Re: [Paddlewise] The Status of Kayaking

Julio MacWilliams wrote:

> 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
>

So what's your point? There is reams of information out there. It is up to the
individual to find it. Kayak shops cannot necessarily afford to keep staffs of
highly experienced people on hand. Instructors can only teach so much in a one
day course, or even a five day course for that matter. In a perfect world
everyone on open water would have the benefit of extensive training, but that'll
never happen. As in anything else, the ignorant are that way at their own peril.

-Berkeley Choate

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