I defer to your correct nautical language usage, Phaedra, although it may
not apply to this situation.  Most of my watercraft activities have had more
to do w/ raft floating stretches of whitewater rivers and using my oar as
rudder, tiller and paddle.  Standing on, whatchacallit, the poopdeck, I
would attempt to achieve steerage by inserting my oar into the afterflow of
the current, at which point it instantly is became something of a rudder,
too.  Or, at least, it served that function.  I do not recall seeing any
"barnacles" while doing this, but, then again, I really wasn't looking for
"barnacles" in the first place.   No floating Vanagons, either.  (Vanagon
content!)  Cheers,  Dave Gunning