I have been following the posts with a great deal of interest. There is a kayak shop in the LA.A. area of S. Ca. that rents boats from a number of locations. For the most part they are sit on tops, but they also rent boats with cockpits that should require a skirt, paddle float, pump to complete the bare minimum of safety equipment. It surprises me, but they do not supply this equipment along with the rental. They do provide PFD's. Even if they provided the skirt, paddle float and pump would the renter know how to use them? If not then should they be renting that particular boat in the first place. Could a renter be instructed on how to perform a wet exit and be expected to do it without problem let alone a paddle float rescue and pump out of the boat? The answers to these basic questions are some could and some couldn't. In my opinion the shop has a moral obligation to their patrons to do their utmost to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience. It doesn't take an ocean to drown. I consider their failure to supply the paddle float, skirt and pump a serious breach and a hazardous practice at best. It presents a situation that to easily leads to an unfortunate accident or results in someone who will never get back in a kayak should they walk away from it with no physical harm. They walk away harmed in more than one way if not physical then emotional. Last year while paddling white water I saw a young lady with an group and three instructors flip in class II water. No big deal right. Well, she panicked and tried to wet exit by pushing on each side of the boat. With a tight neoprene skirt, that just wasn't going to happen. At least fast enough to keep her from running out of air. One of the instructors, a 16 year old, who is #2 in CA and wants to make it to the Olympics acted swiftly and saved the day (Dear Abby?????). It only takes a second for a person to panic and all rational thinking is thrown right out the window. A serious accident is then just a matter of luck if it doesn't happen. Paddlers should be trained to respond to a situation and not react. Most new paddlers haven't had that opportunity and I would like to see them make it to that point. Rather they just purchased a boat or are renting to give kayaking a try. I think the legal definition of "Attractive Nuisance" might be appropriate here rather than "Gross Negligence" on the part of the shop owners, but I'm not an attorney. Fred Ca Kayaker *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
I am always amazed when I hear of a paddle shop that rents kayaks without appropriate safety gear or instruction. My first experience sea kayaking was in a kayak rented from Trek & Trail in Bayfield, Wisconsin. Trek & Trail then and now has a policy of not renting to people who have not taken their basic safety class, which includes instruction in wet exits and rescues. My former landlord and some of his friends, all novices, once rented kayaks from Trek & Trail for a camping trip on Lake Superior. During the crossing to Oak Island, one of the group capsized and was rescued by the other members of the group. My former landlord told me afterward that if it were not for the training they got from Trek & Trail, they wouldn't have known it was even possible to do a rescue in open water, which I think illustrates the value of such training. Chuck Holst *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Outfitters vary a lot in the kind of safety instruction that they give. Last summer when I was helping Mike Petzold of Caribou Expeditions teach a short kayak course to prepare his customers for our guided trip I met a couple who had rented a double on Hudson Bay. They asked about doing a self rescue and the outfitter told the " Doubles are so stable that they never flip, and if one ever did it would be impossible to do a self rescue in one". They asked if could teach them a self rescue in a double (our focus was on group rescues since it was a guided trip), and I talked through a self rescue which took them only about a minute to complete - a little longer till they were pumped dry. Chuck Holst wrote: > I am always amazed when I hear of a paddle shop that rents kayaks without > appropriate safety gear or instruction. My first experience sea kayaking was > in a kayak rented from Trek & Trail in Bayfield, Wisconsin. Trek & Trail > then and now has a policy of not renting to people who have not taken their > basic safety class, which includes instruction in wet exits and rescues. My > former landlord and some of his friends, all novices, once rented kayaks > from Trek & Trail for a camping trip on Lake Superior. During the crossing > to Oak Island, one of the group capsized and was rescued by the other > members of the group. My former landlord told me afterward that if it were > not for the training they got from Trek & Trail, they wouldn't have known it > was even possible to do a rescue in open water, which I think illustrates > the value of such training. > > Chuck Holst > *************************************************************************** > 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/ ***************************************************************************
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