Mainly kayaking photographs taken on the Isle of Man and beyond.


Thursday 22 July 2010

Sea Kayaking Isle of Man - NO KAYAKING!

The World is becoming health and safety crazy. The individual is no longer responsible for his own safety and well being. Particularly where there is money is involved the threat of litigation looms large. But its all for our own good. We can live longer and have fewer accidents. We also grow fatter and take Prozac. Our lives become empty as we languish in our cotton wool shells created for us by the lawyers.
So why am I blowing off about health and safety and why are there moody pictures of Long Beach, Tofino, Canada instead of kayaking photos on this particular blog entry? Well I'm told that the only place I can rent a kayak in Tofino, Vancouver Island, is from the Tofino Sea Kayaking Company. The pleasant lady behind the counter told me that they only have two rules when it comes to kayak rental. The first is that you have to be an expert, and the second is that you cannot paddle alone! I just want to go for a solo blast around the Sound, something I have done many times before when I fetched my own 3 piece kayak to Vancouver Island all the way from the Isle of Man. I followed up with an email to the Tofino Sea Kayaking Company offering to sign a waiver for the solo trip. Now, I don't blame them for not letting me paddle alone in one of their boats. That's the way the World is now and I'm sure they have taken sound legal advice. I do blame them for not replying to my email sent two days ago. But I thank them for keeping me safe, if not a little frustrated!

1 comment:

Victoria Kayaker said...

Ian, next time you visit Vancouver Island let me know when you're coming and I'll let you use my NDK Explorer. You provided me with lots of information and advice when I visited the Isle of Man - getting you kitted out when you visit my island is the least I can do. Gordin