Melissa ) writes:
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Hi William,

On 16 Jan 2005 23:17:53 GMT, you wrote:

for flat water paddling it's a great way to learn

Care to define "flat water" for us? :-)

flat: no surf

eg: Rideau River, Meach Lake (both popular flat water paddling venues)

it's also the perfect way to learn to run rapids, starting small and
working up. it's the way it's been done for thousands of years before the
invention of "certified padding instructors", and before the invention of
railroads and automobiles when canoes and kayaks were used for every day
transportation by all the residents of Canada. instead of a car parked in
your driveway you had a canoe or a kayak. even as late as the 1960's
prospectors and trappers still used canoes every day in season to earn their
living without the advantage of a "certified paddling instructor". most of
North amercia was explored, mapped, and surveyed (eg Geological Survey of
Canada) from canoes before the invention of "certified paddling
instructors", often by wilderness novices right of the boat from the old
country looking for any kind of work or serving in Her Majesty's forces.


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