: Now wait, folks. Turks Heads are one thing. Seal gut is appropriate but not
: that easy to get in the fish market. Scrunchies are going entirely too
: far! The Greenlanders I've paddled with don't generally use anything, but
: there's archival evidence that the earlier folk would sometimes wrap cords
: or twine --- or gut --- around the paddle shaft near the transition, and
: leave a few inches of the bitter ends free. The free ends flipped around
: and wicked from the wrapped cord, eliminating most of the water coming
: down the blade.

: Jack Martin, purist

Jack is right on. The key of not getting wet is the short length of cord that dangle down; thereby, guides water that runs down the blades vertically down and away from the shaft.