Re: [Paddlewise] ACA Critical Judgment report

Nick Schade wrote:

> The attempts to register rarely have any intent to protect paddlers 
> already committed to the sport. Regulators are not concerned about 
> unruly WW paddlers trying to get one more ride on a nice wave. About 
> half the fatalities are in calm water. Regulators want to protect the 
> decides one day that they want to paddle across the lake, capsize and 
> drown. Boating safety education would not be able to teach committed 
> paddlers anything, they can only hope to teach the casual paddler a few 
> simple ideas that might save their life: Wear a PFD, Don't stand up, 
> Don't paddle in high water unless you know exactly what you are doing, etc.

Agreed.  The serious boaters get caught in the regulatory crossfire 
because a newbie gets hurt doing something the experienced paddler 
thinks is just a fun warmup.

> The goal of any regulation would be to protect those people who 
> otherwise would not have a clue. I think it is worthwhile that these 
> people get the information they need, I am just not convinced that 
> mandatory training is a reasonable way to do it.

As a regulatory analyst in my day job, I agree here too.  For a 
mandatory course to cover the legal arse of the giver, it has to be 
several hours long just to tell a paddler what any of us could tell a 
friend in 15-30 minutes at water's edge.  There is a need for a 
rock-bottom-intro course that is very short, and open to all who might 
wanr or need it.

GaryJ

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