pilotwingz already said
you’re not supposed to hard on him
CHEAP pfd
depends on your point of view—I just bought one because it has been so dammed hot- 95-100 degrees-- that it is very uncomfortable (not to mention unhealthy–think heat stroke) to wear a regular pfd in Virgnia. The least expensive I could fine was 80 bucks–95 with shipping and tax–and the day it arrived the temp went down to 82, 64 in the early am–
Funny story
– Last Updated: Aug-04-10 10:09 AM EST –
We have a state park with four ponds in it, one with a swimming beach w/lifeguard. The rest of the access points on the big and the smaller ponds are marked No Swimming. Their use is small boats/ fishing and sometimes people being taught to roll.
We started taking our boats up to one of these ponds for rolling and rescue practice. We wore our PFD's to make it look less like swimming and tried to avoid doing much in-water time if kids were around because they'd bug their parents to go swimming.
Early on I was going up myself after work to try and improve my percentage in my blue CD Squall, which was stuck at one out of three. (Then later found out all it took was 20 minutes with the Explorer LV and the foam core paddle...)
The park ranger never said anything to us in most of that time - I'd just see him driving by when I was pulling my boat out at dusk. I finally cornered him, to confirm that what I was doing was OK. His answer was either very kind or alarmingly laissez-faire... he first confirmed if I was the blue plastic boat - apparently I had become memorable. Then he said that he'd only be worried if the boat was still upside down when he was going by for his final closing loop.
It's possible that the ranger I spoke with has since retired and been replaced by someone who is younger and less relaxed. Hopefully not though.
Heat stroke?
Maybe I have been lucky when it comes to heat stroke or the heat just does not bother me (actually I love high heat and humidity). I have been out paddling with temps in the upper nineties and the humidity in the oppressive area in the middle of the day and never had any problems with it while wearing my PFD. Myself I would never paddle without it no matter how hot or humid. I think that saying that is just an excuse. If you do not want wear one just tie on to your yak if you can’t fit it inside it.
I’d normally agree with the heat issue
I wear a PFD any time I am in a boat, whether I think I need it or not. Heat, cold, didn’t matter. Until one day that I was poling up Spencer Stream in 90+ degree heat on a humid summer day in Maine. This is (for those that do not know it) about a 7 mile upstream push through generally shallow water. The other guys I was with ended up walking it most of the way. Heat stroke was a very real possibility. So, we weighed the risks and decided it was best to take off the PFD’s to keep cooler. I think it was the right decision for the circumstances. I certainly wasn’t using the heat “as an excuse” to avoid wearing the PFD. It was a very real danger.
-rs
PFD Nazi
Gotta admit, my personal opinion (Everybody has them and they usually stink!) is Wear the PFD…ALWAYS no exceptions…to hot to wear it? then get off the water. period.
Ain’t we ALL glad I’m not paid to enforce EITHER my personal opinion or the Law?
I’m a smart enough old man to keep my opinions to myself…MOST of the time.
passive-aggressiveness is your expense
I don’t buy that this will do much other than give you a (false) sense of “I showed him”. But then I tend to agree with supertroll’s take on this.
Here’s a better price on it
http://www.baitnhook.net/stearns-0340-paddlesports-inflata-belt-lite—manual—navy-blue.aspx
having read the whole thread
I don’t see where the ranger did anything wrong.
He was doing his job based on what he could determine.
He could’ve written a ticket, but didn’t. That shows
a reasonable approach & also that he could use his authority w. discretion and latitude based on the situation. That isn’t the case with a “zealot”.
Perhaps coming here with a passive-aggressive stance telling only one side of the story to get anonymous internet approval is somehow reassuring.
As for being out on the water with a PFD on a hot day - rolling is a good way to cool off… which is what the poster was doing…
well…
Pikabike, do not despair. Knowledge can set you free from this turmoil and that can be gained by expanding your perspectives to include larger societal questions. Understand the larger issues that just that of an individual recreational canoeist. Consider this: The only way state government, state parks, and park rangers can protect themselves in an overly litigious society is to have a “lifejacket” policy in place. If it can be shown that someone reported your lack of PFD to the ranger and he did nothing and you drowned then the ranger, the State Park, and the State in general is without defense to a civil suit for negligence. Even on private property, insurance companies can require such policies. So, the ranger is not just doing his job, he’s protecting himself and his agency. We live in a plaintiff’s society. In the aftermath of a drowning all viewpoints change and when the finger pointing starts things look very different.
If you speak to the professionals in paddlesport who are on the water with all types of paddlers all day you will find that almost anything imaginable can and has happened. I have seen expert swimmers and paddlers get into trouble and wearing a PFD saved them. It can be a simple as a gunwale hitting you in the head and knocking you out during a roll, or taking a tumble down a steep embankment at a put in. You cannot swim even a short distance if you hit your head on a rock or limb and are unconscious or break both legs ( I’ve witnessed this). PFD’s do not save the lucid and able but can save you if one of these events occur. People in the profession have all seen these mishaps which render a paddler unable to do a simple self rescue. The ease of rescue is also a factor. An unconscious person wearing a PFD is imminently more rescue-able than one without. From a ranger’s perspective, he is obligated to rescue ethically, morally, and professionally. He is in much more danger when the victim is not wearing a PFD. I could go on and on but I hope you are getting a sense of this.
It was close to 100 degrees that day
For those who don’t understand what “sickeningly hot” means. It was also humid, and has been most recent days. This part of CO gets so-called “monsoon season” and we’re in it right now.
The larger societal question
is why has the Lowest Common Denominator become the universal CYA excuse for nannying people who knowingly undertake actions that might have some risk. As in ANYTHING you do, even sitting inside watching the tube.
