Re: [Paddlewise] Techno-Junk

Scott said:
<snip>
I often get the feeling that certain people on this list are rather
elitist in their thinking and as such are unwilling to even consider
some of the, shall we for lack of a better description call them, lower
levels of the sport.
<snip>
------------
I'm not so sure its an elitist mentality that cognates through the
windmills of some of our minds, but rather a genuine concern for the
growing plethora of plastic recreational kayaks currently experiencing
exponential growth across North America. Having said that, it used to be
SOTs some of us used to worry and go on about on this list, and now
would appear to be rec. kayaks that we express concern over (or more
precisely, the minimalism associated with their use).

I feel compelled to comment as one of my best friends just purchased a
tandem recreational unit in the fall. He's a bright fellow, very safety
conscious and somewhat aware of the hazards facing mariners around the
shores of Vancouver Island (tides, sudden squalls, etc.). He intends
paddling with his daughters (one at a time) as a way to spend quality
time with them. He certainly has no intention from what I can gather, of
investing in any kind of immersion apparel or safety gear. I very much
doubt he will stray far from shore, and I'm certain there are no big or
small crossings in store for him. He's phoned me for advice a few times
on routes. As I've show up at his house a couple of times, near
hypothermic, over the decades after winter storm paddling to borrow his
shower, he certainly knows about the dangers of cold water immersion.
While he constantly self-berates himself as a self-confessed "lower
level sport" new enthusiast in my presence, I've never looked down on
his purchase. I have simply maintained the minimum Coast Guard equipment
standards to him for saltwater boating, and suggested he spend a tiny
bit more on a couple of decent paddles (smaller shaft diameter and
lighter weight) and properly fitted/comfortable PFD's. I also took him
out in a borrowed sea kayak and made sure he got a good bounce from
reflected seas deflecting off one of your American aircraft carriers
anchored of the Victoria waterfront in some nasty chop. While I
purposely scared a bit of the poop out of him, I did so with good
intention -- not wanting him under any delusions or a misplaced fear
factor. I certainly did not do this with any elitism in mind, and would
not do this under normal circumstances.

You also said:
<snip>
My point in my previous posts was simply that not everyone new to this
sport needs to run out and buy every piece of rescue gear available to
be a safe paddler. I feel that a newbie on this list could easily get
the impression that they are being irresponsible and flirting with death
if they do not carry a GPS, and a VHS radio, and flares and a spare
paddle and paddlefloats, etc., whenever they go out paddling.
----------
I believe your original post alluded to the notion that carrying extra
safety gear was illusionary in terms of making one a safer paddler --
and you questioned just how much gear one had to carry to consider
themselves safe. I think Dave Kruger covered that a bit in a previous
post, and pointed to some excellent resources on John Winters web site.
I agree with your basic premise here, and certainly the new paddler
carrying and depending upon their gear to get them out of trouble is
precisely the person who might be "flirting with death". How many new
paddlers have we heard about for whom the paddlefloat rescue proved to
be a dismal failure in unexpected choppy waters after an unplanned exit
too far from shore? Or the faithful PFD wearer overwhelmed by
hypothermia, unable to reenter their kayak in cold water.

I guess I've joined in this conversation as I'm wrestling with some of
these issues in a personal way. I'll be finishing up my wife's kayak in
the spring, and I'm kind of wondering just how much gear is going to
make us a safe couple as we do a lot more paddling than we have done
together in the past with just a rented boat (for her). I also wonder
about some of my own adventures. While I can see Steve's point regarding
skill-building paddles with a group at the mouth of the Columbia River
and the lack of excessive gear being needed, I also realize that the
other members of his team are kind of like your "extra safety gear".
Paddling similar conditions or worse, solo, I tend to put more emphasis
on preparation and equipment. I can think of dozens of heavy weather
paddling episodes where I would not have gone out without redundant
backups like two paddlefloats and a miniature raft (Sea Seat). With good
skills operative, and judgment abilities commensurate with the intended
personal goals and abilities, none of that equipment should ever be
needed. But, I've blow rolls due to poor training regimes and faulty
visualization skills, and have got into deep trouble from the
necessarily poor judgment extent. These episodes are infrequent, but do
happen -- and it was backup equipment that saved my Canadian bacon.

You finish thus:
<snip>
And it is my belief that a new paddler would do a whole lot better
investing in instruction and learning the skills then trying to purchase
all of the swell toys often emphasized on this list. That's all!
--------
Right you are Scott. While I guess I'll continue to give some priority
to my individual equipment requirements and perceived needs, the answer
for even the experienced paddler is still ongoing skill development or
at least keeping skills well honed. I know Doug Alderson (one of the few
instructor trainers in Canada) in our local club preaches skill
development to new paddlers, and prefers not to put emphasis on new toys
initially. In fact, your obvious overall tone here is to place the
importance on investing in instruction and skill procurement. Funnily
enough, there are many who claim that message to be an elitist one. You
just can't win!

Doug Lloyd

***************************************************************************
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/
***************************************************************************