Re: [Paddlewise] missing kayakers

I know Tom and have taken week-long courses with Maine Island Kayak.
They are professional, through-and-through. 
It's pure speculation on my part, but I can't imagine Maine Island Kayak using
12 foot boats on an 'overnight'.  I don't remember them using anything shorter
than Avocets of Romany type models in their fleet.  They are also exceptionally
detailed in their planning, outfitting, and 'situational awareness' with weather/conditions.
If guiding a group of novice kayakers, their route and destination would have been 
chosen with any mitigating conditions taken into account.
Any Maine Island Kayak guided group would have had at least one guide paddling
sweep position, and no one goes out of visual & ready-sound distance. 
One foot seas, Casco's relatively uneventful tides doesn't sound very problematic.

The water temp is always the issue. If the two were not part of the group, but were
paddling in proximity, the MIKCo people would likely have been aware of them, too. 
This is a company that often uses BCU 5 Star Sea Trainers as guides.

Will


On May 17, 2010, at 9:04 AM, Craig Jungers wrote:

> Oh I hate to read about this! Two girls around 20 missing in 12-foot kayaks.
> Except that they've found the kayaks but not the girls. I hope they discover
> that they really were with that guided group and ended up safe and sound
> somewhere. Seems to me that a guided group would get them back into their
> kayaks.
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