Bob Volin wrote, "... the 'GGH' syndrome is well known to have been responsible for any number of small aircraft crashes(documented), and probably untold thousands of automobile fatalities." >From personal experience as a guilty party while flying Navy aircraft and later as a Navy Safety Officer and accident investigator reviewing the crashes of those who, unlike me, didn't get away with what I did, it's a real, measurable, and, unfortunately predictable phenomenon in Naval Aviation. It costs a lot of lives and national resources every year --- lots less than when I was flying, 'cause these kids are smarter than we were, and they operate in a more rational culture than we did. But it still happens, and it's still predictable --- post-deployment, holiday weekends, major personal events --- too often. For a paddling anecdote, I was out with a group of six experienced paddlers on an ANorAK weekend in Hampton, Virginia several years ago. We got into some very nasty clapotis which developed, with some tidal changes, into some serious haystack development over rising bottom terrain and reefs. As probably the least experienced paddler out there, and the one whose low volume Pintail was getting eaten by the developing 'stacks, I finally and loudly voiced concern (after doing an unplanned endo) that we really ought to get the hell out of there, and was virtually run over by the other six --- all of whom were just waiting for someone to yell "uncle" --- in an attempt to get headed back to the beach. (And, yes --- for our distaff PaddleWisers --- all participants were male.) Jack Martin *************************************************************************** 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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