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From: Charles Herriot <cherriot_at_controlex-corp.com>
subject: [Paddlewise] dearth of equipment
Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2001 10:46:56 -0500
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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From: Patrick Maun <pmaun_at_bitstream.net>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] dearth of equipment
Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2001 15:28:04 -0600
Hey, don't knock those bad charts.

One of the more popular and useful charts for the Apostle Island area 
of Lake Superior are the laminated placemats available at gift shops. 
The fit perfectly on the deck, are tough, and cheap. Yes, of course 
they are stamped "Not to be used as a navigational aid" in big bright 
letters, and I always carry a real chart in my map case. The problem 
with the carts for the area is that the scale is so large that unless 
you have a big wide table to spread the thing out on, there is no way 
to get a good overview, much less a nice crossing route between 
islands.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, you can also eat off the placemat.

-Patrick

At 10:46 AM -0500 3/13/01, Charles Herriot wrote:
>
>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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From: Michael Daly <michaeldaly_at_home.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] dearth of equipment
Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2001 21:21:20 -0500
From: "Charles Herriot" <cherriot_at_controlex-corp.com>


> 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.


The Dumoine seems to attract the worst of the worst.  I've seen a Boy Scout
leader take his charges through the worst lines in big rapids (does he
know what a good line is?), yahoos that seem to find every sweeper
and those who think running whitewater is the means to go canoe swimming.
The group I was with stood by while scouting the rapids and prepared for
rescues of these other jerks.

The embarrassing point came when one canoe in our group dumped and almost
wrapped.  Four of the group were struggling to get the canoe off the rock when 
a husband and wife team, in bathing suits (in May!), beer coolers and folding lawn 
chairs in their canoe came and got it free!

Mike

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