Re: [Paddlewise] Get-togethers (was An Apology)

----- Original Message -----
From: <JCMARTIN43_at_aol.com>
>
> > It was fun, though.  It would be really nice if different people decided
> > to put together these get-togethers in different places, and we could
all
> > travel to whatever we could reach.  Then more of us could get to really
> > know each other.
>
> This was a concept that was pressed by ANORAK years ago --- no-fault
> kayaking.  A member announced that he/she and N others would be going to
> Strawberry Banks at Hampton Roads on the weekend of ___, would be staying
at
> ___  where a rate of $__ had been negotiated, and URL___ would give
driving
> directions and area info.  Launch would be at whenever.  The message was
> essentially, be there if you want.  There's no "leader", as such, but
anyone
> who can handle ___ conditions and distance is welcome.

I remember those paddling trips and frankly was put off by the terms in
which they sometimes were presented.  My wife and I had a few years of
paddling under our belts but several of those trips had a real elite slant
to the invite.  Something like "Please understand that some of us are
leaders and instructors and may want to paddle among ourselves.  So if
someone doesn't want to paddle with you please don't be offended."

Those weren't the exact words but caught the flavor of some of the
announcements and the overtone of not wanting to mix with the rift raff.   I
don't think the people realized how they were coming across; I actually knew
some of the people and they were fine folk.  But it was incredibly
off-putting; my wife still talks about it.  We simply decided that we
weren't going to put ourselves in that position and so did not go although
the locales sounded interesting.  BTW, these were not particularly rugged
trip being planned, say involving lots of open ocean surf or incredible
distances that a less-than-elite paddler could handle.

Right then and there I pledged to myself never to come across that way for a
trip that was being advertised to a large group of people.  Don't get me
wrong.  Trips often do need qualifications but an open trip is an open trip.
If people show up who are less than qualified then the leader should be
ready to alter the dimensions of the entire trip (where is it written that
every trip must be challenging?) or split the group into two trips with one
within the ability of the weaker arrivals and the other offering a challenge
for the better paddlers.

ralph diaz




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