[Paddlewise] Safety Officer Gets Bit

   The following is a letter that I just submited to my club newsletter. I am
the Safety Officer for the San Francisco Bay Area Sea Kayakers, (BASK). I
thought it might be of some interest to this group.



                                   SAFETY OFFICER GETS BIT
                                        By Ken Mannshardt

  Safety is an issue that obviously extends beyond the water. Recently, as I
was on the beach, tending to my PFD, throw bag & first aid kit, I should have
been looking over my shoulder and casting a wider gaze. So as BASK Safety
Officer, I feel compelled to relate the following recent occurance. 
  On Saturday morning, October 31, I had just arrived at Chicken Beach to help
assist the Novice Clinic. Chicken Beach is located about a mile north of the
town
of Inverness along the western shore of Tomalas Bay, about 30 miles north of
San Francisco.
   I was parked along the roadside with about a dozen other cars, almost all
of
them with our group. I had arrived late that morning, because I didn’t get off
work
until 8 am that morning. The clinic was already underway as I was unpacking
and
schlepping my stuff to the beach. I had just changed into my wetsuit in the
front
seat of my truck. I had placed my wallet, checkbook and a palm top organizer
on
the drivers seat next to me. I then placed my clothes on top of them. I closed
the
door, but did not lock my truck as I carried another load down to the beach. 
  Everybody was assembled in a circle on the beach as I walked by, dropped my
gear next to my kayak and walked back to my car. This took no more than two
minutes. As I approached the cars, I noticed a car pull away from the empty
spot
next to my truck. 
  The next moment, I was amazed at the abrupt and unsafe U turn the car did in
front of oncoming traffic. I then noticed that my car door was standing open.
My
clothes had been pulled aside and my valuables exposed. I noticed that my
wallet
looked out of place. It was laying atop everything else. I picked it up to
examine it
and noticed that all the cash had been removed from it. By the time I had a
clue
as to what was happening, that sporty little “Rav 4”, was driving away to the
south. I didn’t get the license number. I then reexamined my belongings and
found
nothing missing but my cash. No credit cards were missing. This all happened
very
fast. 
  I was a bit unnerved all day as a result. Actually I was pissed off. I kept
running
scenarios through my head all day. “What if, what if.” If I had only been ten
seconds ahead, I could have possibly intercepted and beat the crap out of him.
(There’s a very strong territory thing here. It’s a guy thing!)  At least he
didn’t get
my credit cards and drivers license. What if I hadn’t noticed anything missing
until
later. Then that evening, camping among 25 BASKer’s and novices, noticed all
my
cash missing. Yikes!  I’ll quit venting now. 
  So, in conclusion, I suppose that the MO of most kayakers is pretty obvious
to a
thief. We leave our cars unlocked as we carry our stuff down to the beach.
We’re
pretty low key and often off guard on the beach. Further, the tailgate of my
truck
was down, indicating a transient mode. My truck was also on the end of the
row,
next to an open spot. The road head was also deserted at the time. Hindsight
is
always 20/20.
  The Sheriff that I made a report to said that this kind of crime is uncommon
in
that area. It was obviously a crime of opportunity. Live and learn!
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