Re: [Paddlewise] Canadian Coast Guard Regulations]

John Winters wrote:
--snip--

> I don't think the concern is over racing in organised races. There have
> always been exemptions for that. I have yet to see a sprint racer wearing a
> life jacket or even having the minimum safety gear. There is an interesting
> dynamic here. When it was suggested that one need not wear a life jacket
> all the time it was violently opposed. Now when the government (Canadian)
> suggests you should have mandatory safety instruction it is opposed. Is
> this consistent?
>

--snip--

Safety at organized sprint races is pretty good due to chase boats and due to
races only taking place in calm conditions.  It get's a little slack in
training, though, for although most clubs have kids closely supervised and
wearing pfds, adults are usually given more leeway.  As far as I know (and
correct me if I am wrong), the only fatality at a sprint race in Ontario was
when a young spectator was hit by a train -- I doubt if a pfd would have
helped.  Again, as far as I know, the only fatality at a ww race (unsanctioned)
in Ontario was when a rafter drowned after getting very drunk and drifing into
a sweeper on the Beaver River Rat Race.  (Similarly, the only drowning on the
Ottawa at Beachburg in recent years was alcohol caused.)

Is there a contradiction in talking pfds but opposing regulations?  No, I don't
think there is.  On my part the concern is that regulations may not fit my
needs and wishes (which in my case include being able to decide when to and
when not to wear a pfd).  My best example is ww rescue pfds.  The best ones are
made in the US.  It costs a fair bit to have them approved for Canada, which is
a relatively small market, so manufacturers usually don't bother.  When I run a
ww course (in Canada) I have the choice of going with the best equipment for
the job, or going with something which meets regulations.  I put safety over
regulations.  This is not a new problem.  In the 60s, when I was learning to
paddle ww wilderness rivers, I had to wear keyhole pfds, which were approved,
rather than vest pfds, which were not approved  -- thank heavens I never had to
swim a rapid in one of them.  It even extends to other boating regulations,
such as my local river, the thames, being closed to paddling whenever it gets
high enough to be floatable (closed at class III).  Yes, I expect that this
might save the life of a person who is stupid enough to drop into a river with
no training, but I think that protecting stupid people from themselves in this
case goes too far in its limitation of my wish to paddle.

I expect that most regulations will be geared at the general public, who have
had little or no training and who only occasionally go out on the water while
at the cottage or while fishing.  I expect that regulations, if consistently
enforced, would help save their lives.  However, the reguations would not help
save my life or help me save the life of someone in my care, and based on past
regulations, I expect that in some circumstances the regulations would actually
hinder my group's safety.  If the recreational paddling regulations were formed
by someone such as ORCA, and the ww regulations formed by someone such as the
OWWA, and the sprint regulations formed by someone such as OSCRA, then I would
not be concerned, but they are not.

Finally, let's look at the cause of fatalities.  In Ontario, half of all
boating fatalities are caused by alcohol (sorry, but we don't have figures
broken down between motor and non-motor craft).  If the government wants to
save lives, the first place to start would be to implement and consistently
enforce 0% alcohol tolerance for boaters.  If there is a problem with boating
fatalities, let's deal with it by addressing the single-most dangerous problem
out there.  Let's not avoid the issue by piddling about with regulations which
will make little difference in the number of lives saved, which will hinder the
development of safety gear, and which will hinder serious paddlers' enjoyment.

Richard Culpeper


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