Re: [Paddlewise] Risk Homeowhatsis

Regarding my recent post/reply to Joan Spinner:

Sorry if I came across kind of terse. I wasn't meaning to. I just get upset
when people do dumb things kayaking - when it is so blatantly and patently
obvious that what they were attempting to do would have been so much safer
and more fun with a little thought and attendant conformity to sport
standards. I should have maybe called the young kayaker who spent the night
on the bellbouy as "atypical" rather than "a loose cannon".

I also believe sea kayaking and white water kayaking and surf kayaking all
compliment each other. Some of the WW boys (and gals!) around here do some
incredible things out in the tidal rapids with their WW kayaks. We have
genuine 15 foot standing waves just off Victoria during New Moon tides
combined with a big storm. They play a hybrid game, often carrying some sea
kayak type gear and even spare paddles (CG requirement) in their short WW
kayaks. One fellow even tows his WW boat out to Trial Island behind hit sea
kayak, then goes out in his WW boat to have some solo fun. The sea kayak
makes it a lot easier to get out there in a big blow.

I do a lot of rough water stuff, solo, in my sea kayak, but carry more
kinds of back-up self-rescue equipment than you can buy in any one given
outdoors store. I tether ALL my gear, including me. I practice paddling my
kayak fully swamped in storm conditions, and practice re-entry and rolls
all winter long. In summer, I often spend a whole days on consecutive
weekends at the lake, just doing different kinds of self rescues. I do use
pools, but I feel they foster a false sense of control - but necessary in
frozen winter areas where you want to keep tuned up. I'm not saying this
for any self-aggrandizement. I only want to clearly indicate that if you
are going to go out solo in rough stuff, you better put in the training,
and then overtrain for the chaos factor. I can't tell anyone what their
list of essential gear should be. I know what I want. And I know you don't
take more chances just because you have extra gear. But I go out anyway,
can't control myself some years, so I carry what I believe  is responsible
for me to carry. I'd rather be hooked on tide races and storm paddling, and
blow away some time on Paddlewise at night, than some of the other
addictions in life - not to mention the soul-robbing garbage some people
are into on the internet. 

Anyway, I thank you all for listening to me rant some days. I've put a lot
of miles on my kayak in a huge variety of situations and circumstances,
some life and death, some profound and mysteriously beautiful. And still,
with all that paddling experience, I learn an incredible amount off this
list every week. "Symposium" means to learn. PW is a none-stop symposium.
Thanks!

BC'in Ya
Doug Lloyd   
 
At 12:18 PM 11/11/99 -0800, you wrote:
>Joan wrote:
>>    I know I'm REALLY new to kayaking, like about 8 months, but I'm
>getting a bit
>>lost in the logic. I did read the piece and I didn't see where it gave
enough
>>details to come to a lot of the conclusions I'm reading.
>
>Joan, et al:
>
>Lost in the logic, or is that lost in the *lack* of logic? Maybe it is just
>the way I explain things. As far as conclusions from the details we were
>provided with, you are correct. Subjective opinions rendered on the
>incident are assumptive at best. I was hoping Dr Sutherland might get back
>to me about calling the fellow up who spent the night on the bellbouy, so
>we could find out the details that the media weren't interested in (type of
>kayak, type of paddling normally done, etc), but Chuck seems to have flown
>the coupe.    
>
>> I'm not suggesting that
>>he didn't make mistakes that could have been avoided but why are you
>calling him,
>>" a loose cannon in a sport where we all take aim at certain activities
>and levels
>>of risk?" For me, part of being new is not knowing all the questions and not
>>knowing all the factors when they look you in the face. What am I missing
>here? I
>>still don't know exactly why he couldn't get back in his boat. For someone
>with
>>his exposure to the sport this seems exceptionally weird. Was it a lack of
>skills
>>or was he hurt or what? I agree he made a number of mistakes but the one
that
>>seems to be picked on most is that he went out at all. Am I misreading this?
>
>Yes. You are misreading this from my point of view. He can go out, no
>problemo. But, don't you think given the conditions present and what the
>consequences could be of coming out of the kayak, he should have been with
>another paddler or better prepared or better equipped. The Coast Guard,
>universally, don't usually mind going out to help mariners in distress -
>that is what they get paid to do, and that is what they are there for, and
>they know that going out on the ocean is always a calculated risk where
>misscalculations are made . But, again, universally, the Coast Guard very
>much dislike evening and night searches. It puts there men more at risk,
>and when the object of their search has no way of signaling the
>authorities, it is very frustrating.
> 
>>    The longer this thread runs the more confused I am. I am gaining no
>clarity on
>>the issue thought I am seeing a lot of opinions. It could be I'm making
>this issue
>>more complicated than it is but it looks REAL complicated from my
>computer. I've
>>read the SK article on risk assessment and all the postings here. I still
>don't
>>get why some of you are so harsh in you evaluation. It may be justified
>but so far
>>I have not heard a logical argument for saying, "This guy was way over the
>edge
>>for normal. "
>>    In real simple, short thoughts, can someone explain this to me, please?
>
>I suggest you go to the recent thread with Ralph (he writes with more
>clarity than anyone on this list, I'd say). The issue came up about
>acceptable behavior, if I can use that term. We have a helmet law here in
>BC, for both bicycles and motor bikes. I work in the medical field -
>government funded medicare - and I think it is the best thing that ever
>happened (sorry James). When I see a bicyclist go by at night, without a
>helmet, without a light, I call them loose cannons. When I see a roller
>bladder without protective equipment threading through traffic, the same
>response is invoked. And when I hear of a paddler out alone is nasty
>condition without the normal requisite gear, experience, training, and
>immediate assistance of fellow paddlers, the same response is invoked. If
>you "don't get it" fine, you don't have to. But please try and understand
>my point of view, as I don't just post off the top of my head. 
>
>I'm not sure what your level of understanding is with the various kayak
>pursuits. In river kayaking, we are not loaded down with self sufficient
>rescue equipment. There is a car at the put-in and the take-out. You have
>friends along with you. If you bail in average conditions, you get to shore
>and get back in - no paddle floats, no re-enter and rolls, no VHF radios
>calling for help. Surfing, same thing. Minimum gear, lee shore beach
>waiting for you. Now switch to an  estuarian river mouth. Current flowing
>out to sea, waves and wind present, paddler has no reliable re-entry, no
>back-up equipment, no buddies, and no distress equipment. What is he? A
>minimalist river paddler out over his head? A sea kayaker under-equipped
>and undertrained, and unaware of how dangerous and predisposed to disaster
>the situation was? I don't have the all the answers, Joan. But something
>doesn't jive with the situation, that's all. Am I permitted to say that? If
>not, I will shut-up. I'm happy to have a dialogue with myself. And maybe I
>will even switch the term "loose cannon" to "an unknown paddler profile"
>that to me doesn't fit into an "acceptable" acceptable risk category. That
>ain't confusing to me, anyway.
>
>BC'in Ya
>Doug Lloyd
>     
>
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