[Paddlewise] Misc. Thoughts

I've had a fascinating couple of years on Paddlewise now - always
interesting, always informative. Topics covered have been extensive and
usually fleshed-out to the max. Even some of the more sterile
considerations discussed, such as narrow boats vs wide or plastic vs
folding, have proved informative when segments of us polarize and fling our
particular predilections for journeying on the sea.

I've found our often thoroughly Western predisposition toward measuring,
quantifying, evaluating every angle, and ultimately casting individual or
group judgement upon the methods and practices of others, both annoying at
times, but nonetheless interesting. I can see recently from the discussion
on risk that it is easy to sway oneself one way or the other toward safety
or adventure. Finding a balance can be like holding on to the to horns of a
bull. I just hope those who try to formulate a balance in their minds
rather than in reality don't methodize adventure out of existence completely.

>From my exposure to club and association sea-proficiency training politics,
I've found that some organizations and/or education proponents often are
guilty of an obsession with technique. I don't find this on Paddlewise. I
see on this list for the most part, an approach toward safety management
(both for the individual paddler with their friends, and those who teach it
to new sea kayakers) that emphasizes an evaluation and teaching strategy
that involves more intuition and subjective preponderance with respect to
the affective and cognitive learning domains, while still relegating hard
skills its due importance.

When we deal with the issue of experience, both in the sense of what it
means and how does one evaluate it, we all know that experience is
difficult to quantify as is leadership and judgement difficult to define or
even teach. I do know that if one is to find mastery in our sport, one
needs to involve themselves in a modicum of structured exercises with some
tutelage and practice with a range of skills to the point that there occurs
a transcendence beyond mere technique and equipment. This may take a good
five years.

Once a degree of mastery is achieved, the individual is not precluded from
the possibility of human error or error due to some unknown element at
work. I have difficulty making my peers understand this notion. Mastery
will, however, usually provide a more fully-conscious understanding on the
part of the paddler who journeys through the ocean/coastal environment.
This can be in a Nordcapp, Klepper, or cheap SOT. The individual's
achievements are always special and unique, no matter the level of one's
skills for that matter. Perhaps one of the greatest achievements of an
experienced sea kayaker is something we all need to be striving for - a
thorough familiarity with the sea itself.

BC'in Ya
Doug Lloyd 
***************************************************************************
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/
***************************************************************************