left side, or on the right - its worth changing sides to see if that helps some, which it will often do with side or quartering winds
it also helps to paddle straight into the wind, or straigt downwind, then change direction later when your near shore - the wind has less effect on the boats course if its at 12 o'clock or 6 o'clock