The points you make are excellent. Applied to an experienced yakker in the right craft for the job.Jordo wrote:If your yak is half decent then there is no need to keep your yak into the sea. A good yak with a half capable yakker can handle swell and chop from all angles - and you need to be able to just to go offshore. I just focus on the bailing (usually sponging) aspect and as long as I rock with the waves (working with the yaks secondary stability) then there is nothing to worry about - this is surprisingly easy to do.Hvalross wrote: Try hand bailing and keeping a yak into the sea.
IMHO the regulations In place to prevent kayaks from sinking are good, provided people know there kayaks and kayaking in general. Unfortunately you can't regulate against stupidity.... and there will always be people going out with no idea and/or experience. For example, where an experienced person may just negotiate around the yak and sponge out any water, someone with poor ability may end up flipping the yak with a hatch open - leading to two vastly different outcomes with the exact same gear.
The thrust of your post by my reading is use the regs to comply with any compliance check, that to me is tokenism, and ass covering by the Authorities.
You are an experienced yakker, you have a safe yak for your target activities. Experience not Regs. has got you (and others) using a sponge, and using it at the appropriate/safe time/manner. you have made the time to learn your skills and water time with your craft clearly has you confident to handle most eventualities. You and a swag of our Members are so far past where the Regs seek to inform that it is not funny, for you these items are to all intents and purposes simply show and tell PROPS to hold up for the Water Police to get a thumbs up and off they go.
Where I am coming from is commenting on the entry level user, who I would suggest are well on their way to being a significant percentage of the yakking fraternity. By nominating a bucket and bulge pump as mandatory is for them and me (still) suggests that "the Authorities" require us to carry those items for our safety.
Those silly enough due to inexperience will not find out just how much they have been misled by the Authorities until they have to try to save themselves or their loved ones. Its not a SIN to be a beginner, or inexperiences, or just plain stupid,......its intensely human.
The sum total of what I am putting forward is build safe yaks, only allow safe yaks to be sold, and tell beginners reading the Regs. the honest truth from the get go.
I took the time today to visit with two national Retailers near where I work... the ONLY yak on sale that has a) the capacity to store an appropriate size bucket is a Canadian canoe and b) many consumer sit ons are barely capable of carrying those items at all.
My input is aimed at beginners, NOT the experienced amongst us.