[Paddlewise] Techno-Junk-Risk (Who Dies)

Chuck said:

<snip mine and Scott's relevant comments>
My point (Who Dies) is that it appears that the folks that buy the Rec
Boats get them from dealers that are low end-knowledge sales as well.
<snip>
-------
True enough Chuck. But is that low-end or no-end? I wonder if these Rec.
Boats come with any kind of safety advice (printed). CD Kayaks come with
a great little owners manual that gives a basic primer on use and safety
which at least gets the customer thinking. I remember TASK used to have
a great little brochure that dealers used to give out freely. It at
least noted some basic safety issues and pointed prospective paddlers in
the correct direction too. There's always regulation and preconditions
for sales which could be enforced, but none of us want to go down that
route. Still, I'm glad your example below isn't the norm.

Your story:
About 3 months back, two of our local skilled paddlers were out training
a third paddler in the surf on the New Jersey shore. <snip> A fisherman
dressed in street clothes and heavy boots had capsized his little rec
boat and was being swept out to sea. No flotation, boat was awash. My
friends rescued him (twice) on the way in to shore. The victim planned
to "stay near shore".
<snip>
--------
Chuck, this actually made me chuckle a bit (glad the fellow was
successfully rescued). Reminded me of the story I heard about a
fisherman found floating alongside South Jetty of the Columbia River
bar. He was "wearing" one of those wader/float combinations, headed for
open water on a growing ebb tide. The Coasties finally pulled him out.
Indignant, he told the junior CG member that he wanted to talk to the
superior officer. The response was, "Oh don't worry, he wants to talk
you too!"

Unfortunately, its no laughing matter along some coastlines and lake
shorelines in terms of potential problems. Here in Victoria, in
particular, tidal impingement zones can creep up unexpectedly when
rounding a point of land. Staying "close to shore" can take on a
frightening meaning. Fortunately, there are no current "hot files" that
I'm aware of with respect to official Coast Guard concerns. As of yet,
Rec. Boat paddlers are keeping to inland saltwater routes and safer
embayments, at least in my neck of the woods to my knowledge. Good
judgment and responsible choices are winning the day here.

You asked:
What is the water temperature where your friends are paddling in their
rec boat?
----------
Don't ask! Well, you would ask. The water is relatively cold here, year
round. Maybe not as cold in winter as on your side of the continent and
latitude, but there is not the significant summer warming either. Guess
its around 14 degrees Celsius, more or less. Can get down to 8.

You end thus:
Cold water is very nearly the only thing that kills kayakers, and etc.
etc., and the victims are always wearing street clothes because they
aren't going far and won't capsize!
--------

Okay Dr. Death :-) ...I mean Dr. Sutherland, you sound like a stuck
record -- kind of like our friend Timmy. Of course, cold water kills
more kayakers and boaters in general, than perhaps any other reasons
combined as you know; so, you've been a voice crying in the wilderness
(originally) for many years now, and I think we all appreciate your
attempts and efforts to educate and warn paddlers of the dangers
associated with cold water immersion. Keep up the good work, and may
your tribe increase. When I first got into paddling, you were one of my
mentors at "continents length"; I was able to access information from
various sources you spoke through at the time, and it wasn't a message
that went unnoticed. Thank you Chuck. And hopefully there is an
education mechanism that will work with the Rec Boat paddling public.

With utmost respect,
Doug Lloyd



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