For those that read my Catalina trip report, you know that we met up with a fan of Duane's who was heading out for Catalina. It was somewhat of an awkward situation, as it seemed he and his friend would have liked to have been invited along with our group. I found it a bit surprising that someone who had read of some of Duane's exploits would think of being invited along last minute on the beach--the disparity between SOTs and sea kayaks not being even the major consideration! Talking about it later, we all agreed that plenty of young bucks could gut out the trip to Catalina especially under the conditions we had for our crossings-even in small SOTs. But anyone who belongs to CKF or reads our trip reports ought to come a way with the impression that getting to know your fellow paddlers is an important part of planning a trip--not to mention required safety gear! I hope Peter (if I got his name right) might read this and realize we weren't shunning him on some personal level and if he really appreciates Duane's accomplishments he might study a bit on what it takes to make a safe trip. It would have been nice for us to take the group under our wing, but there was no way for that to turn out good. We wondered/hoped the group had a safe passage, but we also hoped their immediate trouble in the surf maybe gave them pause to wonder if they were up to continue their planned trip. I hope they become members some day and come to appreciate the collective wisdom of our more experienced paddlers and put their knowledge to good use Mark www.sandmarks.net *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
On Jul 8, 2008, at 4:18 PM, Mark Sanders wrote: > -the disparity between SOTs and sea kayaks not > being even the major consideration! Talking about it later, we all > agreed > that plenty of young bucks could gut out the trip to Catalina > especially > under the conditions we had for our crossings- I remember reading years ago about a pair of young guys who did this crossing in a rented Old town open double rec type kayak. They slogged across, the weather turned a bit, they bucket bailed due to a lack of knowledge on how to use their spray skirt but they made it. As they loaded their rented kayak onto the shuttle back to the mainland the operator looked and asked them the question, "...in THAT?" They nodded and took their seats care free. It wasnt their time to worry. They were young. Jim et al *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Mark and All, I'm really careful who I cross with. I have to know someone really well from weekend paddles, or at the very least they have to be highly recommended by a trusted friend. Heck, it took a couple years before I felt Mark was ready. In the case of "Patrick," who seemed like a nice guy, I didn't know him or his skill level, and I didn't want to be stuck getting him across the channel or leave him on his own in the channel after leading him into the very thick fog. So we hurried off. He since emailed me after the trip. The crossing over took him around 9 hours compared to our 5.75. I told him to join us on weekend paddles and then maybe we can do some trips together. It takes time to learn the sea kayak culture. Photo journal: http://www.duane.smugmug.com/gallery/5344759_FAxaF#326801625_kVX5Q Duane Southern California *************************************************************************** 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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