Re: [Paddlewise] Now I'm curious: how dangerous _is_ kayaking?

I agree with Bob and John.  There is a saying among pilots:  "There may be 
bold pilots, but there aren't any OLD Bold pilots."  Insurance Underwriters 
considered a helicopter to be inherently riskier than a big cargo airplane 
and charged a premium for "Higher Risk".  Gee, I wonder why?  Are we "Risk 
Adverse" or "Cautious"?    Are we:  Risk Takers or Crazy?  Some would 
consider others on this list as very risky, adventuresome, out on a limb or 
??????   We make the judgement as to the amount of risk we, personally, are 
willing to take or expose ourselves to.  Regardless of our acceptable level 
of risk we should endeavor not to put others property or person at risk by 
our actions.  Either members of our paddling party and/or a rescue party 
and take responsibility for our decisions.  Risk is a very subjective issue 
and personal to each of us.  When paddling with a group we should not be 
afraid to speak out to the stronger members that we are getting in over our 
heads or simply don't feel comfortable with the conditions.  Certainly not 
afraid of embarrassing ourselves in front of more experienced 
paddlers.  That is what I consider an avoidable and unnecessary risk - 
group dynamics that ultimately put all at risk.

Fred E. Thomas

  At 05:50 PM 2/28/2000 -0800, you wrote:
>John
>
>I completely agree with you.  I believe the original question was seeking
>the comparative risk in recreational activities.  Sea-kayaking is at the
>lower end.  The hazard in cycling is the humans in cars.  A recent incident
>in my area involved the death of one, maiming of another (leg lost) and
>injuries to several others when a woman intentionally ran down a group of
>cyclists.  I had occasion to meet this rather confused person.  A co-worker
>was off work for a year when an inattentive person opened their car door on
>the traffic side at just the wrong moment.
>
>Sea kayaking has its risks.  The level of risk taken is chosen by the
>paddler.  One can choose to paddle a quiet estuary or cross an ocean through
>storms.  I'm no kayaking expert and I choose my risks accordingly.  I have
>been dealing with confused, insane and criminal humans for over 25 years.
>I'm so familiar with adrenal rushes, I regard them as a tool.  I'll take the
>(limited) predictability of weather, current and tide over human behavior
>anytime.
>
>Bob
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "John Myers" <jmyers_at_longbranch.k12.nj.us>
>
>Sent: Sunday, February 27, 2000 10:11 AM
>Compared with bicycling, sea kayaking seems a safe
> > sport. I wear the requisite safety gear and use caution whenever I'm on my
> > bike but there is a breed of automobile driver who seems to feel that
> > bicyclist are trespassers on their turf. These make your average jetskier
> > seem positively benign by comparison.
>
>
>***************************************************************************
>PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not
>to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission
>Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
>Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
>Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
>***************************************************************************

***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not
to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************