With vaccinations, and everything opening up around here in RI and southern New England (my office might be open next month), people seem more open to shuttle trips. That is not to say that people haven’t been doing shuttles privately all along, but it was small groups, closed circles. I did my first real shuttle last weekend on the Housatonic, and another on Thursday night at Tville on the Farmington - 4-5 people in the car, masks on, windows open, all vaccinated. My local club will probably start allowing shuttle trips next month.
How about it - are you doing shuttle trips. How about the groups near you.
When we rented a canoe from a livery on the Pere Marquette last week, they avoided the whole issue by spotting our car at the pickup. They got the canoe back separately.
I have done river trips involving shuttles last June, last October, this April, and this May. For the trip in June the shuttle involved only me and my two daughters.
Yes. I’ve done a few with people who are vaccinated and I’m not that worried about masks and open windows under those conditions. I guess there is some minimal risk involved in that, but its negligible. I’m still wearing a mask around my neck in case I have close encounters with strangers or need to go into a crowded public place - gas stations, public rest rooms, etc. Probably be doing some shuttles with vaccinated folks next weekend.
Seems like forever since normality has reigned.
I tend to avoid shuttles like the plague, as it were. Not for health reasons, but because of the time they waste. Then again I rarely do one way river trips where they may be unavoidable. If you can paddle 20-30 miles in a day, there’s a lot you can explore on areas like the Chesapeake without depending on a shuttle.
In our sea kayaking Club, where our membership tends to be somewhat older, everyone I have talked to is fully vaccinated and comfortable with the odds.
I’ll be staying in CT awhile longer, but just sold my last canoe. Kept my poles and some paddles, will probably get a new poling boat, but have had enough of shuttles. Too much driving and loading/unloading, taking up a full day for a few hours of actual river time. Not a fan of masks or vaccinations, and found changing my way of thinking some years back separated me from the herd. The infection that nearly killed me two years ago ended up most likely being initiated by a vaccine I got 50 years ago.