Okay, I went out yesterday and tried a few different techniques, just to see what works. What I concluded was that trying to use paddle strokes to take the place of a skeg, or rudder on a boat that has either is a very efficient way to wear yourself out. On a boat that has neither, the boat had better be designed to track very well to begin with, or again you’re going to get very tired very fast trying to use stroke modifications, edging, paddle shifts, or anything else when wind and waves are quartering from either stern, or bow.
That said, one of my sea kayaks does not have a skeg, nor rudder and it is the boat I want to be in when wind and waves are challenging. It was designed to go where you point it and that is what it does.