Re: [Paddlewise] Elite racers

Sam said (snip):

> This situation appears to be combined with the whole issue of group think
> and the tendency to lean towards increased risk because no one is
> comfortable being the one to say "No".- an issue that I think needs to be
> publicized and discussed more amongst groups. I wonder if every group,
> instead of a "designated driver" - needs to have a miner's canary - 
> perhaps
> the weakest paddler, and whose role is to say whether they are comfortable
> and feel safe, or not. Or discuss what mitigation strategies - including
> not going - could be of help.

I think you have hit the nail on the head. I noticed there was a discussion 
on one of the other net groups regarding a though that solo paddling might 
be safer than paddling in a group because there is no "group think" 
mentality nor the more treacherous testosterone fuelling.

I'm up to 30 pages of notes on the Howe Sound incident, and I haven't even 
contacted the paddlers yet. The coast guard has granted me one-on-one time 
with theRCC commander regarding the incident for my Sea Kayaker Magazine 
article I hope to do. I hope to get the skinny on what some of the other 
paddlers were thinking too, other than Faulkner, when I make further 
contacts.

BTW, I do always have multiple back up plans when I head out in my kayak 
into rough conditions, and often take a moment to mentally ask myself what 
if things go wrong here, like, what are the ramifications Mr Doug. Good bush 
pilots do this all the time. As one who tends to like extreme conditions, I 
find a stronger proactive safety approach necessary. This may seem at odds 
with most folks understanding of paddling prudence, but perhaps I can 
illustrate it by mentioning I'm a down-town J-walker. Yes, guilty. But, I 
always look both ways, twice, proactively allow for unexpected circumstances 
like cars pulling out of parking spots, etc, and even look both ways 
crossing one way streets - you never know when someone may come down the 
wrong way.

Funnily enough, most pedestrian accidents hear in Victoria happen at 
crosswalks and controlled intersections. I never trust a single driver, and 
alwayds do shoulder checks when walking across an intersection, including 
standing back from the curb to allow for wide truch turns. Well, I do all 
this when I'm not J-walking. :-) Okay, enough rambling.

Doug Lloyd 
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