2016 New Year's Day Paddle In Boston Harbor

[rfolster]

Beach briefing? Was there one?

Yes, there was a beach briefing, however I will admit that my briefing was....well, brief. It is challenging to cover all needed topics when the temperature is struggling to get out of the 30's, and there is a wind-chill factor to boot, so I will admit that I fell into the old trap of "hey, we all pretty much know each other and our abilities, right?". Do I need to give one of my stars back for that one? I will say that it is really hard to look at a group of people that I have had the pleasure of paddling with each one of them multiple times and talk as if we have never paddled together before, so I think that I might supplement my beach briefings with the question "who has not paddled with someone else in this group". If you find one or two unfamiliar pairs, maybe you have them paddle together to start and they can spend a few minutes getting to know each other without wasting time on the beach.

[dcycleman]

11 hours ago, rfolster said:

 

And now to Warrens point about the "open enrollment" concept.  It is quite simple, really - I learned to kayak because people who didn't know me let me paddle with them.  People like Gary York letting me go out to Jewell Island for my first camping trip, even though I had never paddled that far before; and Peter Brady for taking me along to Great Wass for my second camping trip where I stupidly lost my boots and Warren let me borrow his sandals to continue paddling; and Doug Mogill for standing so patiently while it took me FOREVER to flip my boat over during my first cold water workshop.  The list goes on and on of people who had no idea of who I was and what I was (or wasn't) capable of took the time to let me learn.  I do it for others because others did it for me, and I find that paddling with people that I don't know so well actually pushes me to be a better paddler.  I WANT to be a better paddler, because I know that I still have a lot to learn.  That is why I do trips like this, and spend so much time thinking about situations like this.

Well, I'm glad you tend to post a bunch of trips because I've gotten a lot out of them, both enjoyment and experience.

BTW thanks for lending me those gloves, I wouldn't have been able to finish the day as mine were not cutting it.

-Dave

[leong]

18 hours ago, greatmeadows said:

Gene,
Well, as the potential first “first gentleman” (Bubba Clinton) might say, it depends upon what the meaning of the word “condition” is. For example:
1. Given that conditions were manageable and weren’t changing for the worse then you were right. That is, StrongPaddler* had no reason to alternately sprint ahead and then wait for you to catch up.
 
2. Given that conditions were deteriorating (perhaps a thunderstorm was coming) and StrongPaddler thought that the sprinting demonstrations would convince you to paddle faster then he/she was right. That is, you should have sprinted like hell to get off the water.
-Leon
* Splitting hairs: Strong is the ability to withstand a great force and power is the rate at which work can be done. Given equal forward-stroke forms, a strong paddler isn’t necessarily faster than his less strong partner; however, a more powerful paddler is faster than his less powerful partner.

Biff,
You are correct, however the situation I described was 1. Not 2. I've been in conditions like 2. several times and each and every time paddled toward safety as if my life depended upon it. Biff, if you continue to insist on hair splitting, you'll give Sir Godfrey unneeded competition.

Chip,

Christopher and I have a split arrangement: He handles grammar/syntax type hair splitting and I handle engineering/math hair splitting.

-Biff

Testing, Testing. I previously responded to this post and it doesn't show. But when I choose "quote" I can see my response. "Submit Reply" didn't work. Let see if it works this time.

[nancysan]

Interesting thread for a rainy Sat. night. 

[rfolster]

Since this thread came up again, I thought I would share what I have learned over the past 10 months.  I now have a new approach to towing group members in a non-emergency situation.  I can typically recognize that someone might need a tow sooner or later, either by seeing them struggle or falling behind recently or earlier in the day.  I will approach this person and ask them how they would feel about being towed, and usually will get one of three answers: glad, indifferent, or not good.  Obviously, if they would be glad to be towed, then there is no hesitation and the tow ensues.  An indifferent response results in indifferent action, and I will tow or not as needed.

The typical response is in the negative, and that is when my new tactic comes into play.  I will let the person continue to paddle as long as I feel that everyone is still safe, but I put the paddler on notice that, at my own discretion, if I feel that the safety of the individual or the group becomes a concern, they will be put on a tow without further question.  If the tow becomes necessary, I will make it a point to have a private conversation with that person later, when it is appropriate (lunch, back at put-in, etc.) to make sure they understand my reasoning and to diminish any bad feelings.

I have used this method a couple of times since the New Year's Day paddle, and have had interesting results.  One paddler actually ended up back with the group, and towards the front for the remainder of the day just to prove that they did not need towing.  Another trip ended up with the paddler being put onto a tow, and since they had been "warned", they excepted it, although disappointed (more in themselves).  I made sure to discuss the circumstances with them afterwards, and that was appreciated.

I think that the most important aspect of this approach is for the leader to recognize the potential need for a tow ahead of time and address the possibility before it becomes necessary.  If you try this approach just seconds before needing to tow a person, there is no time for them to process the possibility and change their behavior.  Will this "warning" tactic always work?  I doubt it.  But I think that it offers leaders an opportunity to manage the group without relying on physical means, and provides paddlers the opportunity to prove to themselves that they can or cannot stay with the group they are with.