Paddling the Epic 18XS on inland water without waves

Today in a few free hours I paddled 10 km in light conditions with a 3bft wind.
I used a midwing-paddle and I cruised at approx. 9-10 km/h. Sometimes reaching 11 km/h when the wind helped me a bit by pushing me.
A sprint over 125m brought me at 11 km/h. Certainly, when a strong paddler has the power, a higher speed can be reached. I write this because having read about 14 km/h.

The kayak always responds instantly to the rudder!
After blocking the rudder, by retracting the fin, the kayak weathercocks slightly. I compensated this with sweepstrokes and edging.
I also tried to use the fin as a retractable skeg by retracting only a bit. This however is not very easy to adjust very accurately with the rope. Certainly not when you are paddling in bad weather.
I prefer however using the rudder.
The operation of the rudderpedals with you feet is convenient; especially when you paddle with the knees unlocked (not tucked under deck)

When I walked home, carrying the kayak in one hand, I noticed that there are no more sharp edges on the inside of the cockpit-rim.
Further, but that is no surprise under the current conditions, I was happy with the stability of this kayak: primary as well as the secondary stability.