Care Givers It's That Time Of The Year
I've always been a meddling care giver type, what ever that really means. For me it is an uncontrollable need/urge/habit to step up when I even suspect someone is in or headed for trouble. What that means is I am coming into my busy season.This is when newbies, and some who should know better, show up on the shores of Lake Michigan with a new or rented boat, no pfd and light cotton t-shirts. Lured by the warm air, they are oblivious of the water temperature-- still below 40F--and the dangers this situation presents. Frequently, there is also an off shore breeze, thus guaranteeing that an out of boat experience will result in a slow drift toward a hypothermic death.
I, as I hope you will, walk up to these folks and, in a friendly way, tell them just what might happen to them should they end up in the drink. For the past year, I have been able to be pro active. As a member of the Milwaukee Harbor Safety Commission, I was able to obtain the permission of the Park's System to use their logo and post warnings near our launch site.
Which brings me to the conclusion that we are all our brother's and sister's keepers. Why wouldn't we step up in order to keep them safe?Paddle safe...
DS
5 comments:
could you come to east tennessee and teach the folks here a thing or two about our rivers?
We get them here on Lake Superior too. This is the time they chose to go and nature will bend for them.....Swimming, ...out of the boat experiance....You've got to be kidding....people die even in dry suits if they swim for any length of time.....they want to play in the cold...they absolutly need to be able to roll
and roll without any doubt. A dry suit is only a bandaid. You are dry but still frozen...never count on a drysuit to save you....it only buys a little time. Skill can save you....or pure luck
I'd rather bet on skill myself
Best Wishes
Roy
Suzette: It would be nice to go to Tennessee, however, I know nothing about rivers!
Roy: Survival times really depend on what one is wearing underneath. Sounds like you guys up there are ordering from Victoria's Secret rather than L. L. Bean :)
You mean Thongs are not what you southerners wear under the dry suit....
Sorry, Just my soap box...I climbed on it years ago and haven't found a safe way off yet
Just like the cotton shirt thing...the only cotton shirts I've bought in years, are ones that are from paddling fund raisers and paddling things...another soap box....seems counter productuve to preach no cotton , but only sell cotton....sorry...Just another soap box, I keep jumping from one to the other....
Best wishes
Roy
and I think I may splurge and trade in the Thong for a pair of silk weight , quick dry boxers...more insulation for the cold waters and they arn't cotton...
Roy, I have a couple of pair of the silk weight capilene boxers and they are GREAT! I can strip down to my boxers in the parking lot and the police don't know that I'm standing there in my underwear (no plain ones in my kit bag--they are all of the printed variety ;).
Suzette, my wife went to college at Maryville (class of '71)! I told her about your site. What a small world!!!
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