"Course of Action"
"Good judgment is learned from experience and experience is learned from bad judgment."
What course of action will you take when faced with a problem? In order to appreciate the purpose for this component on the USK website, please read the January 2006 Reflections from the Cockpit entitled "Sharing Experiences."
Some of the scenarios actually happened. Some may be altered from the real story and some will be created in order to review important topics. I am also interested in hearing from you with your scenarios. In essence we are sharing our collective experiences so we can avoid making the mistakes made by others.
I have posted my course(s) of actions and rationale for those actions for each scenario. I do not proclaim my course(s) of action is the only course to take. There are usually many ways to solve a problem.
A scenario can have different courses of action even from the same captain. If I have the time and if I receive other approaches to the scenarios I will try to post them. These postings are not an open chat room so I will edit bizarre and unsafe responses (there goes that value thing again). Please send your scenarios and/or responses to study@useakayak.org
As you read the scenarios below ask yourself "what course of action would I follow if faced with the given situation?" Try to place yourself in the circumstances described. It is also import to identify why you would follow your chosen course. To get the most out of the exercise, I suggest you write your responses down. When you write it down it is a form of commitment to an action. You are practicing decision-making.
Some of these scenarios are wonderful for role-playing with your paddling partner or paddling club. The lessons learned are greater the more you can experience the actual scenario.
The course(s) of actions stated here are based upon the beliefs, values, perspectives, goals, knowledge and experiences of the responder(s). You may agree or disagree with the actions taken by the responder(s). Your judgments are based upon your own beliefs, values, perspectives, goals, knowledge and experiences. We at USK hope we can learn from each other by sharing.
If you like reviewing scenarios and learning from others, we highly recommend you add the book Sea Kayaker's "Deep Trouble" to your kayaking library. You can get a copy of Deep Trouble at the USK Store.
Scenarios for your consideration:
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