Re: [Paddlewise] Solo or Not?

|Yeah, I know some of this might sound elitist, but I do not think it is a good
|idea to embark on a paddling trip which is likely to overtask someone with
|poor bracing skills or inadequate self-rescue ability.  Better to go alone.

|So, I am wondering:  how often do others paddle solo, and why?

I paddle solo 95% of the time.  The wifey does not go as much as I do ,so I go
alone.  I much prefer going alone than with other people.  With other people you
have to set a schedule.  I have enough of schedules at work and try to avoid
them as much as possible on my own time, especially when it comes to recreation.
Saturday I decided on the spur of the moment, the weather was great, to go
yakking.  I got on the water at 6:00pm and paddled around until 9:00pm.  Went
this way and that.  Paddled to a point to take pictures of the sunset.  Went
back the way I had come in the pitch black scarying bank fisherfolk with my
stealthy approach!  8-)  With someone else they may not have wanted to do want I
wanted to do.  They may have wanted off that water at dark or when they got
hungry or had to go the bathroom, etc.  This way I just worry about me and what
window of time I told the wifey I would be home.

When I go with other people I don't have as much fun because I have to watch
what the other people are doing.  Some of the Carolina Canoe Club trips I went
on a few years ago were a real PITA because people would show up without the
limited skills required for the trip.  You then have to spend the group's time
watching out for them.  Not fun.

That leads us the GroupDynamic/SkillSet Discussion again!  8-)

I know of a few people who have sea kayaks but I don't make the effort to paddle
with them because I truely prefer to paddle solo.  I LIKE being out there by
myself.  I don't want to make it a group effort for the previously mentioned
reasons but also because I like the freedom to go as I please.  I really like
paddling at a fast rate for long distances.  I think this is hard to do with
other people.  I run for excercise and don't do that in a group either!  8-)
Paddling with solo means I only have to be responsible for myself and not
others.  That just makes things easier and thus more fun.

As an aside but related issue, I got a new paddle on Saturday.  I have been
wondering if I a shorter paddle would allow me to go faster with equal effort.
My first paddle was 240 cm.  My wifes was 230cm.  We ended up trading because we
preferred the others paddle.  The new one is 220cm and I can't believe how much
easier it is to paddle compared with the longer ones.  I was not able to do my
time hour long runs on Saturday since I was more interested in the sunset but at
a minimum the short paddle is giving me a .5mph increase in speed with the same
effort.  I still don't believe it.  I can't wait to go out again and paddle for
an hour to see what happens.  When I paddle like this I use a high paddling
stroke as opposed to a low stroke I use when just messing around.  So the short
paddle gives me a higher cadence but I did not think it would make that much of
a difference.

Later...
Dan McCarty


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