Re: [Paddlewise] Group Dynamics (longish)

From: Keith Kaste <kkaste_at_slip.net>
Date: Thu, 26 Feb 1998 16:42:36 -0800

John's voyage goes a little beyond the usual group paddle scenario.  I think the level of challenge of this trip puts it into the same category as mountain climbing.  It's safe to assume that the participants were "expert" enough to realize the level of risk involved.  Also, they were capable of determining the level of risk associated with any rescue they might be faced with.  They would be able to tell if a rescue was life threatening or not, and lend a hand only if both parties stood a good chance to survive.

This only underscores how ridiculous Tim Ingram's self serving claims were.  I think John Winters dignified Ingram far too much by choosing to debate him for as long as he did before giving up in disgust.  Can you just picture Ingram along on that expedition with his puny sponsons to save him?

Unfortunately, Jackie Fenton saw the opposite effect:  friends who were too new to kayaking to assess the risk involved with the conditions they were facing.  Essentially, it seems they left Jackie for "lost at sea" while they got their own hides out of danger.  It would be interesting to treat Jackie's experience like something out of Deep Trouble and go back and look at lessons learned.  What should her mates have done instead of fleeing the scene?

John Winters wrote:

 I think the "dangers" of my Labrador trip were less than the dangers in writing about it. :-) The trip: From Kuujuuaq in northern Quebec north along the Ungava Bay coast, through Mclean Strait (a fascinating place with whirlpools big enough to put a boat in and amazing currents going both directions at the same time) and south to Nain. Approximately 1100 km if you don't wander off course. Most of this was on open water. The time was July. Our estimated time for the trip was 30 days. We were paddling 17' Royalex canoes with nylon spray covers.

  *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ *************************************************************************** Received on Thu Feb 26 1998 - 16:40:29 PST