: Ditto that, Jim. Balloon angst? I don't get it. Perhaps a flashback to a
: childhood birthday party gone bad could have set the guy off.

: -Malcolm

Malcolm,

sorry for the confusion. I really don´t think you will have a problem with kayakers. The idea just happened to trigger my memory and I couldn´t help sharing the story.

Highly competetitive sports often have their dress codes and approved behaviour pattern. Many triathletes spend big money on special bikes. My balloon obviously fell foul of the "don´t mock slower racers by drawing attention to one´s own inferior equipment or lack of professionalism" rule.

Mind you, many others did get a good laugh out of it...

PS: More seriously though, when paddling into the wind, how much drag could this balloon add ? Maybe this factor should be considered when designing your position marker.