Alex McGruer wrote:

I was wondering what standards are used elsewhere.
Our club uses CRCA 2 with current first aid training .
That would be BCU 4 or 5 star as leaders.

Quite a lot of the really experienced paddlers in Tayside Sea Kayak have
no stars to their name at all, and no intention of getting any either.
Why pay money for a piece of paper that tells them what they know they
can do?
We require current first aid certificates to use the local pool, but
it's not an issue for Real Trips.

There is a rule brought in because of litigation worries that if club
kit is involved there will be at least 3 people, but this is very much
resented as being stupidly inflexible by many of us and will hopefully
(IMHO) be kicked into touch in the not too distant.

Leadership is measured for my purpose in a recognized ability to stay
out of trouble and get yourself and others out when things go wrong.
More utility than true leadership.

But not anything you can measure. We use "common sense" too, but are
aware of its possible shortcomings if things turn nasty. But also the
case that if you try and pin down things in a legally watertight manner
the practical upshot is you never get to do anything or go anywhere.
Bottom line is that adventure sports based on freedom to do what you
will do not really fit into such frameworks. If you're that worried
about litigation then I'd take out insurance rather than try and cover
*all* the bases up front.
Caveat: ask different members of TSKC the same question and quite
possibly get a different answer. Above opinions are mine and not
Official TSKC Committee Policy.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/