Steve writes; >>Yesterday, Len Goodman, the president of California Kayak Friends (CKF), died while kayaking. >> I see some immediate lessons to be learned which I'll summarize. >>Len did not have a VHF with him, since his died over a year ago and he never got around to replacing it, That one piece of equipment could possibly have saved his life. I do not believe that "more gadgets" is the solution to safer sea kayaking. Being able to accurately evaluate the situation, and the risks, and then honestly weigh them against ones skill and equipment is what is needed. Probably 90% of my paddling is solo offshore and I don't own a radio - never have! You describe Len as a "strong and conservative paddler" who was wearing a pfd and wetsuit in sunny Southern California, yet he died anyway - how about that. Do we even know what the actual cause of death was? It could have just as easily have been a stroke or a heart attack (he was 76 years old after all), in which case all the extraneous gear in the world may not have helped. From the information so far made available I am not convinced that Len did anything "wrong" to cause or unduly contribute towards his demise. To even suggest otherwise, I believe, is a bit overly presumptuous. Scott So.Cal. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************Received on Thu Mar 15 2007 - 05:37:06 PDT
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