The imaginary experience of some new paddlers is an important factor to take into consideration as the posts this week have shown. Sunday I am going out with a nice couple from my area who I know read PW. We had a good laugh last night about our thoughts as we read the horror story of the "seasoned" paddler who turned out was only seasoned with visions of grandeur. I thought as I read the story <THUD> there goes my paddling trip (I was honest with them & no my fingers weren't crossed). They too were concerned.......with good reason. Before I made a commitment to rent a kayak to go with them though, out of fairness to us both I did some checking around. I went & spoke with the outfitter that I had taken 2 lessons from (keep in mind there are 3 sides to any story, the tellers, the receivers & reality). I inquired to see if she felt I had the experience to paddle with these kind people where they were going to paddle, and got recommendations for the best equipment to rent that was equal to my level of experience. Being over cautious I went one step further & inquired if the folks I was going with had the experience necessary to take a paddler of my (lack of) experience. New paddlers can be so anxious to get on the water that they can overlook some not so obvious safety factors. I am fortunate that the folks I am going with are known to the paddling community & I can rest assured if I make an error in judgement that I am with people that know what to do in the event I need a rescue & that I am using equipment that is within my "realm" of reality. I don't want anyone to be offended, I just want to be fair to everyone I paddle with. I know my limitations, want to know about the people I paddle with & the utmost of importance, we all have an excellent paddling experience because safety was our number one consideration. Hopefully they won't have a post of another war story & we have a fabulous day on the water. Top of the morning to everyone & hope it's a wonderful weekend for all. Getting off the shore Sandi *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Sandi wrote: I know my limitations, want to know about the people I > paddle > with & the utmost of importance, we all have an excellent paddling > experience > because safety was our number one consideration. Hopefully they won't > have a > post of another war story & we have a fabulous day on the water. > > Top of the morning to everyone & hope it's a wonderful weekend for > all. > > Getting off the shore > Sandi > I think you'll have a wonderful time, Sandi. I'm sure you'll be safe - just don't let your safety-consiousness interfere with your joy of the moment. Enjoy with reckless abandon - and remain safe! (not necessarily an oxymoronic statement if one's mind is twisted in just the right way). Bon Voyage! Melissa __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send instant messages & get email alerts with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com/ *************************************************************************** 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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