RE: [Paddlewise] JFK, Jr.

From: Baard, Erik <Erik.Baard_at_dowjones.com>
Date: Mon, 4 Oct 1999 09:37:57 -0400
Hi All - 

I think Ralph made the right call here.  The producers can honestly say that
fellow kayakers, myself included but certainly not all, noted with some
concern that some aspects of kayaking safety didn't seem to register with
JK.  If they run into trouble, they can fall back on sourcing it to Ralph.

It's certainly worth noting that Jim W. said that when packing away JK's
boat, he noticed there was a PFD inside.  I only know he didn't wear it or
strap it to his deck on any of the occasions I saw him in person, or after
his death on video or in photographs.  His own accounts also show he didn't
seem to know how to do rescues.

Anyway, regardless of what his safety habits may have been, I'm glad that
kayaking brought JK the privacy, adventure, and maybe solace, he needed.  

As a member of the DTBH he was a gentleman (writing a considerate letter
once to resolve even a small argument, I've been told) and very friendly.
And the greater sadness for me is that had he lived, he might have become
our best advocate for preserving NYC's resurgent waterways environment.

Erik 



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Received on Mon Oct 04 1999 - 08:07:17 PDT

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