[Paddlewise] paddler from Hell

Apropos of nothing:

I was recently part of a four-person overnighter in the
San Juan Islands (WA), organized by a local paddling
club.  We took a ferry to Orcas Island, drove to the
put-in, and started loading our boats.  It quickly
became obvious that one of us -- let's call him Mr X --
was in a league of his own.  His paddling outfit
consisted of a flannel shirt, cotton pants, and rubber
"duck shoes".  He wore an inflatable PFD, which he said
was only good for one inflation per CO2 canister.  The
top of his deck was almost completely covered with gear,
including a grill and a camp chair.  He was trying to
tie down some large pieces of firewood on the deck
before I talked him out of it.

Mr X was tall and heavy.  An assisted rescue would be
difficult in ideal conditions, nearly impossible with
the overloaded deck.  The water temperature was probably
45-50 degrees F, and the weather was cool and rainy.
Obviously, he was an accident waiting to happen.

The leader was concerned, but let Mr X come along,
presumably because he'd invested a lot of time and money
to get to the put-in.  I didn't say anything because I
didn't want to second-guess the leader.  But, as the
trip progressed, I started thinking of all the bad
things that could happen -- to me and the other two
paddlers, as well as to Mr X.  I kept imagining us as
the subject of a chapter in the new edition of Sea
Kayakers' Deep Trouble.  Fortunately, we all made it
back from the trip safely.

So, my question is, what would you do?  How do you deal
with situations like this without coming off as an
insufferable bore, an alarmist, or a pain in the butt?

-Paul


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