Re: [Paddlewise] August Sea Kayaker

rcgibbert_at_aol.com wrote:

> we have a joke whenever we do a club trip and gather at the put in: 
> let's not have George Gronseth do the write up for this trip, so let's 
> be safe out there, folks. So my introduction to most of Sea Kayaker's 
> readers is a particular screw up of mine. That's alright, we solved our 
> own problems. A good friend of mine who was on that trip said I 
> shouldn't worry, he has now starred in two safety articles.

Rob's article is a must-read for anybody paddling open waters.  He details 
events dispassionately and clearly, with particular attention to the 
multiple, manifold methods he and his skilled compadres employed to rescue 
the boaters who capsized.  One, a good WW paddler, learns that sea paddling 
has no eddies below drops for recuperation and regrouping.

Rob tells it like it was: he was the guy who allowed the WW guy to come 
along, despite his lack of sea time.  Rob just lays it out so we can learn 
from what happened.

Definitely one of the most revealing, instructive safety articles in Sea 
Kayaker, ever, emphasizing the value of training in several alternate 
rescue strategies/methods, and the value of good group management.

The WW paddler owes his life to the cadre of talented, well-trained folks 
in Rob's group.  Once the stuff hit the fan, they did everything right.

Thanks, Rob.

PS:  Deep Trouble has a great tale in it of another multiple-paddler 
incident, off Flores in Clayoquot Sound, I think, in which one of the 
principals is either Gronseth or Broze (they don't let on which one). 
You're in good company, Rob!

-- 
Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR
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