Re: [Paddlewise] How and when

|Bikers know that if they ram their heads into the ground, they can
|donate their organs to folks that need them.  It is their knowing choice
|freely made.

|Novice paddlers going out in shirt sleeves on cold water and without
|PFDs etc. are guilty of ignorance.  They bought their gear or rented
|same and were told nothing.  The unwashed American public believes
|that cold water is lots of fun- they have seen the polarbear swimmers
|doing it in the NEW  YORK TIMES--- It MUST BE OK !!

<snip>

|So, again,  address the question.   Do we who are experts give the
|novices our expertise?

|Chuck Sutherland

Ring Ring, Chuck you get the Gold Star.  I've not had a chance to get into
the thread, unitl now, 8-), but you said my thoughts exactly.

If you ride a bike, with or without a motor, you do know if you fall and
hit your head you will have a problem.  It IS intuitive.  The danger of
cold water is not something people are aware.  They just dont know.  They
are ignorant.  People are also ignorant of waves, tides, currents, rips,
boomers, etc.  I was totally ignorant of many of these things and now I'm
just above ignorant because of Paddlewise. Boomers is the last ocean
phenonmenon that I have learned about from this list.  All these things I
mention can get a paddler into a situation that will kill them.  How is the
average 'yakker going to now?  My wife and I have read numerous books and
magazines on kayaking but there is so much to be learned.  Most people
don't know about or have access to this list which is the best Continuing
Ed class I have ever taken!  8-)  So again how are they going to learn?
The answer is from people sharing information and experience.

A biker knows falling off is going to be bad news, a new kayker ain't got a
clue that the cold water at 50 degrees is deadly.  We control so much of
our own environment on a daily basis that people assume that our systems
and machines are always working and present.  This is not true once one
gets into hiking, camping, kayaking, etc.  But people who are new to these
activities don't have the experience and knowledge to understand the real
world.

Since I think TheGovernment is already to intrusive in our lives as it is,
I would be the last person wanting a law requiring classes and such.
Partly since the classes are not going to even come close to teaching all
that needs to be learned.  Lets not even get into curriculum and who
decides what should be in the class in the first place.  Hince it falls on
the more expericenced and knowlegable kayakers to inform people who might
be doing something dangerous.

So how do you do this?  How about just start talking to the person(s) about
kayaking, where they got the boat(s), how long have they been doing this,
etc.  Once you start talking you can talk about BadBehaviorX.  Just don't
get uppity.  For it as a question such as, "Have you ever heard the 50/50
rule for cold water?"  Or "Do you know what a dry/wet suit is for and why
you might want to wear one."  The use of might instead of should makes a
difference.....

Back to motorcycles.  I don't ride.  Scared to death of the being hit by
the four wheeled machines.  But I don't think there should be helmet laws.
If you want to ride without a helmet you have to justify this to yourself
and family.  Not me.  Not my business.  Car & Driver had an editorial piece
a couple of issues back on helmet laws.  It seems that the death/serious
injury rates are LOWER in states that DO NOT have helmet laws.  The
comparisons where both by number of riders as well as the rate of riders
per miles driven.  Go figure.

My more than 2 cents....
Dan McCarty.


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