Re: [Paddlewise] Incapacitated partner

This brings up an interesting sidebar issue: it's really important when
paddling with people we don't know well to have a pretty clear idea of any
potential medical problems that other paddlers could encounter.  (I was
paddling a "double-cross" of the Chesapeake Bay with some friends and another
paddler asked to join in --- and, during our conversation, the subject turned
to heart conditions --- which he had.  Now, this isn't the middle of the Gulf
of Mexico or anything, but we're still about two miles from nearest landfall,
and any medical emergency certainly has the potential for turning into one of
Clyde's "worst case" scenarios.  So, the question is, how does one ask --- in
a politically correct manner, of course --- a paddler who wants to join a
group if he/she has any medical conditions which could be encountered during a
trip?

Ideas?

Jack "Joq" Martin
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