[Paddlewise] dearth of equipment

To Ralph Diaz,

I don't think that "latte" paddlers setting out into 45 degree water with no
safety equipment would think too much of Lloyd's equipment until they
noticed the side mounted torpredo racks that he uses to take carry of pesky
cross-channel ferries. (The extra weight, being a mere 1,200 kilograms - is
well worth it, particularly if he has already dulled his deck mounted
HUMUNGOUS knife for battling off roving packs of Giant Squid.)

On a more serious note, I've encountered many paddlers in the "Are They
nuts?" category who set out without the most basic provisions or safety
equipment. Last summer I met a pair of canoeists on the Dumoine River who
claimed to be lost. Their only map was a tourist travel brochure with a
stylized blue smear being the river. They were out of food, hadn't been able
to light a fire for two days, and intent on "saving time" by running a set
of rapids that ended in several rubble strewn ledges.



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