Out of curiousity: --is there any instructional outfit or any sanctioning instructional group that allows those who are being instructed not to wear a PFD while on the water (unless related to some specific exercise)? --is there any sea kayaking symposium or dealer demo day that doesn't insist that participants wear PFDs? --is there any waterborne law enforcement body anywhere such as the US Coast Guard that does not require its crews to wear PFDs? --is there any club or paddling association that runs club-sanctioned trips in which wearing a PFD is optional? The answer is "No" at least for such situations in the US and Canada as well as in many other places as well. 1) What are such groups and bodies saying with such policies? 2) If such bodies, with vast experience, want people to wear PFDs, even in relatively safe, benign situations such as a demo beach or in closely watched instruction sessions what does that say about what an individual away from such restrictions might want to do when deciding whether to wear a PFD or not? You have every right in most jurisdictions not to wear a PFD if you don't wish to (except in the examples above). But keep such examples in mind and the statistics on general boating accidents and the high incident of deaths related to not wearing PFDs.] ralph -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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