VANCOUVER ISLAND WINDTALK

Not sure if you guys on the West Coast have issues with PFDs and the law, but we sure have the odd incident here. Anyway, here is something I am posting on Ontario and Quebec websites - any support would be appreciated:

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Once again Transport Canada is doing revisions to its Small Vessel Regs. If you load up this page and use the Edit>Find on this page command, you can easily jump to the three locations that discuss sailboards.

Included in these regs of course, are the following usual general provisions (summarized) for windsurfers:

- Clause 204(1): Sailboards need to carry PFDs, life saving appliances, vessel safety equipment and fire protection equipment.
- Clause 204(2): Sailboarders cannot use auto-inflating lifejackets.
- Clause 219: As long as sailboarders are WEARING their PFD, as opposed to strapping it around the mast or boom, sailboards are exempt from the silly unreasonable stuff - life saving appliances 15m of bouyannt rope, flashlight and flares), vessel safety equipment (a paddle or anchor) and fire protection equipment (fire extinguisher).

I was heavily involved back in '02 or '03 during revisions then and we were unsuccessful in having TC adopt a more 'pro-choice' approach to PFD use. The main problem then was that, even after getting agreement in principle from TC officials that there was no data to support that legislation was necessary, it was our friends at CYA who turned the tides back to full PFD legislation for sailboarders, despite a general concensus otherwise.

Anyway, this time around, I am old and grey and simply sitting in my comfortable armchair and writing a letter to:
Kevin Monahan
Project Manager
Regulatory Services and Quality Assurance (AMSX)
Transport Canada, Marine Safety
Place de Ville, Tower C
330 Sparks Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0N8
Telephone: 613-998-8207
Fax: 613-991-5670
Email:

...quoting Canada Gazette, Part I, revisions dated Ottawa, April 2, 2009. and expressing my own personal beliefs.

If there are any other sailors out there who feel that PFD use should be their own personal choice, I highly recommend writing a letter or email to TC to support alterations to the proposed changes to the Small Vessel Regulations.

Again, as I have said all along, I don't criticize those who choose to wear them. Do what you think you need to do to be as safe as you can be. However, at least have an awareness that there are circumstances and conditions when PFDs could be a hindrance and accept that risk too.

Cheers,
Mike Fischer

thx Mike- I personally want to make sure I have that fire extinguisher on board just in case

No coastguard issues here that I have heard about.....not to say it won't happen. Until it does I don't think you'll find a whole lot of compliance around here except when kiting for me anyway. That might change too.

Hard to believe we keep passing laws that don't apply or are unworkable or we have no resources or want to enforce

Enforcement is definately unlikely around these parts, I've never been stopped over thousands of lifejacketless hours on my RIB, much of which was around the busier harbours.

I can see how the lake folks could bump into this more often, especially frequent drinking & boating waterblocks? lakeblocks?

Anyways, I know I have problems fitting a life jacket over my Stinger suit, it's either one or the other!

To my understanding,
kiteboarders will be included in the requirement to wear a PFD as well.

Well lets hope the kiteboards will also have to carry the fire extinguisher and paddle. They should be OK on the throwing line with all that string. Thought this was a dead issue, so stupid

Mr. KUS you forgot about an anchor. That is my personal favorite.

It looks like someone on the East coast is having massive brain fart.

Yes, kiting is in there now too, and under the same clauses/exemptions as sailboards.

One thing that is noteworthy of course is that windsurf boards have inherent buoyancy which is critical for self-rescue, not so for wakeboard style kiteboards.

there needs to be a regulation against overactive regulators

Lets not forget the requirement for: 'PADDLERS" http://www.mec.ca/Main/content_text.jsp ... 1110673821

Yes, it's a government ploy to rescue the boating and safety equipment industry from the recession !

If the recession continues to deepen, we'll have a bunch of former unemployed deputized by Transport Canada out on the water chasing us and writing tickets.

Which will add a new item in the Sailing Log - # of fines / # of chases.

But seriously, Mike and our eastern buds need our voices added to help re-direct this misguidedness, so I've fired Kevin an e-mail to say the proposed regs. need fixing. If you can spare the time now, do it too. The more correct feedback he gets, the more likely we'll get a sensible regulation.

Is it not a sensible regulation to require windsurfers, kiteboarders to wear PFD's from a regulatory/prevention/ safety perspective?

ToesideT wrote:Is it not a sensible regulation to require windsurfers, kiteboarders to wear PFD's from a regulatory/prevention/ safety perspective?

life jackets maybe are sensible so if you go unconscious you don't drown, PFD's, well, I suppose we already have one on in form of a wetsuit and with us in form of kite bladders/struts and boards. The rest is just plain silly......

don't discount the floatation value of the belly for you older folks!

I'm against wearing PFD's for windsurfing. I used to wear one when I first moved to Victoria, but after trying to swim after my gear with one I found them to be more of a liability then a life saver. I'd like to take one of the regulators, put a PFD on them and throw them into the ocean in 30 knots with 4 foot seas and have them swim after their gear. Then I'd like to tie the anchor and fire extinguisher to them too

I'm all for regulations that actually might help me, i.e. seatbelts, bike helmets and I'd even agree with windsurf/kiteboard regulations for helmets, but the PFD thing is not something I agree with or I'd comply with.

As for a PFD keeping your head above water in case of being knocked unconscious, well that's what my helmet prevents and as I understand it only some types of PFD's do this anyway and they are the larger bulkier ones. I wear a PFD when I kayak and I think that's reasonable and I happily comply with the rules for pfd/rope/whistle. When I windsurf I have a nice floaty wetsuit to keep me on the surface and I really feel a pfd is more of a hindrance.

I'll write a letter, thanks kook for letting us know.
Dave

So what about the folks who dont wear a wetsuit when windsurfing in Canada? The summer warriors out in 10 knots on an old board on the lakes. The ones that could suffer from cold water shock/ drowning after an unexpected immersion and gear seperation in cold water? The ones who may not be accomplished watermen-mandatory PFD use for these guys seems wise. From my expereince many wear the PFD's because its the law and many read about it in the Safe Boating Guide- which is based on the SVR.
How to legislate an exemption for wave-sailing, or high perfromance sailing, or using a wetsuit which may or may not provide adequate flotation to float you long enough for a rescue while ensuring beginners who may not comprehend the risks enough to make the right decision are properly protected.
For our uses I tend to agree with Dave, especially after being pinned to a cobble stone point in a strong river current under my 6.4 m sail. Kus I think I saw that happen to you once too....
How about an exemption if you are wearing a helmet and a wetsuit?
But wetsuits dont have flotation/ buoyancy ratings. so there is another problem for regulators
Its 200 bucks if they decide to come by the beach and enforce the CSA-SVR

A good read of this issue, if you are going to write a letter can be found here http://www.dickert.ca/more/Windsurfing/pfd_brief.htm

Kevin isnt the one to write to.. Write a letter to the CYA, they are the governing body over windsurfing, and they asked TC not to change the regulations.