RE: [Paddlewise] Danish dragon boat, some answers

On Friday, 25 February 2011 06:10
Nick said: Does anyone have any advice on how to overcome our own
weaknesses?

Sorry Nick - I usually find myself agreeing with you - but not on this one.

I reckon that the experience you can get from someone dead is just as
valuable as that which you get from someone alive - positive or negative.
The fact that they are dead may, or may not, give added gravitas to their
actions or their 'good-practice'.

I also firmly believe that my own skills and knowledge about the limits of
risk and risk-mitigation have been defined, in significant part, by the
experience of others. That's true professionally (as an engineer) and
recreationally.

Yes, I've done stupid things and will (hopefully) survive more; but I've
also tried to observe and learn from others doing things 'stupid' or
otherwise - that haven't turned out well. Or have turned out well - when
they might have been labelled 'stupid' - because new experience indicates
that the risk can be mitigated and enjoyed.

May I give you a classic example - for me personally - that wraps all the
above into practice: Andrew McAuley dying with a functional EPIRB attached
to his kayak, rather than a PLB attached to his person. Leaving aside all
other considerations of his life, death and motivations, etc - that is a
lesson I have used to determine how I equipped myself when (for the first
time) I chose recently to go and paddle isolated & cold waters outside VHF
range. (And can we avoid - for the sake of this discussion - the
self-sufficiency vs beacon argument. We did chose to be as very self-reliant
as we could be on that trip - it is our goal, always, not to need to yell
for help.) 

Just to underline the lesson here, I was critical of (and agreed with the
criticism of others) of a man who died. (Note that here I'm still focussing
just on the minor point of the way a kayaker carries a beacon.) I felt that
a what Andrew did could be improved to make it work better - and I have
patterned my own activity on that experience (of his) as well as advising
others (in presentations on kayaking electronics/safety) of what I consider
to be best-practice.   

So, I feel that 'criticism' (not to be confused with throwing stones) of
anyone - alive or dead - engaged in boating activities is a useful practice;
if that will keep me enjoying kayaking. Sometimes I am asked to 'lead' other
kayakers, both on the water and at kayaking forums. I will continue to use
the experiences of others to promote 'best practice' as it appears to me...
as derived from my own experience and from the wider experience of the
community - alive or dead.

Perhaps, a habit of applying critical analysis to the 'bugger files' and
situations we read and hear about is a useful basis for self-criticism. As
we stand on the beach each time and consider what we are about to embark on
- it may help us avoid our own contributions to the halls of shame. If not,
then I agree that it loses much of its usefulness.

Best Regards
Paul Hayward, Auckland, New Zealand
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