Re: [Paddlewise] Club Insurance, Liability, and Overcoming Inertia

>  The almost heart attack at the safety clinic I hosted has been
>  churning 
> in my mind.  We had our club meeting Tues and we got into it about
> liability, insurance, and safety for an hour and a half.  Very into
> it.  I asked our club to use this incident as a wake up call.  They
> did the usual and looked bored  with a few snickers thrown in.  The
> few people that engaged in the discussion  love the status quo.  It
> was draining.  There seems to be a lot of exposure when trying to do
> the right thing and help train your club.  It doesnt seem worth it. 
> After five years of a handful of us gently trying to help these
> paddlers with skills 80% cant  low brace. I wasnt looking for a
> miracle. Just something more than a rolling over and passing of gas. I
> am not sure I will renew my club membership next year and wont be
> helping in formal settings anymore.  That makes me feel a bit empty. 
>   Does your club have insurance? We are looking into ACA, PAC and
> private insurance. The paperwork requirements for the ACA insurance
> are steep. Anyone here been in a club that has been sued? 
> Successfully sued? Legal opinions from law professionals? Anyone stay
> at a Holiday Inn Express last night? Jeez I hate this...
> 
> Jim (feeling alone and not at all like et al)

Jim,

Over the years I have acquired a significant amount of 
disillusionment over the concept of people acting in groups. When our 
local kayak group decided to "get serious" and form a "proper" club 
with an executive, membership dues (and insurance for the 
executive/club/trip leaders), a small group of us decided to just opt 
out.

It just wasn't worth the hassle.

We have a relatively active group of paddlers who just want to paddle 
together. We don't do formal training. We don't have official trip 
leaders. We just arrange to meet at a spot and go for a paddle.

There are a number of downsides to this, of course. Where does the 
new paddler get proper safety lessons, forward stroke lessons, 
rolling lessons? Not from us. Not in any official sense at least. 
We're happy to help another paddler: we do look out for each other on 
the water, and we strongly discourage people from coming with us 
without the proper equipment or without the proper experience for the 
conditions. And we explain why. But that about as far as it goes.

We use the golf analogy. People don't belong to golfing clubs (as 
opposed to having a membership at a golfing FACILITY). Golfers do not 
join a club of golfers in order to take lessons, learn safety, etc. 
They do take out a membership (in many cases) in order to be able to 
use the facilities of a golf course. But they spend extra time and 
money to take lessons, perhaps from the pro at a golf course 
facility, perhaps from some other pro.

If some one sets up a foursome to play golf, there is no "leader". If 
one of the players drops dead of a heart attack on the 8th green, the 
surviving spouse is not going to take the remaining three players to 
court (not with any chance of success, at least). No one signs 
waivers in order to join a foursome.

Of course the analogy breaks down in some areas. It's an analogy; not 
a perfect replication of the situation.

I can take forward stroke lessons, rolling lessons, wilderness 
medicine, first aid, survival, etc. courses to my heart's content on 
my own. As an adult, I expect myself to behave in a responsible 
manner. Knowing that not everyone out there has the same view of 
"responsible" that I do, I will still paddle with people who feel 
that they are meeting their view of "responsible". However, I don't 
paddle with people whose idea of "responsible" to too much different 
than mine, and I would expect others to do the same for me.

Oh dear, I am starting to wander. Perhaps I should just sum up and 
stop.

Clubs can be good. Clubs can be a royal PITA. Clubs are not 
essential. Paddling is essential (or at least I think so).

Enjoy being on the water!
-- 
  Darryl
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