Jolie, I really wish it was as simple as that. The truth is that most people never *bother* to think about what they are doing. Of course with some peoples defective logic they might still come to the same conclusion as they do by not thinking at all. Before I started kayaking I was involved in a rescue of a couple in a cnaoe in Harriman Reservoir in southern Vermont. It was early enough in the year that some of the farm ponds I passed were still iced over! Some of the volunteer firefighters wanted to swim out to save them with ropes tied around their waists so we could pull them back in. I tried to talk them out of it, but it wasn't till they got calf deep in the water that they realized that they couldn't do it. Eventually we broke into a boat house and stole a small rowboat that they paddled out and got one of them out of the water. About this time the local game warden was able to get his boat launched (yes, it was that early in the season) and come out and pick them up, to bring in. In the mean time the rowboat sank because it took on so much water so he had to go out and rescue the volunteer firefighters. Now here's the real kicker, The woman was an ER nurse in Vermont! There was no way that she could claim that she didn't know any better. The truth is that she didn't *think* about it. At least here in WA, even in summer a large portion of paddlers wear wetsuits or even drysuits. If a novice would look around at the other people paddling you would expect them to at least question why they might want to wear immersion gear. Some do, many don't until you tell them some stories to scare it into them. Nope, I don't buy not knowing any better as an excue any more from kayakers than I do from jetskiers. Dave Jolie Smilowicz writes: > I am enough of a beginner to know why these dumb, and tragic things happen. > Paddling a kayak is deceptively easy--anyone can do it. As far as concerns > about weather, gear, dressing appropriately, etc., people simply do not know > any better. It's as simple as that. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Wed Dec 12 2001 - 15:25:02 PST
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