bb wrote:
How did you guys and gals get started kayaking? Work your way through
formal instruction? Friends? Get a book, a kayak and start self
teaching? Just wing it with a kayak? Any and all types of kayaking
would be of interest.

I'm self-taught, which explains why I'm so bad. William Nealy's cartoon
book "Kayak" helped me, but not enough to make me good.

After I get comfortable with a kayak in protected waters my current
opinion is to at least get with someone and learn to roll.

River kayaking, or sea and lake kayaking? The answers are probably
very different depending. It's hard to roll a sea kayak. On rivers
inflatable kayakers seldom can roll, but enjoy themselves anyway.