Re: [Paddlewise] The PFD discussion from a rookie's point of view

Tomorrow afternoon I'll be doing some slalom training in flat water
during what's likely to be a hot, humid afternoon.  I'll be wearing
not just a PFD, but also a helmet.  I doubt if I'll really need either:
I've *never* flipped on the river I'll be training on, not in ten years.
And at least in flat water, I'm usually not clumsy enough to bang the
gate poles into my head.  And no doubt it's gonna get pretty hot out
there, especially when I start doing 45-second interval sprints.
But I'll wear them tomorrow and every day that I'm out there for two reasons:

	1. They are both essential safety gear and I would never paddle
	without them.

	2. There will be people passing by and watching.  Some of them
	will (if I'm lucky) get the idea that even the good paddlers
	wear a PFD, so maaaaaaybeeeee the next time they're out on
	the same river in an alumnium canoe *they* should wear a PFD.
	If we're all lucky, one day this will help avert an accident.

---Rsk
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