Paddling is a evolutionary endeavor, we all start somewhere and drift off into different directions. There are so many extremes in both directions. All of us start as newbies at some point. But it’s where we take it that differs from each other. At my stage now, I am comfortable paddling in 30 foot waves and doing 50 mile crossings in 3 hours.
I am not the paddler I was in my 30s . I probably wasn’t the paddler I thought I was then. Now I’m not the paddler I thought I would be by now. I stopped evolving at 20 foot waves and 25 mile crossings.
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Getting out of the water or on the water?
Getting out of the water. He had paddled around the inlet for an hour.
Can’t fault anyone for carrying safety gear such as a spare paddle, bilge pump, etc. even for a short paddle.
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No, not fault. It’s good to be prepared, but the difference between the two tribes is remarkable.
For some people it’s all about habits. You do the same thing every time, short trip on a sunny day or a long paddle in weather. Same thing every time. The best way to always have emergency gear when you need it is to load it every time.
I’m about a 90 percent guy. 90 percent of the time I have enough gear for various emergencies. Spare paddle, pump, sponge, fire starting gear, water, snacks and so on. Mostly stays packed in dry bags and a deck bag. About the only time I go without is when the extra time means I wouldn’t go paddle at all that day.
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Yeah. That goes for me too. When I was flying hang gliders I developed a process in order to not make a dumb mistake or compromise safety. The pre-flight was only part of the process.
I carried process over into paddling and though it means that I am often over-prepared it works for me. It takes almost no extra time from cartop to launch because it all just flows.
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I ended up dropping almost all of mine. I think as far as surfski goes I’m still a touch on the safe-minded side, but as a rule I don’t usually carry extra gear unless there are serious concerns
On another note, where did you hang glide at? I’m about five minutes away from a hang gliding air park.
ski Vs yak (diff between paddlers - and their ‘craft’)
surfski: grab the ski, waterbottle, out the door, short walk, paddling (10 minutes)
kayak: bundle up (jacket, pile, hat, chotas), sprayskirt, sponge, pump (maybe), waterbottle (20 minutes)
kayak: (like this morning) winter, windy, rough water
ski: summer, calm (yeah, I’m a wimp, only calm water for me on a ski)
Mostly in the Pacific Northwest. Both sides of the mountains in Washington. Some flying in Oregon, Idaho, Utah. A bit of competition in California. What flight park?
Nice! I lived in western Washington for years. Lived in Port Angeles and Sequim.
The flight park I live near now is on Lookout Mountain in Georgia. I pass it every day on the way to work.
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Nice. Flew at Dungeness, Eden Valley, Blue Mountain.
Yes, much of what I carry is habit. It is already in my bag to go to the boat anyway, and doing it differently each time I paddle is more time consuming than repeating the same drill.
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I have 2 packing lists posted in my garage where I keep my kayaks:
List #1: For day trips - pack he same every time, take anything I might need e.g. extra paddle, first aid kit …
List #2: For walking my kayak to the local beach for rolling practice, don’t take items I won’t need e.g. extra paddle, compass …
The lists keep me from forgetting something important. For List #1 I pack items that could be important, but usually aren’t - better safe than sorry.
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20 foot waves?
I figured if Andy S. is doing 30 footers, I must be doing 20.
Was more impressed with those 50 mile crossings he does in three hours 
I am an amazing paddler, aren’t I?
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Among your other talents like creative writing with a bit of hyperbole.
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