Rick Harwell wrote: > > I hate to open a can of worms , but I guess I am ready to let them crawl > out. We are having discussions in our sea kayak club about do we or do we > not REQUIRE trip participants on organized club trips to wear a PFD while > on the water? Currently we do not require this. Folks show up for a trip, > sign a waiver, and depending on conditions, may or may not wear a PFD. We > at no time discourage the use of a PFD but we also do not require one to be > worn. We have a trip leader, who is of course an unpaid volunteer. Club > members and their guests do not pay a fee for trips, unless there are > lodging/camping fees involved. Many in the club feel this is an > individual's choice, but what about liability issues? What is your club's > policy regarding this issue? In 1991, a club in this area, the Metropolitan Canoe and Kayak Club, had a discussion and vote by the board to require PFDs be worn on club trips. I was one of the pro-PFD proponents and wrote a white paper circulated prior to the meeting in which I outlined quite forcefully, and I think pursuasively, the pro argument. The discussion was fairly conducted and chaired by an anti-PFD policy person with everyone getting ample time to express their views; final vote was 7 to 5 to require PFDs. Soon after, a group opposing this rule and claiming that the MCKC was stifling sea kayaking (a surprising claim considering the great number of sea kayaking trips on the calendar and sea articles articles in the newsletter) split off, the Metropolitan Area Sea Kayakers, MASK. I was vilified up and down and harassed for two years afterwards including a vicious letter about me that almost got into Anorak, a leading East Coast paddling publication. (The then-editor called me for comment prior to publishing, I told him I had never heard of the individual; he then checked and found that the letter had been sent and signed by a ficticious person giving a wrong address, etc. and so the editor wisely decided not to print). I had rumors spread about my stealing all the articles for my folding kayak newsletter (even though no one else was writing about folding kayaks, a surprising number of people actually fell for that) and, at paddle shows, my literature and subscription forms would get stolen when I wasn't looking. Etc. Despite the grief I went through, I still think it was worthwhile to instill such a policy. Most clubs do have a PFD requirement for their trips. ralph diaz -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024 Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com "Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Wed Mar 01 2000 - 11:42:36 PST
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