: I don't think you are over-reacting, Glen. That said, I wear a pfd
: only when I know the possibility exists for trouble. I generally
: paddle in waters where the risks for trouble are limited only to
: my own stupidity, such as leaning over too much to see
: something. Since I paddle on very quiet lakes and rivers here
: with virtually no powerboats to worry about, I rarely wear one.
: My only really bad gaff was when I was in the Caribbean paddling
: with Malcolm. I totally forgot to wear a pfd while paddling from
: St Thomas to Yost van Dyke and I probably should have. That
: said, I am a good swimmer and can get back into a kayak without
: much trouble, pfd or no pfd. I always command newbies to wear
: pfd's if they use my boats or I refuse to let them paddle in
: water deeper than three feet. Every time I see powerboaters
: around these parts, I see no one wearing a pfd...I know from
: experience that powerboat users often do not know how to swim.
: This sight always causes me to shake my head. In a powerboat, I
: always wear a pfd, those things are just not as safe as a kayak
: in my opinion.

: Robert N Pruden

I also usually only paddle local quiet waters and every time I wear one of the PFD's, no exceptions. You never know when something unexpected will happen and turn a quiet body of water into something far more dangerous to you or possibly someone else in trouble.

Bill H