Rob, Thanks! - Your assessment of pre-paddle guide instruction put me at ease. My wife and I went on a guided trip in the San Juan Islands last week and I was surprised that they did not make us try a wet exit before launching off. There was a person who had never paddled before and she just received an explanation of "how to" exit if she tipped. I was upset at the guides for not being more cautious, but in retrospect they would've been a short sprint away from her had she needed help. This brings up the personal issue of what to do when WE are the guides for a new paddler, such as when we want to introduce a friend to paddling. I typically request the newbie to find the limits of stability by extreme leans and wet exits before the journey begins. They become more relaxed and are comfortable with small leans to steer the kayak, rather that stiff and a bit scared. Problem is when the water and / or air is really cold, making the practice itself dangerous. What do you do here? This situation is common to us all, and most of us don't have that 3 star certification! I would be interested in the groups personal criteria for introducing people to kayaking. We are the "guides" most of the time! Tim Newton Kayaking the Ozarks.... *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Mon Jul 31 2000 - 12:18:54 PDT
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