Re: [Paddlewise] Nearly Fatal

Actually, I would have predicted the store owner's response.  Partly,
he's probably right, that new owners of recreational boats aren't
interested in the "safety stuff."  Largely, though, I think he's worried
about scaring them off if he pushes the potential dangers.  

One way of going about it is to convince him (that's a generic "him" -
not just this store owner, but any and all) that they could sell some
more merchandise - if they tell these new buyers that they need all of
this additional equipment, they'll surely buy it.  I don't know if that
would be any more effective than trying to get them to present safety
info, but it might be worth a shot.

And yes, I think it's very important that the club be at Paddlesport. 
The safety message can be conveyed from a number of places - for Atlantic
Sea Kayakers, from AnoRak, from Atlantic Kayak Tours.  I think
H2Outfitters also makes a similar pitch.  So they won't hear it once,
they'll hear it many times.  Maybe it will sink in.

Maybe.

Still, the obligation is there.

Joan

(PS - why were you out testing boats in those kinds of winds by
yourself???)

On Sun, 5 Mar 2000 19:45:05 -0500 "Reeves, Debbie (Debbie)"
<dreeves_at_lucent.com> writes:
> It's 3 a.m. and I give up on my sleeplessness caused by the incidents 
> on
> 3/3.  Here's what happened:
> 
> It was a very windy day here, the perfect weather to do some test 
> paddling
> for a potentially new camping kayak.  I had been waiting patiently 
> for some
> strong wind because all boats paddle good in nice weather, its only 
> when the
> weather goes south that they start to stand apart.  I took along 
> jugs of
> water to simulate gear load, picked up a couple of boats at our 
> local kayak
> store and drove the short distance to a large (salt water) river.  
> As I am
> unloading the car of boats and gear in the parking lot, from behind 
> me I
> hear a very soft, quivering voice say, "Can you help me?"
> 
> I turn to see a young man, quite pale, dripping wet from head to 
> toe, his
> clothes sagging with the weight of water trapped in cotton.  I asked 
> "Are
> you o.k.?"  He said, "I took my new kayak out and it flipped over.  
> Can you
> help me get it?"  I asked him if he had any clothes to change into; 
> he
> hesitated and then said "No, let's go get my boat."
> 
> I made the assumption that the boat was on or near shore, and he had 
> dumped
> while attempting to get out of the boat.  When we got to the 
> shoreline I see
> the boat floating upside down, keel just at the waterline (not above 
> the
> waterline), way out in the river.  The 15-20 mph winds were from the 
> west,
> blowing it straight downriver toward the bay.  
> 
> So TheWetOne & I rush back to my car, I hurridly grab what I need, 
> toss it
> in a boat and we carry down to the water.  In the span of 1-1/2 
> minutes we
> were getting my boat, his boat has been blown another 150 ft 
> downriver, but
> has now taken a turn for shore.  Seeing this, I am quite relieved 
> and decide
> it will be easier for me to wade/swim out and pull it in.  As we get 
> down to
> that area and I wade out, the water turns out to be quite shallow, 
> never
> going over my thighs (water temp 44F).
> 
> The first thing I do is clip on a bow line.  Then I try to roll the 
> boat
> over by grabbing the edges of the cockpit (I tried both from the 
> upwind side
> and the downwind side-both to no avail).  Failing that, I wrap the 
> bow line
> around my body and try pulling it toward shore but cannot budge it.  
> This
> struggle goes on for 3 or 4 minutes as I make little progress.  
> Again I try
> rolling it over, this time trying to position my knees lower to give 
> me more
> of a lift.  Failure again.  I look toward shore and the only person 
> is
> TheWetOne, now shivering uncontrollably.  I yelled that I couldn't 
> get it
> any further in unless I had help flipping it over.  He came jogging 
> out
> yelping as each foot touched the water.  We both grab the cockpit 
> and are
> barely able to get it up.  We keep going with this until the waters 
> starts
> to flow out of the cockpit.  At this point I tell TheWetOne to go 
> get
> changed since I can manage it.  Over the next 10 minutes I continue 
> emptying
> the boat and pulling it toward shore.  Very slow going.  The boat is 
> an
> Oldtown Loon, probably 14 ft.  No bulkheads.  No visible floatation.
> Nothing on deck other than a fishing pole under the bungees.
> 
> Once his boat is up on the beach, I go back to the parking lot to 
> find that
> his car is gone.  I now make the assumption that he had no spare 
> clothes in
> his car and had to go home to change.  I am so angry, I am dizzy.  
> Waiting
> for TheWetOne to return, I continue preparing for my test paddles.  
> After
