[Paddlewise] The Status of Kayaking

Ralph wrote:
> am intrigued by the feathered Greenland paddle that Ray Killen
>mentions in a casual fold of his excellent exposition.  Boy, is that a
>way to skirt around the argument.
Excellent post, Ralph.

The paddle in question is one, not many. It was previously owned to
Derek Hutchinson, and now it is on display in a museum somewhere.
It is fully documented on John Brandt's "Little Kayak Book".

There are no better paddles or kayaks, but there are different styles.
It is like skating; there is ice-hockey and figure skating. 

Similarly
there are Greenland style kayaking, surf kayaking, Tsunamy ranger kayaking,
olympic kayaking, surf ski kayaking, bird watching kayaking, 
military assault kayaking, Inuit seal hunting kayaking, Inuit caribou hunting
kayaking, ocean crossing kayaking, expedition kayaking, ... the list is open.

Meanwhile, the BCU-ACA-AWA-etc are trying to tell everyone how to paddle,
and the industry is selling expedition kayaks with olympic race paddles
to people who hardly ever paddle more than one day every other weekend.

At the same time, the best sources for learning seamanship are still
the Navy publications, the American Sailing Association, and other
organizations that certify captains and other crew. And they will
ever be. 

But the kayaking industry is neglecting to teach newcomers
the existence of those sources. As a consequence, knowledge about
weather, safety at sea, and sea communications, is almost non existent
in the average.

So, that is the status of our sport in a few paragraphs.

Anyone care to agree/disagree/comment ?

- Julio

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