In a previous article, Chicago Paddling-Fishing said:
Paul Tomblin wrote:
: kids loose without basic instruction. If that had been my kids (and if I
: hadn't given them instruction already) and I saw them lurching along like
: that, I would have pulled them out of whatever program they were in and
: found another program with competent leadership.

Well... first let me say that I'm a boy scout leader... nether the boy scouts
nor the girl scouts allow youth members of the opposing genders (there are no
boys in girl scouts and there are no girls in boy scouts).

Ok, I apologize for characterizing them as "Scouts". In rural Canada,
where I'm originally from, we do have mixed gender Scout organizations.
And some of them are very badly run because they take whoever they can get
to volunteer.

Since the youth group wasn't paying attention to you but you saw them, did
you announce yourself or announce that you were passing? Even on bikes or

We were going in opposite directions - they were coming upriver, I was
coming down. They were on one side of the river, I was on the other until
they lurched across.

This picture
http://xcski.com/gallery/kayaking/DSCN2133
shows the river a few weeks previously, a different group (like I said in
my original post, the local kayak rental place uses blue PFDs, the one in
the orange is very definitely this group's leader), and about 500 metres
upstream from where I was injured. But you can see that it's wide enough
that one should be able to squeeze by.


Here's a pic of our kayaks... cost about $25 per boy... the skin is that
plastic coocooning material they use to winterize sailboats and I got it
for $4 per boat from a local boat shop. Had each kid save 12*1 gallon
milk jugs with lids for flotation.. tied to internal wood frame...

http://www.chicagopaddling.org/lilyak.jpg

Cool stuff.

--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
please excuse my typing, but my whole left arm is in a cast. and i don't
mean _the king and i_.