Re: [Paddlewise] Ballast

[My apologies.  I mis-posted this to the *other* list.  Dave K.]

M. Neverdosky wrote:

> Jackie Fenton wrote:

> > Agreed.  Many do, but there seems to be an awful lot of rescues of
> > sea kayakers without appropriate skills from that recent coastguard report
> > (such as those who could not even re-enter their boats).
> 
> Perhaps, but for comparison, how many times does the coast guard have to rescue
> commercial fishermen? I hear of very large numbers of fishermen dieing at sea
> but rarely hear any outrage or push for real prevention.

Michael, I think your comments here are out of line.  Perhaps you are
unfamiliar with the regulations (and conditions) under which commercial
fishers work.  Three points, and my *bottom line* at the end:

1. USCG regulations govern the certification and equipping of commercial
fishing vessels (CFV's).  Aside from having to pass inspections for
seaworthiness, these vessels are required to have survival suits and
other safety gear aboard way beyond what a sea kayaker could carry. 
Where I live, most CFV's are well-cared-for boats, and the crews are
very serious about maintaining their survival capability in the event of
a capsize.  In the 50 F (or colder) water we have, an unprepared person,
even wearing a PFD, will survive for about an hour, generally not long
enough for the USCG to locate any survivors of a capsize or sinking,
despite EPIRB's and other mandatory safety gear.  It's a pretty serious
game.  Sea kayakers are not subject to comparable USCG scrutiny.  The
inspection and gear requirements on CFV's are practical, reasonable ways
of enhancing survivability.  It's hard to imagine improvements which
would substantially increase survivability short of a massive investment
in some sort of escape pod.  (And, most sinkings would not allow fishers
to enter the pod, anyway.)

2. Around here, the main causes of a sinking or capsize are NOT a
failure of judgement or safety equipment for CFV crews.  The main cause
is Ma Nature, who can make it very nasty out on the water.  Extremely
hazardous sea conditions can come up very quickly (and are not always
reliably predicted by the Weather Service), requiring sound skippering
skills, and, yes, some luck, to survive.  In addition, CFV's must FISH
to earn a living, mandating they go out to retrieve crab pots or run
drag nets in marginal conditions.  The harsh reality of earning a living
fishing is that fishers sometimes wager their lives to earn a living. 
This seems like a very different dynamic than what drives sea kayakers
to their recreation.

3. Finally, I suspect the accident RATE for commercial fishers (number
of fatalities or capsizes per trip) is very much lower than the accident
RATE for sea kayakers.  We hear of more rescues of CFV's than kayaks
because CFV's, in toto, have many more trips per year, and have a
greater TOTAL risk.  Maybe it will help you to empathize with those who
risk their lives to feed us to know that a typical CFV pays much more in
fees each year to support rescue services than a sea kayak does.

> I do not like to hear of deaths of kayakers, especially those that could have 
> been easily prevented by a little training and practice, but I often think
> the danger is shown out of proportion. Has anybody looked at the death and 
> injury rate for High School football?

I'm having difficulty with this comparison, also, Michael, because when
an unfortunate high school kid becomes a paraplegic through suffering a
neck injury, the main sufferer is the kid.  In addition, there is no
costly, tax-payer-funded search to find him to provide assistance.  He's
usually somewhere in or on a 50 x 100 yard grid, surrounded by lots of
observers, with an ambulance standing by.  In comparison, when a sea
kayaker becomes "lost," there is often triggered a very expensive search
just to locate him/her or his/her craft.

My Bottom Line:

If we tolerate a high level of incompetence in our paddling partners, we
invite the wrath of the public, who funds our survival when we capsize
or are lost at sea.  It seems the public has a reasonable right to
expect us to minimize our chances of demanding a rescue, and when we
need one, to have prepared ourselves so that the cost of the rescue is
minimized.  To act otherwise is to invite regulation of our access to
the sea.

-- 
Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR
sea kayaker -- and resident of a commercial fishing community
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