Hi folks, A while back one of my co-paddlers gave me an amazing insight of how the human mind can work in evaluating dangerous situations. The lady in question was tying 2 kayaks on the roofrack of her car. She was not using any bow- or stern lines to the car, just some ropes around the boats and the rack. I was watching it, thinking the attachments of the rack to the car didn't look too solid. I pulled on one of the attachments and pulled it right of the car. She noticed and pushed it back on. Problem solved in her opinion. We had a discussion like this: Me: Aren't you afraid the wind will pull the rack of your car? She: Well, it never happened, so I think it's OK. Me: So you just wait until it happens before you do something about it? She: I told you, it didn't happen so far. Me: Just imagine it happens. Imagine you are driving on a crowded highway, and your roofrack with 2 kayaks flies into the air, make a couple of summersaults and then lands on a car behind you. Imagine the damage to the kayaks, the car, the people in the car, the people behind it, the enourmous disaster that will be your fault. She: Oh no, I don't want to think about that. Me: If you don't want to think about it, you better make sure it doesn't happen. Use some extra lines for gods sake! You're a danger to everyone around you! Do something about it! She: <angry face, no answer>. She probably thinks I'm not a very nice guy, just going on and on about it. She has not changed her way of tying boats to a roofrack. None so blind as those who don't want to see. Niels. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
In a message dated 12/13/01 4:12:42 AM Mountain Standard Time, nblaauw_at_foxboro.com writes: > Hi folks, > > A while back one of my co-paddlers gave me an amazing insight of how the > human mind can work in evaluating dangerous situations. > > The lady in question was tying 2 kayaks on the roofrack of her car. She was > not using any bow- or stern lines to the car, just some ropes around the > boats and the rack. I was watching it, thinking the attachments of the rack > to the car didn't look too solid. I pulled on one of the attachments and > pulled it right of the car. She noticed and pushed it back on. Problem > solved in her opinion. > > We had a discussion like this: > > Me: Aren't you afraid the wind will pull the rack of your car? > She: Well, it never happened, so I think it's OK. > Me: So you just wait until it happens before you do something about it? > She: I told you, it didn't happen so far. > Me: Just imagine it happens. Imagine you are driving on a crowded highway, > and your roofrack with 2 kayaks flies into the air, make a couple of > summersaults and then lands on a car behind you. Imagine the damage to the > kayaks, the car, the people in the car, the people behind it, the enourmous > disaster that will be your fault. > She: Oh no, I don't want to think about that. > Me: If you don't want to think about it, you better make sure it doesn't > happen. Use some extra lines for gods sake! You're a danger to everyone > around you! Do something about it! > She: <angry face, no answer>. > > She probably thinks I'm not a very nice guy, just going on and on about it. > She has not changed her way of tying boats to a roofrack. > > None so blind as those who don't want to see. > > Niels. > Hi, I read this list and most of time when people talk about dumb stuff others do, I can say to myself "no, I don't do that, whew" or at least "good thing I don't do that anymore." But this one above made me think. I never thought of bow and stern lines as insurance against the _rack_ coming off. I used to use them when I was using foam pads on the roof instead of a real rack. But then I got a new Subaru Forester with factory racks and a nice kayak stacker, and since then I've dispensed with the bow and stern lines as unnecessary. And I've driven hundreds of miles, feeling completely secure. Now I'm thinking I may have been remiss. But frankly, most people I see on the road are doing the same thing. Do you think bow and stern lines are always necessary, or only with less secure racks? *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
AdrianNEFF_at_aol.com writes: Do you think bow and stern lines are always necessary, or only with less secure racks? It's your call but........like a safety chain on a trailer, the b/s lines make the connection *bombproof*. period. we have a rule at the shop that ALL commercial loads <rental, trips and tours,etc.> require b/s lines. steve *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
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