Re: [Paddlewise] Weather

    OK, with all of this ranting and raving about teaching weather I thought I
might just take a second to add my two cents to this topic. Based on my
experiences as an instructor I would have to say that the very vast majority
of people who sign up for a kayaking class are simply weekend warriors. That
is to say that they are really not interested in doing long trips to remote
places. Or if they do, they will sign up for a commercial trip where it is the
guides responsibility to look after things and keep the group safe. These
people are looking for a good time. Most of them really don't want to learn a
lot about the sport. Whenever I try to teach the rule of twelfths, for
instance, I will see peoples eyes roll back in their heads and glass over and
I know I'm losing them. I do what I can to make it interesting and fun, but
the bottom line is, they just don't want to get into this stuff. "You can lead
a horse to water, but you can't make it drink!"

   Teaching kayaking is, for the most part, a commercial affair. The company
needs people to sign up in order to make money. For people to sign up it has
to be fun and interesting. In fact it doesn't even have to be interesting,
just fun. Of course there are those exceptions, people who really do want to
learn. People like us who waste too much time discussing kayaking on the
Internet. But even among this select group, how many of you would actually
spend your hard earned cash on a class about weather for kayakers? Perhaps
some of you would. But I'm willing to bet it's not enough to justify the time
and expense of putting together a class. The information is available to those
who want it. It's just not worth the energy to try and cram it down the
peoples throats.

Scott
So.Cal.

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