Re: [Paddlewise] I knew better, but look what happened !

At 01:48 PM 7/7/98 -0400, WILAX_at_aol.com wrote:
>Great trip report!
>So now folks, lets take a poll... How many of you go out alone?  I know I do.
>I am ultra careful to do the "right thing" and have the "right stuff" but
>everyone thinks I'm a nut.  I don't think so, well, yeah a nut but not a nut
>with a death wish.  Can paddling alone safely ever be regarded as safe?  OR,
>if a great white gets me will people always say "too bad, he had a knife,
pfd,
>float plan, flares, vhf, kitchen sink etc. but he broke the rule, he went out
>alone".
>Comments?

My first impulse is to say "Why the hell do you care what everyone thinks?"

But really, the question should be considered seriously.

I go out alone more than 50% of the time and with people less experienced
than I maybe another 20%.  I acknowledge that there are risks associated
with solo paddling and I'm willing to accept them.  Are my abilities to
deal with all emergency situations perfected?  Absolutely not!  Do I work
to improve them?  Yes, but not obsessively.

I enjoy paddling and paddling alone for many reasons.  I try to take
precautions and act safely by "My  Individual Measurement System".
Perhaps, most importantly, I try to behave so as not to put the safety of
others at risk.  I try always to have a safety plan that doesn't depend on
the actions of others.  Beyond that, I try not to eat, sleep and drink safety.

I think are all grateful to Paul for sharing his story and admitting some
actions that we might label unsafe.  Like the book "Deep Trouble", I think
we can all learn from Paul's story and perhaps recalibrate our own safety
techniques.  Thanks Paul!

In the end though, I'm not going to stop crossing the street because
someone, somewhere once got run over.

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