Yes... for the marine police... You would get a ticket for having nothing on and the pfd stuffed in the hull.

the orange pfd stuffed in a hull is the work around for those who want to follow the RRS and wear the zhik vest.

the fight is with the OA and PRO who feel compelled to tell you what you should be doing and put this in the NOR/SIs ...

(Kudo's to West River who removed this stupid requirement from their NOR this year's spring regatta.... I have challenged this each year... BUT.... The pumpkin patch regatta said this.
15. Safety
Each boat shall carry a towline of at least 20 feet in length. All competitors shall wear a USCG approved Type I, II or III personal flotation device. All catamarans must be staked down for the evening.

Why do the two NOR's from the same club differ so much... ? just one of those things.

BTW... Just fought this out with US Sailing.... They insist on setting the highest standard and hope the rest of the country will follow suit.. So.. their events require wearing a CG approved vest... and they seem to want to enforce it.

So... YMMV!