On 24-Oct-2003, Mary Malmros wrote:

Do you think that it's impossible to buy scuba gear off the net?
Would someone check my license if I tried to do so, and tell me I
couldn't buy without it?

You can buy all the gear you want, but where are you gonna get
the air in the tank?

And kayakers blow it off, and no one gets busted.

I know several folks who _have_ been stopped and checked. A buddy
of mine was stopped twice this summer. In Canada, marine police
and Coast Guard are making this stick. They are ticketing. YMMV

Regulation is regulation, and if someone's
saying, "Tut tut tut, no kayaking for YOU," what do you care if
their badge says The Gummint or Joe Bob's Kayaks?

I never said anything about regulation of kayakers. I said that
some folks in the sport have to take the attitude that not everyone
should assume that paddling is for them just because it's cool.
I gave the example of scuba as an industry that has the guts to
do that. This in response to someone who mentioned some arganization's
(ACA?) idea that "paddling is for everyone".

There's also a difference between arbitrary rules and one that says
"if you can't handle a kayak regardless of training, don't use one".
A stirrup is not a solution to a problem, it's a symptom of a bigger
problem.

Mike