> When I put my left foot forward, should the kayak go left? That's
> the way I've seen other kayaks set up, but I tried carving turns after
> reading "The Essential Sea Kayaker" and realized that to
> carve a turn to the left, my right leg should be forward, with my
> left knee pressing up against the deck. If the two actions aren't
> to work against each other, it seems I should cross the cables so
> when I put my left foot forward, the rudder pulls to the right. Does
> this make any sense?

I don't have a rudder on my boat, but my good friend does. I find that if you have the rudder in the water, you get lazy and don't bother to lean turns anyway. If you want to cross your lines so that you can lean and steer at the same time, do it! Just let people who paddle your boat for the first time that it is different. You would be amazed, though, how fast we as humans can adapt to a (seemingly significant) change like that. You start to push the pedal one direction, feel the boat going the wrong way, and can instinctively push the other pedal to steer the other way. I'm sure that anyone can get used to either way in a matter of 5-10 minutes. (Although I wouldn't advise going out in really rough water in an unfamiliar setup--those instincts need a bit more prior honing!)

just my $.02

Shawn