"Michael Daly" writes:

On 25-Oct-2003, Mary Malmros wrote:

What about someone who can't float on the surface and slide into the
kayak without the help of a paddle float?

I never said anything about that. I only said that there's a problem
if they can't get themselves back onto the kayak. How the kayak
is stabilized is a separate issue.

Right, but a paddle float is a tool, a stirrup is just another tool.
You can either use your tool of choice to get back into the boat, or
you can't. Why is someone who uses one tool reasonably self-reliant
and a person who uses another tool utterly unsafe?

So, if someone has a permanent physical disability that prevents
them from using a "standard" self-rescue strategy, you can
paddle...but if you don't have the strength to do so, you shouldn't?

That's right.

This smacks of a moral argument to me,

Nothing of the kind. Disability isn't inability. Go check the
upper body strength on some of those wheelchair athletes. Doing
something different isn't the same thing as being unable to do
anything,

And if someone can use a tool to do something, do they still have an
"inability"?

If a person is incabable of getting into the kayak because they
are weak/overweight/whatever, they can do something about it.

And if they CAN get into the kayak using a tool that isn't the same
as what you use...then they can get into the kayak. Period. Why
does it matter how they do it?

Alex gave one example where that happened with someone he knows.
I said that's a good thing. They should choose - either develop
the skill/strength/whatever to get into a kayak or stay out of
the kayak. Worst case - their own life is at stake.

Third choice: find a tool that they can use.

Right off the
beach, no one can do an unassisted self-rescue -- not until proven
otherwise, and I was taking people who'd never been in a boat
before. With people like that, you can never assume that they'll be
able to do anything, but noobs gotta start somewhere

I've never said the problem was not knowing. It's not being able
to. Newbies can learn. If they can't or are unable to perform,
then it should be pointed out to them that they need to be able
to do it or give up on kayaking.

Or -- one more time -- find another way.

--
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::
Mary Malmros
Some days you're the windshield,
Other days you're the bug.