Why got a simple policy overhere. Get a casualty of one of our club sailors and the club loses its license. Non affiliated sailors are not allowed to sail from the beaches in this county and you'll get tickets for trespassing that rule.

Sure as hell stimulates peer pressure at our club to wear PDF's and to pick up "swimmers". In several cases we pick up a "swimmer" before the life guard can.

Only a short while ago, I rescued a distraught person who was part of a rescue services demo/excersize. I had beat the chopper and powerboats to it; who says sailboats are slow !

I saw this guys on his surfboard well outside the surf waving both arms. At the time I was part of a demo ride program for high school teens. I informed my 2 teens of what I was going to do and bore-off to reach this "surfer". He smiled when we lay beside him, parked into the wind, and said something like "under a minute, I'm impressed ! ... Thanks, but its a drill"

Turns out they had a full show planned with an audience of invities on the beach and then some recreational sailboater with two exited teenagers steals the show !

However, we have very good relations with the life guards on our stretch of beach, probably of helping eachother out often.

We also require the wearing of at the very least a shorty, but I must admit that the club is getting a bit to relaxed about that. Hypothermia will kill any ability to right a boat or even swim very rapidly. I found that out once on a hot day I wore a shorty and lifejacket (my absolute minimal attire) and helps another demasted boat getting the rig packed up and the boat ready for a tow. I was in the water struggling with lines, wires and sails for about 15-30 minutes and was happy to be out. Shorty is fine for a short while but if you risk laying in the water for longer stretches of time then you must be well aware that you chances of survival are much reduced, let alone going out in shorts and t-shirt. Seems to me this guys failed to cross the checkboard on at least 2 accounts.

Wouter