In Washington, DC there is a law on the books that all boaters must have a NASBLA approved boater safety card. Initially, they said that only a DC course would suffice, although the now say they will accept one from any state. I’ve never heard of anyone being checked for one and there are several places where you can rent a canoe, kayak, or power boat and the rental places don’t require that you have a card. I suppose that DC would make an issue of it if you caused some sort of horrendous accident or if the authorities took a dislike to you.
I took the Virginia course many years ago and it was pretty simple and had almost nothing about kayaks. A few years ago I took the Maryland course and it was much harder and did cover kayaks to some degree.
A number of states are now requiring as NASBLA approved course for power boaters, many depending on when you were born and gradually phasing it in such that eventually all boater will be required to have one if they were born after a certain date. I believe that some states are including canoes and kayaks. The courses are free in many states, but in some cases private companies are charging for the same course if you do not do your research.
I can’t for the life of me imagine why anyone would try to slide a paddle boat down some mud bank. I have one and it weighs well over 100 pounds. Yes I have carried it up and down the bank but that’s at least a three person lift. The easiest way is to launch like a powered boat and then paddle to a dock to pick up my passenger. I found a small trailer from Lowe’s is a perfect fit for it. Although the wiring isn’t waterproof, like any other boat trailer, you unplug it before you back it into the water.
I agree, too, on the immersion. It’s hard to convince even friends and family of the danger of hypothermia or laryngospasm. Hypothermia is possible on the nicest 70 degree spring day, particularly if other things happen that extend the trip to after sunset. Rupture a kayak hull four miles into my favorite run and you’re gonna be hiking the rest of the way, wet, and likely out past the time when the temp drops to 40-45 degrees. How’s that sound in shorts and a t shirt…totally soaked?
Not the last time out but the one before it, my wife swam a mile from the launch point. It was 3 in the afternoon and 70 degrees. We turned back partly because of this. The following week what we expected to be a four hour run was actually 6 1/2 hours. I always bring lights even if I expect to be in by sunset. This time, lights and dry clothes paid off.
We had a good trip, too, but the week before woukd have been different. I wound up getting seriously sick that day. Had she not taken a swim we would have been 4-5 miles out when my fever spiked.
There is no way to police bike and walking paths even if it was a good idea. With NY having extended the various pre-existing routes we have about 750 miles on the Empire Trail now. Nor would I advocate charging people walking with baby carriages and kids because they live in a small city and it is safer than talking the same bunch on urban sidewalks.
Boat launches are more discrete locations and there are considerably more safety factors involved in being on the water than walking.
This is one if the kinds of services that taxes or some kind of other dedicated charge has to support.
The reason people slide a canoe or kayak down a mud bank here is that’s the only way to get to the water and they are not as concerned about the finish of their plastic boats as those with more expensive boats. I have a pretty long bow painter line on my canoe as one of our prime takeout locations requires going up and over a bank that is about 70 degree incline and is all mud, dirt and stones and about 10’ elevation change from the water.
Along with my feeling the need to make our local paddling safer I also would love to understand how I could improve these non official put in and take out locations. The one I mentioned above is the location of an old bridge that has been removed. The road is still there and people park along the road and the access is still public land. It is well used even though not a sponsored facility with a ramp and all. It is halfway between the two official locations and they are about 12 hours river time apart. Most people are not up for a 12 hour paddle so the pick one of the two and this poor location becomes more popular than the two real ones. It would take me less than an hour with a skid steer to correct this launch area, but I’m not about to start digging on a township road right away.
In most cases on rivers here a trailer will work at one end or the other for paddle boats and if using a trailer on the wrong end there is parking problems or some moving the boats by hand will be involved.
I agree spare dry clothes having lights just in case and means of communication are important. Preplanning is key and quite a few that are making mistakes in one area are making mistakes in all areas.
I am picking up my old road bike in a week or so from being tuned up and fitted with more old fashioned pedals for riding on bike and canal trails. Admittedly have a personal interest.
The reason that it is staying on the off road trails is the same reason l took it off the road some years ago. Too many inattentive drivers, and a year when we suddenly had a jump in fatalities of bike riders due to it. In the majority of cases the cyclists were behaving properly and were where they should be. But did not win the argument w a car.
No, you do not want to push more bikes into the streets…
Little off topic, but you don’t have to push more bikes into the streets $4-6 per gallon gas is taking care of that. It is still early in the bike season here and I’m seeing a lot of interest in bikes as a crossover between a fun healthy activity and a means of leaving the car in the garage longer. Several neighbors know I have a garage full of bikes and have been asking what kind of bike works good for short trips around town as a grocery getter. I show them my touring bike with super low gearing and all the ways it is made to haul stuff and tell them it is my go to bike for shopping or picking up a pizza.
I think you will be seeing a lot of increase in bikes on the roads and the inevitable up swing in problems between cars and bikes.
You are talking about an adult population, yes? And when conditions are right there have been periodic rounds pf folks turning to bikes for errands. Conditions often including more enunciated and protect bike lanes on repaved roads and, like spots around me, aggressive creation of bike paths that run alongside a roadway.
But these options done’ get young riders safely biking and learning how to do it properly in lots of areas - mine included. There were a ton of gorgeous rides out my back door 30 years ago where I could get into country quickly and the traffic was low enough that I did not need to worry about the blind turns and lack of shoulder. But as of some years ago much of that farmland had been McMansionized. Too much to leave the biking experience I had before.
Most of us here are old enough to have grown up with more space, slower cars, walking longer distances to school and a degree of freedom to go out and knock around that is much harder to find now. Some because of urbanization, some because we cumulatively decided to worry about things now that we didn’t much then. The upshot of all of that is a greater need for bike trails to have anything equivalent to the recreation options I grew up with.