The overall information here seems wise.

I always liked the simplicity of our original rating system with beginner, intermediate and advanced. For example: A Barn Island paddle may take you heading right out of the launch, back through that little cut, around sandy point out to Napatree, cruise the beach and land for lunch. Then back around Napatree, into the harbor, a scenic cruise through the marsh back to the launch. 17 miles by GPS. A level 5. We've done this with beginners on a sunny, flat summer day.

Our job as a club is not to frighten people away but allow people to have fun paddling with a group within safety standards. I think levels 1 - 5 is a bit like running a course where certain criteria is demanded at each level and thats not really the case with our paddles.

I also think that it could be mentioned that a trip may be altered due to conditions. Many times on a fairly gentle day, we may encounter 3 ft waves going around a point or a following sea with white caps for miles or even surf landings.

So, with no trip leaders, how do we know where to go? Maybe we can add in that prior to starting we gather to discuss the route and any concerns.