My condolences to all affected kayakers - and to everyone else living in a state where the basic "right to be left alone" is being violated. I live in the Netherlands, which may well be the most liberal country in the world; yet still I wonder how much taxmoney I spend on government-interference that I would gladly do without. About the situation in France: I studied their sea laws about 10 years ago, before I made my first trip to Corsica. I thought their laws were ludicrous: You're supposed to carry enough safety equipment to sink a yacht, let alone a kayak. Most of that equipment is meant to attract outside help; there is hardly any requirement for equipment or skill that might help to save yourself. One of the funniest parts is that a two-way-radio is obliged; even on the big lake that France shares with Switzerland. On the French side such a radio is required; on the Swiss side it's forbidden. Another hoot is that the equipment is only required when more than 1 kilometer offshore - if I remember the distance correctly. Within 1 kilometer, a kayak is not a sea going vessel but a "beach craft", in the same realm as an inflatable mattress. That means I can take a kayak out in raging seas as long as I stay close to the cliffs, while being further out would be much safer. Luckily, while Corsica is officially part of France, it tends to live by its own rules. It's been part of so many countries in the past (It's been claimed by Italy, Portugal, England and Spain if I remember correctly) that they probably got fed up with international politics. I've been paddling their coasts for 10 years, happily crossing large bays when the mood takes me, without any interference from the authorities. Neither have they ever bothered me about "stealth camping" (thanks for teaching me a new word). They've bothered me only once. I was having lunch on a small beach, when a boat of the park rangers found a need to harrass me from a speedboat, staying out of the surf and shouting themselves hoarse. "You can not stay here!" I had already started packing up my lunch when they corrected themselves: "No, you can have lunch, but you can't stay _overnight_!" Such shouting might have been appropriate at sundown, but hardly at 2.00 pm. Some advice to the poor kayakers in Australia: Whenever you see a police boat coming you way, perform a wet exit. You may not be allowed to kayak offshore, but you might be allowed to swim there. Niels *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Mon Oct 12 2009 - 04:27:56 PDT
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