Re: [Paddlewise] How it happens

Jolie said:

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.

-end quote

Hi Jolie,
So, its kind of like in the movies, only in this case "DUDE, WHERE'S MY
KAYAK?",  or maybe "AMERICAN DIE". Well, we do live during extreme days.
I've been off cable TV for 6 years, and finally took advantage of a free
hook up in November. I was amazed at all the extreme sports shows, etc.
There's a lot of dedicated, deliberate recreational close calls  with
death - both on land and in/on the sea (and air too). I wonder if
beginners sometimes seek a bit of a thrill, conditioned by TV culture,
not fully comprehending the implications that nature can dish out. Or
maybe they really are just ignorant (in the most prosaic sense) of the
realities. Regardless, it is still a tragedy when a paddler dies. Even
if nature IS thinning out the chaff from the gene pool. As your
President said, everyone who died (Sept 11th) was the most important
person to someone. So are all paddlers who die paddling. And, as those
tragic events showed,  the most extreme days are always in the context
of real life, not Hollywood. Life is precious. Life should be unitive.
Family and friends important.

Hey, I'm one to talk, but at least I've been behaving this year,
minimizing my exposure to the extreme elements, and spending much more
quality time with family. I got plastered against a few too many lee
shores in 40-knot plus winds a while back, did a little reevaluating, so
I didn't need recent tragedies to draw me closer to what is important.
Though, I still fantasize about riding the crest of a mega-tsunami along
the eastern US seaboard when that volcanic island off the coast of
Africa finally slides into the sea sending up a 6000 meter wave. Ride
it, baby! (if your going to die anyway, as its supposed to inundate 12
miles inland).

As for the tandem incident, I did get Steve's note about the possibility
of the incident simply being a tragic accident while the men were trying
to retrieve a blown away kayak (you would think the wind blowing the
errant boat away would have been a first clue about the nasty
conditions, if that is how it went down.

Chuck said:

Regarding ignorance, let's hear something relative to dealers that
sell boats with an irresponsibly sunny view of risks when they send
total novices out the door with the new plastic bathtub.  <snip some
more good stuff>

Hi Chuck,
(BTW, thanks for the magazine you sent me last year from the Atlantic
coast. Sounds like you have a number of issues out your way, too). I
think your point above is well taken. The list has been over this
territory before. One can only hope the majority of retailers point
customers towards books, vids, and courses. After all, its the "add ons"
that make for true enterprise in today's tight market, if dollars are
indead the bottom line. Still, I encounter countless hoards out and
about (over time), untrained, inexperienced and  ill-equipped -- often
due to under funding. It can be expensive, but it doesn't have to be.
However, there are minimum standards in my opinion. And I'm still
disillusioned over the number of paddlers yielding too much pressure on
the environment, the Orca populations, camp sites, etc. I rarely write
or promote the sport anymore, keeping to myself for the most part. Hope
life is good for you back on the right coast. Hope you are behaving.

Doug Lloyd
Left Coast

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