Racing in the wind....

[Aiyah]

So recently I was in a small race in which the wind was howling. Horrible conditions for anything but a downwinder, really. When I was heading into the wind, I saw some people choking up the grip on their paddle (even their top hand) and squatting down low.

I can see the theory behind this technique, but you lose a lot of control and power in your stroke when your top hand isn't on the t-grip, at least in my opinion. So is it more efficient than standing upright and paddling normally?

[hbsteve]

Sometimes, yes.  That is not so easy to do.  You have to know/ practice keeping the paddle from wobbling.
There has been some discussion here on this.  Look up "Conner's Style".

[PonoBill]

You do lose some control and power, but when the wind is strong enough you don't have much choice, just don't learn to "choke stroke" in the wind, practice a bit when you don't need it. It also changes the muscles you're engaging, gives your shoulder a break, and makes you more streamlined by dropping your arm.

You also can:
Move forward on the board--keeps the nose down and lets the board weathervane to keep it straight easier.
Make short strokes, well forward--just dabs really, but with a high cadence. 70 percent of the power is in the first ten inches of pull. If you do a long stroke the board will slow too much during recovery.

[Aiyah]

Cool, ok. Thanks guys!