Paragliders and Rowing Boats

Every time I hear of paragliding accidents that involve strong winds or rough air, I think of paragliders and rowing boats.
It seems to me that paragliders and rowing boats have a great deal in common. Like a paraglider, a rowing boat is something small and light enough to be handled and transported by one person. It goes on the roof of a car or even in the trunk. It is possible to launch a rowing boat almost anywhere and once at the waters edge, a rowing boat provides the freedom to leave the shoreline and all the picnickers behind and float free and easy around the lake or pond.
Such freedom and convenience comes at a price. You can't go floating on just any old water, it has to be fairly calm and there must be no prospect of sudden changes in the weather. The wakes of bigger boats pose a real danger and a current of more than a couple of knots would sweep the intrepid and startled oarsperson away.
All of these limitations and many more are happily accepted by most of those who go about in such craft and rowing is regarded as a safe activity. Nevertheless there are a few who have pushed the accomplishments of rowing boats way beyond the commonly accepted. People have crossed oceans in rowing boats and performed great feats of navigation with only the most rudimentary equipment. We admire and remember these people as courageous and daring, but few would consider trying to emulate them.