Re: [Paddlewise] Safety in Recreational Kayaks

KiAyker_at_aol.com wrote:

>    Doug, I am somewhat disappointed to hear this from you. Considering
> the type of paddling you like to pursue I did not think you were the
> type to just roll over when the going gets tough.

Not sure what that has to do with anything. More later...

> It's not necessarily a matter of personal choice we are talking about
> here --- it's a matter of freedom! (I probably should not have watched
> Braveheart  again the other day). So what your saying is that if the
> French regulations regarding kayaking in that country stink --- don't
> paddle in France!

No, there is no regulation in North America, in general, to actually
have to _wear_ your PFD. Wearing one's PFD was the issue, I believe. The
French have always been a little mixed-up about things :-)  But correct
me if I'm wrong [or pig headed, or anything else! :-)   ]  on this
freedom issue, 'cause I'm just not hitting your vibe. (Hey, my pastor at
church played a portion of Braveheart during his sermon recently. Mel
Gibson's big head...coming to a church near you!)

>
>    I just finished helping my daughter on a big school project about
> the civil rights movement. There are several lessons to be learned
> from that era that I feel are applicable to this discussion. You folks
> might want to brush up on what that was all about.

We home school. My children are taught everything imaginable, from the
simple ABC's to helping my children formulate a scientifically valid
cosmogony that removes some of the current animosity between theology
and science -- including Transcendence and Quantum Gravity  theorems
[okay, my eldest daughter is only 8, so are saving some of this for
later :-) ]. We also teach them religious tolerance and cultural
sensitivity. And we certainly have covered aspects of the historical,
burgeoning Civil Rights movement in the USA's -- and the racial bigotry
espoused by "well-meaning" but flawed-thinkers. And just 'cause we
Canuks up here think there is a whole world out there where lessons can
also be drawn from, doesn't negate our appreciation of what has
transpired south of the 49th. I hope my daughter will be reading "Black
Like Me" by white-author John Howard Griffin [he used medical treatments
to change the color of his skin, then wrote about his experience
travelling through Alabama, Georgia, etc., during 59/60's some time, I
think. I guess you have done something similar, not wearing a PFD in the
"Deep South" of PFD-wearing land. You certainly have written enough
about the intolerance's you suffered. :-)  Anyway, we also teach our
children something missing from many educational systems, namely
critical thinking skills. Mine tell me that the "Civil Rights" argument
you are unjustifiably applying in your reply, do not really apply in
this forum. Though I understand how the  nature of your general Liberal
Californian thinking obviates the observation of certain nuances in
these discussions :-)


> It is my right, according to the law, to not wear a pfd while paddling
> a sea kayak. For you to exclude me from your company based solely on
> the fact that I do not wish to wear one is not a matter of personal
> freedom any more then it is a matter of personal freedom to restrict
> black people to the back of the bus! Plain and simple, it's
> discrimination!

Yes, my friends do the same thing to me if I refuse to wear one on a
group outing where there is tacit recognition that conditions warrant
wearing one's PFD. I accept that. Why can't you? Where restrictions are
imposed upon me by fellow paddlers, I then make a choice myself weather
to comply or not, or paddle on my own. Also, no one can ultimately say
you can't paddle with the group. You can always paddle beside them or
even move to the "back of the bus" as they say. Probably no one will
want to talk to you anyway if you insist on going. Or, they may simply
return to the beach and leave. On club paddles where a PFD is worn to
comply with safety guidelines for insurance and liability purposes,
there shouldn't even _be_ a question about what to do. And you can
always form your own club like the "Liberty and Death Paddling Club of
California." Anyway, there is a difference between discrimination and
discernment.

> If you really feel that it is so important for people to be wearing a
> pfd while kayaking, then change the law to reflect that. Good luck!
> But until you do, I am perfectly within my rights in every aspect to
> decline to wear my pfd on a noncommercial outing.

Adding the club proviso above, I'd agree with you. And on self-guided
paddles on exposed trips, I've certainly learned to be discriminating
when it comes to discerning the correct time to take off my PFD cause it
is just too hot. Though usually, we are all soaking in perspiration
(those with glasses on, steam up with rotary cooling) and all looking at
each other in concern, until one of us finally is brave enough to say :
"Okay, okay, is it okay if we all remove them before someone faints!?"
Yes Scott, we are a sad, had, bunch of paddlers -- most of us anyway,
myself included.

>
>
> The good news is that I think I'm about done here. We don't need to
> beat this dead horse anymore :-)

That would be rad man. We can change horses and saddle up Sponsons
anytime you are ready :-) Sorry if you missed my whole point previously,
though. It had nothing to do with you not wearing your PFD at
appropriate times or trying to disgrace the perceived safety that
PFD-wearing irrationally implies. And Scott, you should know me better
by now: When the going gets tough and I roll over, it's usually on
purpose to have a bit of fun. However, I'm fully Coast Guard compliant
every time I go out in terms of gear, both in terms of the "Rules and
Reg's" and more importantly, the "spirit" of those rules -- which I find
reasonable and sensible -- and only marginally infringe my "rights"
("rights" always comes with "responsibilities" too, right?).

And hey, for me, I'm going to enjoy the freedom of my new inflatable
PFD. Yes brothers and sisters, thank God almighty, I'm free at last.

Doug Lloyd (who still thinks some form of PFD, worn when needed, will
improve his chances of "getting a life".)
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