> loading the first boat, I get in to adjust the footpegs.  There are 
> none.
> What?  I get out and look in the cockpit.  Right.  No footpegs.  
> Great.  Now
> I am really pissed.  This was a designated "demo" boat and it has no
> footpegs.  
> 
> TheWetOne returns and asks if there is anything he give me or do for 
> me.  I
> said, "Yes.  Join a club.  You will learn a lot and be safer."  I 
> gave him
> our group brochure and told him that if he contacted the store, they 
> could
> give him additional clubs info.  As I help him load his stuff back 
> in the
> car, I ask him some questions.  Here are the answers.
> 
> He had purchased his boat the week before and was never told 
> anything about
> the hazards of cold water.  He had no previous water sports 
> experience.  He
> was told that his boat had "built-in" flotation and all he needed 
> was a PFD.
> He did not know anything about sprayskirts, pumps or paddlefloats.  
> Since it
> was a sunny day, he thought it would be perfect to go out and try 
> fishing
> from his new, stable kayak.  He did not realize that wind would have 
> any
> effect on the craft.  As he had gotten off-shore, he had quickly 
> gotten into
> trouble, loosing control as the waves kept washing into the cockpit 
> until it
> finally flipped him over.  Fortunately, he had been wearing his PFD 
> and was
> able to make it back to shore.
> 
> After he leaves, I decide to go through with the test paddle even 
> though it
> will be impossible for me to accurately access the boat in these 
> conditions
> with no foot pegs.  But it will let me blow out an awful lot of 
> steam.
> After zig-zagging the waterway to simulate beam seas, following 
> seas, etc.,
> I head back to the put-in to try the other boat.  Shifting the gear 
> load to
> the new boat, I am dismayed to realize the it is missing the 
> neoprene rear
> hatch cover (the lid was there but fit loosly).  With anger 
> returning, I
> head off shore and have a fun time in this boat zig-zagging around 
> to see
> how it manages.  At times I have trouble holding onto the paddle 
> with gusts
> at 35-40 mph.  With following seas, I am able to hold the boat 
> totally on
> its side without my blade in the water.  Now I'm feeling much 
> better.  I
> finish and load the car but dread going back to the store to let the 
> store
> owner know what has taken place.
> 
> Arriving back at the store, the "yard" guys are waiting to take the 
> boats
> off the car and lock them up for the night and can go home.  I let 
> them know
> the problems with the demo boats and they apologize for not having 
> checked
> the boats first.
> 
> The owner is just leaving when I catch him.  We sit down and I relay 
> my
> afternoon's experience with him (omitting the problems with his demo 
> boats).
> He is shocked, taken aback but at times becomes (in my opinion) a 
> little
> defensive of their store practices and of the manufacturers.  I 
> suggest that
> because of shere sales volume and  busyness (sp) of the store, 
> perhaps it
> was difficult to depend on someone covering the basic safety info 
> with new
> boat owners.  Perhaps I could write something up as a 1 page flyer 
> that
> could be handed to the customers with every boat purchase.  I'm told 
> that
> the manufacturer tapes safety info in every boat, besides, I am 
> reminded,
> the store sells videos and books that cover all aspects of kayaking. 
>  I am
> told that new boat owners aren't interested in hearing safety tips; 
> they are
> too focused on their new stuff and can't/won't listen to you.  The 
> owner
> states that he will communicate the event to the store staff in 
> their next
> meeting.  I never hear what will change in their selling process, 
> but don't
> feel comfortable in pushing the issue.
> 
> For the next 2 days I struggle with this.  At the Paddlesport show 
> at the
> end of March, probably 2,000-5,000 boats will be sold over a 3 day 
> period,
> probably 65-70% of them being "recreational" kayaks.  In discussing 
> thoughts
> I've had to take proactive steps to reduce the number of incidents, 
> everyone
> I talk to tells me to forget it.  The manufacturers don't want it, 
> the
> resellers don't want it, the consumer doesn't want it.  I wonder, 
> should our
> club continue to participate in the show - with such enormous 
> amounts of
> obvious negligence?  Right now my answer is a tentative yes; perhaps
> attendees visiting our table will hear some safety info, perhaps 
> they will
> decide to join the group and read the informative articles in the
> newsletter, perhaps they will have the opportunity to attend a group 
> trip
> and receive paddling tips.  Perhaps.
> 
> Discouraged in Sandy Hook, NJ
> Debbie Reeves
> 
> 
> 
> 
>
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