On Wednesday 06 April 2005 01.41, you wrote: > Tord Eriksson <tord_at_tord.nu> wrote: > >Fear can make any of us into a beast, or a paralyzed log! When the ferry > >Estonia sank in the Baltic, those who survived were those that stepped > >on top of others and saw to that they got seats in the life rafts - almost > >all lifeboats turned turtle ... > >I am normally quite nervous, but when serious things happen I am dead > >calm, as has happened during fires at sea, and an unfortunate capsize > >with our Klepper in +3 C seas. While people died in that fire, I had a > > great >time. > > Tord, > > Do I surmise correctly from the above that you're one of the survivors of > the Estonia sinking? If so, (as you would already know), you're one lucky > guy - but then people who can keep their wits about them in an emergency > make a lot of their own luck, don't they? No, I wasn't onboard that unlucky vessel, but I have been passenger on a big ferry that caught fire in the middle of the North Sea, and, the day after my wife's 50th anniversary, we rolled our Klepper, in +3 C waters - the air was colder and there was a stiff wind blowing. Typical beginner's blunder, both of us pointing with our paddles while we broached the seas! More info at www.foldingkayaks.org - click on Reports from Readers and scroll down a bit. The temperature given there is higher, but that was our own measurement at the beach we started from. Pictures from the incident is at www.foldingkayaks.org/gallery/tord and click on The Rest; first three pictures. Didn't take any photos from the actual rescue, as I was shivering just too much! And had other things to concern me with! For Swedes the Estonia incident and the recent Tsunami are the two big catastrophes in modern times - each claiming far over 500 victims. Estonia, the country, was hit far worse, as it is such a small country, by the vessel's sinking, while Thailand is a popular resort for Swedes, and not among Estonians. Tord ------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** 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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