Re: [Paddlewise] experience kayaker clinging

From: Shawn W. Baker <baker_at_montana.com>
Date: Tue, 09 Nov 1999 08:50:39 -0700
Wes Boyd wrote:
>>I think of all the rationalizing or the "I wouldn't have done thats" you
hear on rec.boat.paddle at a death or a near miss. Sort of sounds like
whistling past the graveyard to me. I think we're above that here.<<

I got really sick of all that banter after an rbp death.  Until this
guy.  He wasn't stupid.  He wore a PFD, and some cold-water gear.  I
could have had similar things happen to me.  I hope that by at least
discussing what went wrong and what went right, we can learn from his
experience and avoid it ourselves.  I hope we're not rationalizing, but
learning.

I don't think the guy had a decent roll.  I wouldn't do that.  But, I
saw things he did right, that I usually do wrong.  He filed a float plan
with his girlfriend.  I don't usually do that, but I learned how
valuable that can be!  (and I will start filing a float plan--every
time!)  Because I could see he made a few mistakes, I see that he is a
"human" paddler just like me; if we only look at "superhuman" expert
paddlers who go out in the roughest conditions, it's harder to apply
what they're doing in the scary stuff to what I'm doing in calmer
stuff.  Thanks to him, I found a few "gaps" in my own armor.

Shawn

-- 
Shawn W. Baker          0                                    46°53'N
© 1999            ____©/______                              114°06'W
~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^\  ,/      /~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^
baker_at_montana.com    0        http://www.missoulaconcrete.com/shawn/
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Received on Tue Nov 09 1999 - 07:52:26 PST

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