Posted by John Lambert on June 12, 2009 at 21:52:50 user John.
I think we didcussed this topic some time ago, but here goes again, anyway. None of the S & As seem to bother with safety precautions on the lake or at sea. No one wears a life jacket sailing on the lake, for instance. Was it because they had never heard of life jackets, or was it just because they didn't care? When I was cruising the waters around Vancouver and Victoria, life jackets were a must even if we didn't have to wear them. A radio wasn't essential, but flares and a pair of oars were necessary. If the wind and the engine failed, how on earth are you going to row a 30 foot cutter with five foot oars? Maybe the life jackets weren't needed under normal conditions on a vessel that size, but sometimes when I asked friends to crew for me, they would answer that they couldn't swim. I would tell them they were going sailing, not swimming. I would also tell them if anyone was clumsy enough to fall over a four foot cockpit coaming, then they deserved to drown. This didn't seem to reassure them. I have often thought, and still do now, that modern safety precautions are a bit excessive to the extent that they interefere with just having fun. If you ride a bicyle in British Columbia, you have to wear one of those funny-looking helmets and have a rear reflector and a light on the front of the bike. Fair enough, but is a tinkly little bell really necessary? It's also illegal to stand up and pedal up a steep hill. Backside firmly on the saddle at all times. I suppose those carefree days when you could whizz downhill with no helmet, knee and elbow pads are gone forever. The best safety precaution is simply common sense. Well, that's my rant for the day.