I enjoyed all the discussion of skills versus gear. We certainly have a variety of mind sets. I'm going to claim that the most important factor in kayak safety is the ability to read the water and the weather and anticipate events. I would much prefer to paddle with someone like Dave or Doug, who have spent lifetimes on the water and internalized amazing instincts, than with someone who is a champion kayak racer and has the latest immersion gear and electronics. There was a party of four paddlers who were vacationing in Greenland, and decided to rent kayaks. They had no local guide along. Suddenly an overpowering wind developed and blew one kayaker out to sea. Her boat and body were never recovered, as far as I know. Several of the party were strong paddlers, but were unable to save her. She had inadvertently been placed in a situation where neither paddling skills nor immersion gear were going to save her. Perhaps an EPIRB might have saved her life. This incident was written up in Seakayaker Magazine. One wonders whether a local guide with local knowledge could have made a difference. -- Bradford R. Crain *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Bradford R. Crain wrote: > I enjoyed all the discussion of skills versus gear. We certainly have a > variety of mind sets. I'm going to claim that the most important factor > in kayak safety is the ability to read the water and the weather and > anticipate events. I would much prefer to paddle with someone like Dave > or Doug, who have spent lifetimes on the water and internalized amazing > instincts, than with someone who is a champion kayak racer and has the > latest immersion gear and electronics. I'm not in Doug's class at all, so I am flattered to even be in the same sentence with him in a comparison like this. Among the folks I paddle with, which may say more about the companions I choose than anything else, I _do_ tend to be the guy most outspoken about sea states, conditions, and how they might evolve as the day progresses. Most of that is simply a result of a lot of time on the water. Another bit comes from a lifetime of professional training in observing things closely (and having my ass bit off when I don't do so). [When you work with dangerous chemicals a lot, it focuses your attention.] The down side to my almost total left-brainedness is that I often do not pay enough attention to the feelings of other paddlers in my group, with the result that I now and then venture out in conditions that are OK for me, but not OK for some of them, given their head set, even if their boats and skills are up to the task _objectively_. One infamous afternoon, two of my companions were in tears of fear from rounding some slightly rough water outside a point in the Deers ... one my fiancee, and the other, my son's. [effing big red face] My point is that there is more to staying safe than the objective stuff; you have to listen carefully to that subtle inner voice in yourself (and draw it out of others), for it will sometimes tell you to back off when the "science" of piloting and navigation says everything is OK. Off the soapbox. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
[My computer is away for a doctor visit, so I'm sending this via web mail on a borrowed laptop. I hope the formatting won't be too awful.] Dave wrote: > My point is that there is more to staying safe than the objective stuff; > you have to listen carefully to that subtle inner voice in yourself (and > draw it out of others), for it will sometimes tell you to back off when the > "science" of piloting and navigation says everything is OK. You make a good and important point. For someone like myself, who paddles solo most of the time (some would say that's always a bad idea, considering where I'm willing to paddle without partners), listening to my inner voice(s) can present a real challenge at times; especially if making any sense of the "inner conversation" is the ultimate objective! ;-) There are times when a "go/no go" decision is easy (objectively speaking, anyway), and then there are times when my desire/willingness to challenge myself has to be considered in the context of my current "state of mind", which can have a "mind of its own", if you know what I mean. I can look back and say that most of the time, I've been successful in my judgments, but there have been those rare moments when I would have to admit that I've had perhaps a bit of dumb luck on my side as well. Even in those moments, I can learn something about the sheer force of will, and I'm glad that the mind and heart can sometimes help to compensate for questionable judgment when needed. I *never* go out with the intention of "tempting fate" or "conquering the elements" (even I'm not that stupid...I hope), but I do enjoy a challenge at times as well. Good decision making can be a delicate balance, and one that I don't mind dealing with; yet again, there will always be someone who thinks that solo paddling--especially on coastal waters--is never a good idea to begin with. Thanks again for making such an important and worthwhile point. -- Melissa *************************************************************************** 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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