Euro vs Greenland paddle

After the somewhat disappointing first experience against 6Bft in the Explorer, I had some doubts on the Greenland Paddle (GP) I then used. Ok, the main problem was of course the wrong adjustment of the footrests, but did the GP had also a contribution to it? I believed it did.

So, I picked a good Euro paddle (EP) that I could adjust to 0 degrees blade twist: an Epic Active Touring. I started using it during a few trips with Strava as GPS tracker. I had already used Strava sometimes with the Orion with GP. The results then show an average of 7.0 km/h. This is a "fast cruising speed": a speed you can hold for an hour or so, no sprinting. Yes, it is not very scientific indeed.

The Explorer and Epic taking their rest

The first results with the Explorer and the EP show a mighty 8.0 km/h. Wow, that's a huge improvement! But... is it the paddle, or the boat, or the person? Difficult to say and what a pity I didn't make records with the Orion with an EP.

So, to collect more information I made today a trip with the Explorer, but now with the GP. Actually I expected the GP would be a bit slower, or may be I hoped so. However, after examining the logs I came on an ample 8,0 km/h... just as fast as with the EP... So, it must be the boat then? Is the Explorer 1 km/h faster than the Orion?... Well, it could be.

Of course I have to record much more trips in the future to get some more measurements for a better foundation. But on this moment I really cannot blame the GP for anything...

Explorer with GP in action