Very recently a new paddling club started here in South Florida. The club has got a core membership of very enthusiastic paddlers who (the majority), paddle touring kayaks, both English and North American designs along with surf kayaks for up North. At our last meeting one of the club officers indicated that she will be inviting more recreational paddlers into the club. By this I mean folks who paddle Pungo's, Frenzy's, etc. This is great because it will get more paddlers together. My concern however is what do we do about trips? One of the last trips we took was an open water crossing on Biscayne Bay from Convoy Point to Black Point out to the Featherbed's and back to the start. This was a night nav paddle of 15 miles. I'm sure most everyone would agree that a Frenzy would not be suited to paddle alongside the fast touring kayaks used. Does anyone have a suggestion as to how to rate trips, paddler skills, and equipment? I would like to present this to the club so that we can place people and equipment on the right trip. I am aware that the BCU rates skill level by their One Star, Two Star, etc... Are there any clubs out there that use this system or something similar now? If so do you rate trips in the same manner? Looking for any suggestion and trying not to reinvent the wheel, last time it came out square! Thanks Jeffrey Bingham *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
>Does anyone have a suggestion as to how to rate trips, paddler skills, and >equipment? I would like to present this to the club so that we can place >people and equipment on the right trip. >I am aware that the BCU rates skill level by their One Star, Two Star, >etc... Are there any clubs out there that use this system or something >similar now? If so do you rate trips in the same manner? > >Looking for any suggestion and trying not to reinvent the wheel, last time >it came out square! > >Thanks >Jeffrey Bingham > I dislike rating paddlers for club trips and would rather rate trips. That way ego, yes a few kayakers out there have a BIG one and every one that is a good kayaker isn't good at the same thing or capable of all things. Dana *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
>>Does anyone have a suggestion as to how to rate trips, paddler skills, and >>equipment? I would like to present this to the club so that we can place >>people and equipment on the right trip. >>I am aware that the BCU rates skill level by their One Star, Two Star, >>etc... Are there any clubs out there that use this system or something >>similar now? If so do you rate trips in the same manner? >> >>Looking for any suggestion and trying not to reinvent the wheel, last time >>it came out square! > >I dislike rating paddlers for club trips and would rather rate trips. ........ The NY-NoJ Chapter of Appalachian Mountain Club rates both trips and paddlers. Alas, this is mainly for open boaters and WW Kayaks; maybe later it'll be expanded. For trips, we use the American Whitewater Affiliation classification. BCU's star system might be a good parallel for SKs. Some other clubs use Novice, Intermediate, and Expert classifications, but I always though of this as a little too egotistic. Something more descriptive of the trip may be better. Paddlers are rated on the basis of performance and there are some standards such as having taken this or that course, plus a safety course, plus paddled a certain number of trips at the desired rating level. There are around 300-500 paddlers there, so some sort of rating system is very useful. It is NOT intended to hold one back. If you have a class II rating, for example, you can generally sign up for Class III trips. How else could you hone your skills? Rather, it is used as a tool by the trip leader to make things equable. Suppose it's a class 3 trip and a lot of class 2 people have signed up. I'd go and try to talk a class 3 or 4 paddler into coming along so I could balance the skill levels. Also, with that many people I'm sure to have someone sign up that I've never paddled with. A rating helps me decide. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
>Someone else mentioned allowing "level 2" paddlers to go on >level 3 trips and balancing it out by getting some level 4 paddlers >to go and that a level 2 paddler should be allowed to go on a higher >level tour because it promotes improvement. I disagree with that >notion. In the case of the AKT trips the advanced level trips >*require* advanced skills and are not the place to learn them. They're >primarily long crossings in demanding conditions. Someone taking one >of those tours that doesn't have the necessary skills might not only >be dangerous it could also ruin a trip for someone that has those >skills. If the trip leaders are nursing people along in some cases >the tour might not ever be completed (ie. the circumnavigation of >Manhatten, a 10 hour paddle). If someone wants to practice advanced >skills in advanced conditions a tour where other people are paying >for it is not the place to do it. I definitely see your point with regards to a guided, paid trip. But in my opinion being this strict for club trips doesn't make sense. If you're too rigid, paddlers run into the catch 22 of "I need more experience for this trip but how can I get more experience if they don't let me go on this trip". Most of the clubs I've checked make some real efforts at teaching skills and safety to their members. But practicing rolling and bracing on flatwater will only get you so far, and at some point you need to take that high brace or whatever out of the pool and into the real world. I think that someone who has made a good faith effort to learn the skills needed for a particular level trip should be given a chance to try a trip at that level. The keys are: make sure it's not too much of a stretch, e.g. if someone has only been out in 2 foot waves don't suddenly take them out in 5 footers; and as someone else stated, to keep a high ratio of experienced, rescue-ready paddlers to people who might have trouble. I do think that the point about less experienced people holding more advance d paddlers back is a consideration for clubs trips, too. One way to deal with this is for the trip organizers to clearly distinguish between the advanced, "paddle or die" trips and the easier trips where you might actually sit out the bad weather or change your plans to avoid it. Sarah Ohmann *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
Just wanted to thank everyone for your help. I now have enough information to bring to our next club meeting. Thanks, Jeff Bingham *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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