Kayaking Lessons

[nautical62]

Mintyspilot: As someone who does a number of outdoor activities, I find in many ways they have more in common than the different. Doing a lengthy sea kayak trip in Australia really isn't all that different than sailing in the Bahamas.

[mintyspilot]

Originally Posted by nautical62

Mintyspilot: As someone who does a number of outdoor activities, I find in many ways they have more in common than the different. Doing a lengthy sea kayak trip in Australia really isn't all that different than sailing in the Bahamas.

I think you are right.

I suspect that there is a mindset, an approach to doing things and a high degree of practicality and "robustness" involved in these activities. You either have it or you have not. If you have it then it helps across all these activities.

There clearly are other similarities. There is thread in the multihull forum, IIRC, about a cat that flipped and most members of the crew died. From reading that account it obvious that a number of factors came together to cause the deaths and the absence of any one of those factors would have prevented deaths or reduced the death toll. This is also a known problem in aviation. Most accidents, fatal or otherwise, usually need three or four factors to converge to cause the accident, so letting things "go" and not correcting them is clearly bad news in either the air or the water. I imagine it would also apply to cycling, kayaking or go-karting.

The more I read on here, the more similarities I see in these activities so I am hoping that when I am ready for sea that I'm already part of the way there.

[Misiu]

Originally Posted by mintyspilot

I think you are right.

...usually need three or four factors to converge to cause the accident, so letting things "go" and not correcting them is clearly bad news in either the air or the water. I imagine it would also apply to cycling, kayaking or go-karting.

And sailing, and scuba and the list goes on...
And the importance of mindset in all of the above. Often underestimated.
I couldn't agree more. Thank you for bringing it up

[hummingway]

Originally Posted by mintyspilot

It is fun, but I'm looking forward to the sailing - a sort of "wet" version of what I am doing now. Our former club chairman went the other way from sailing to gliding and he reckoned that although the technical skills were different, the mindset and attitude had a lot in common.

I'll let you know if he was right

Sometimes sailing feels like flying to me although I've never glided. I think it's the exhilaration of the environment you're in.

[hummingway]

Originally Posted by mintyspilot

It is fun, but I'm looking forward to the sailing - a sort of "wet" version of what I am doing now. Our former club chairman went the other way from sailing to gliding and he reckoned that although the technical skills were different, the mindset and attitude had a lot in common.

I'll let you know if he was right

Sometimes sailing feels like flying to me although I've never glided. I think it's the exhilaration of the environment you're in.

[Bash]

Originally Posted by hummingway

Apparently a friend thought so too. She bought me a wetsuit when she heard my story. Now all I need is a snorkel and mask and I'll never worry about tipping again!

Hey, I wore a diving mask--without the snorkel--when I first learned to roll. That was back in the days of the C-to-C roll. A few years back when I learned to do the sweep roll, I used the mask again. It's helpful to watch what your paddle is doing during the sweep, and helps keep water out of your nose when you're upside down.

[hummingway]

I'm going to have to practise that - in water that's cleaner then the marina!