Re: [Paddlewise] Rec Boat Scenario

On Thursday, April 17, 2003, at 11:51 PM, Kevin50110_at_aol.com wrote:

> Wow.... After reading all these informed replies I wouldn't let a 
> single
> overweight guy who likes to fish in a boat; let alone a kayak, without 
> at
> least 6 months of intensive survival training by the appropriate 
> government
> authority.
>
> Come on guys! Who of you took one lesson before casting off the first 
> time?
> Many I suppose; so don't tell me please. Jeeez, are we so lame we 
> can't take
> chances without gov't approval? I'm sorry, I don't buy into any of 
> this at
> all. I've met all kinds of first timers who had a lot more sense than 
> I would
> ever credited them with..... Sometimes they're lucky and meet watermen,
> sometimes they're just plain lucky. Not a popular frame of mind I'll 
> admit.
>
> Remember the first guy in a bull boat had no lessons; Ericksen went 
> West. no
> lessons.....Rasmussen went East, no lessons. Fridjof Nansen went 
> wherever he
> wanted, no lessons required. Amundssen, what can you say?
>
> No certificates needed before entering the water...... It's an affair 
> of the
> heart.

I agree with you completely. The ultimate purpose of this exercise for 
me is to find ways to circumvent any future attempts to regulate 
kayaking. Laws have been proposed for the last two years in 
Connecticut. I have no reason think that there won't be another one 
next year. So far the laws have been dropped after a bunch of angry 
kayakers went to the public hearings. Public hearings are not as much 
fun as kayaking. I don't want to go to any more. The fact that I feel 
people should be entitled to the right to risk their life if they want 
to will not stop some legislator, looking to make his mark, from 
proposing a law to "save" people from themselves. The best bet is to 
make the "problem" he wants to "solve" go away without his "help".

The reason I want to save the fat fisherman is not any great sense of 
altruism on my part. Because of the way the system works, each time a 
person in a canoe or kayak dies it creates more pressure for some 
"well-meaning" legislator to "do something". The likely result of this 
is a burdensome law which doesn't save any lives. I am looking for 
ideas to circumvent this process. If I can serve my selfish desire not 
to have the government interfere with my pass-time and improve the 
safety of the fat fisherman at the same time, so much the better.

Nick Schade

Guillemot Kayaks
824 Thompson St
Glastonbury, CT 06033
USA
Ph/Fx: (860) 659-8847
http://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/

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