Lorri Drumm

As a newcomer to Warren, eager to become a part of my new community, a phenomenon has come to my attention that raises some concern as to how well I may fit in.

I have spied — with my little eye — enough kayaks to lead this potential naviphobe to wonder if travel-by-water became the only opti

Times Observer photos by Lorri Drumm
Living in Kayak City, it seems, within a block of where I’ve moved to in Warren.

A completely unscientific casual observation spotted a least a dozen kayaks within a city block. At this time of year, it’s hard to estimate how many may be in hiding.

It’s also a challenge to guess the kayak population when you spot some that exist alone and others that somehow multiplied into a multi-colored kayak herd.

I label myself a potential naviphobe or navisphobe (from the Latin for ship, vessel or boat) because I’ve never actually been in a kayak, but have enjoyed time in other, less tiny, vessels.

Just to be clear, naviphobia is the fear of boats and cruise ships. The fear is typically triggered by a past negative maritime experience.

There is no maritime trauma in my past.

As a young girl, I spent countless hours in a rowboat with my father, typically catching way more rays than fish. I can still recall what seemed, to a teen, to be the level of boredom that could lead to death, but not fear. Then again, my dad was more the calm-and-steady type as opposed to a boat-rocker, unless you were a politician who got his dander up.

I’ve also spent an afternoon on a fishing charter off the coast of Maine and, before I had little mouths to feed, cruised around Erie’s Presque Isle Bay on a 20-something-foot Cabin Cruiser. I still don’t recall crippling fear on any of those occasions.

So, past experience leads me to think that maybe size matters, pertaining to boats, of course. But, then again, I am not, under any circumstances, planning to recreate history aboard the Titanic II.

The Titanic II is set to make its two-week maiden voyage in 2022, without me. While I love watching the movie Titanic, I have no desire to be a part of the scenes that depict what happens when a giant ship capsizes and there’s no more room in the lifeboats.

The following revelation may seem like something you’d hear from Captain Obvious– I am not a swimmer. I spent years with an above-ground swimming pool in the backyard. I’ve tried floating many times. I was born a sinker.

So maybe the condition I am afflicted with is actually aquaphobia — fear of water, to again quote Captain Obvious.

According to the world-wide-web, aquaphobia is a specific phobia that involves a level of fear of water that is beyond a person’s control or that may interfere with daily life. People suffer aquaphobia in many ways and may experience it even though they realize the water in an ocean, a river, or even a bathtub poses no imminent threat.

Rarely a day goes by that I don’t soak in a nice hot bubble bath. There’s not much that tops a hot tub. And Aquaman is also a favorable version of hot water.

While the internet may not be able to pinpoint my reluctance to either sit atop or stuff myself into a kayak, I think I have it figured out. It’s not an irrational fear of either water or watercraft; it’s a reasonable desire to not be upside down inside a small vessel while in the water.

So, while it seems I am living in what I think could be called the Kayak Capital of Northwest Pa., paddling will probably remain a spectator sport for me.

I’ve never been much of a joiner, so my lack of kayak ownership doesn’t concern me. To quote Pee-Wee Herman, “I’m a loner, Dottie, a rebel.”

In the event that anyone thinks they might find me and coerce me to discover the love of paddling, you won’t find me in the only residence in Warren that has no kayak.

My downstairs neighbor has one.

Lorri Drumm is new to both Warren and its newspaper. Following a stint as a reporter in Crawford County, she moved here with dreams of writing stories and spending time soaking up all the area has to offer. Drumm’s resume includes a 10-week internship at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and an almost fellowship at Marquette University.