Dave Manby wrote in message
...
This argument really goes back 30+ years to when we wore lifejackets for
paddling (old Ottersports were de rigour at one stage) and the buoyancy
of them was so much greater that the floatation was such that being held
was a problem.

Well, yes and no. I think I still have one of those old ribbed things stuck
in the garage. (I've probably and old BA somewhere in there as well). The
old BAs (and even more so the things with the sodding great collars, which
TBH were really lifejackets, do have a *lot* of floatation. But then again
my not-so-ultra-white-water 'white water' BA is rated as having 70 newts of
lift [1] which is a fair bit too and I think there's specialised stuff with
quite a lot more.

[1] Though how they ever trained 70 of the things to do synchronised
swimming ..... and then measure how hard they pulled still baffles me.

Nidge