We have “lawyer tabs” on what used to be quick-release bike forks, because a child disregarded a sign while riding at night with no lights on bike and rode into a construction zone, with his quick-release lever improperly fastened.
So because of his triple-stupidity, everybody else gets lumped into the same category with him.
I’m in favor of pfd rules
Why? Because of the enormity of someone dying. Most kids, teen-agers, and even most twenty-somethings have no clue what the risks are for canoeing or kayaking without a pfd. I know I didn’t appreciate the risks even when I was in my thirties and started canoeing without knowing anything about it. I went out without a pfd all the time, figuring I could easily swim the distance to shore. It was only when spending time in cold water when practicing kayak re-entries that I really appreciated how quickly you can lose function in moderately cold water. So I totally understand the frame of mind of people going for a casual paddle and not thinking a pfd is necessary. If having a law leads to fewer deaths by making some of them think twice - like giving a ranger a reason to tell them - I am all for it.
Obviously, you are the farthest thing from a casual paddler, and what you were doing was perfectly safe. I give the police officer a lot of credit for realizing that when talking with you, and not giving you a citation. But I think there’s a reason for the rules, and a good reason. If that police officer spots 50 people without pfds, I’ll bet 49 of them are people who are totally unprepared for the risk they are taking and whose chances of dying from ignorance will be reduced. It’s easy to make jokes about Darwin awards and stupid people getting what they deserve, but most people without pfds who die are probably wonderful people simply ignorant of the risks.
Popularity isn’t always easy…
– Last Updated: Aug-03-10 11:34 AM EST –
As any activity increases in popularity, more shouldn't-have-happened stuff will occur because more people who are unaware of the risks will get into it. So we start actually seeing people flailing around trying to learn a roll in a full out sea kayak, who we discover don't know how to swim. At all. We ran into this one afternoon - before that I'd have never thought I'd need to ask someone coming to a skills pool session if they could swim. I guess I was wrong about that...
Anyway, kayaking has gotten there. The boats that cater to people who want to stay upright without any paddler talent are testament to that - they are selling like gangbusters just because they can get people lacking preparation or skills on the water with a sense of confidence. I'm not sure that's a good thing, but it's reality. And the Coast Guard came out with those stats last year saying deaths from paddle craft were up a good bit... face it, ice climbing probably doesn't have this kind of problem. Even if it is increasing - I don't know one or the other - we are still much less likely to see untrained people buy shiny new equipment for their birthday and go off to climb the nearest frozen waterfall. Teenagers maybe, but that age group has always done high risk stuff.
Anyway, to the point, increased focus on paddle craft safety doesn't make life easy for rangers and similar officers. They are hugely understaffed in most states too, so the person who used to have a couple of others in a local chain of command to bounce things off of is now completely on their own.
If I were in their shoes, I would really hate discretionary rules. No matter what the guy does, he's going to be wrong. He insists on a PFD, he's bothering a bunch of people who probably don't need it and will get annoyed. He doesn't do so, he gets called negligent by the first person who has a very strict attitude. So even without a death, this ranger can rely on someone being PO'd at him and maybe getting a phone call from the main office.
Idea how to solve this
– Last Updated: Aug-03-10 12:28 PM EST –
I would be more than happy to do the following:
a) Demonstrate to the ranger or his mgmt the appropriate safety skills
b) Sign a legal document waiving my right to sue them if I get into trouble and lack of PFD can be shown to have contributed to problem
I like the fact that the rangers have some discretion. That it could make some of them very nervous should be solvable by doing the above, esp. item (b). And if that still makes them nervous, they don't belong in law enforcement. It's not for people who can't tolerate everything being well-defined or completely known. You can never know fully what another person is thinking.
or you could put your pfd on
– Last Updated: Aug-03-10 12:57 PM EST –
and let the guy and his attitude go, so he can do the rest of his job and stop playing psychological games with you and your attitude.
Good lord.
I don’t think heat is just an excuse
– Last Updated: Aug-03-10 2:14 PM EST –
It depends on how hot it is and how hard you're paddling. There's a huge difference between recreational cruising and paddling at an exercise pace. Water temp and actual humidity make a big difference as well.
Pay your ticket, wear your pfd
Wear your pfd while you are in your kayak.
The emergency rooms and cemetaries are full of people who just didn’t want to wear their seat belt, their motorcycle helmet, or their pfd. Coasties wear their pfds, they know why because they retrieve the bodies.
If your PDF is causing you
problems during your roll, you really ought to practice with it on anyway. You’ll have it on in whitewater, so you need to get past those issues – whatever they are.
I practice without my PFD in the pool because I know the chlorine will damage it over time, but there’s no real reason to go without the PFD on the pond. If you’re rolling, you’ll be cooled off anyway.
Practice with the gear you’ll have on in real conditions.
jim
here in TN
– Last Updated: Aug-04-10 8:39 AM EST –
they have been cracking down on PFDs in all types of boats, which I suppose isn't a bad thing as they do save lives. *BUT*, a problem arises because the TWRA (who patrols the waters, including Corp of Engineer waters and parks) has an exemption in their handbook for rowing shells, racing canoes/kayaks, that they do not even have to carry one on board. All other canoes/kayaks must carry one on board for each person on board. All I paddle is racing boats and the guys never seem to have heard of this rule, and then you are left in a situation where you are having to explain the rule to them, and a person of authority never likes to have their own rules explained to them, even if you do it in the most polite manner.
Even still, I've been stopped enough that I often throw my inflatable belt PFD on the back deck just in case I get stopped, so I don't have to go through the conversation again.
And don't get me started on the Corp of Engineers rec. area patrolman who told me flat out that I must be wearing one or I could get arrested....