HPWA Update-dont fall alseep people...

[Socalsupper70]

Hey guys and gals-SoCalSupper here-sorry i havent been on much but ive been busy not surfing and mostly working! 

Ive attached a letter from Jack Hanna-he took over for Steven Fry for HPWA.

Long story short the issue of the PFD is not dead.
There are people and organizations ACTIVELY working on slapping both sup surfing and open water paddling/racing with lovely new regulations, we need to get everyone on board to stop this before it becomes law and ten times more difficult to fight.

Im not on here much so keep tabs on the HPWA, i dont have the answers.
Jack is now a member on the SUZ so you can contact him for more direct answers. I dont know what his handle is.
He is actively working on getting the HPWA into a position to fight these regulations, he needs help, lets not get lulled to sleep.

The letter has not gone out yet as he is working on ways to disseminate it. If anyone has some expertise it would be most appreciated.
The long term hope/goal is to get as many manufacturers, SUP related organizations  and people on board to make a cohesive stand.



My Friends,
You constitute the inner circle of HPWA.  You are the people who supported Steven Alan Fry in his effort change the “vessel” “carriage” application of Federal regulation on SUP.  Your work in the collection of 1500 petitions has created a mandate from a constituency.
Since before Steven’s passing, I have been obsessed by the mechanism of the Federal government as it applies to SUP.  What follows is an appraisal of the situation, the possibilities, and a preview of the greater issues that we will raise.
First, the war is not over!  The truce that allows us to paddle without a PFD in many jurisdictions is a temporary truce!  If the bureaucracy of the USCG gets past me, there will be a specific designation in the Code of Federal Regulation that requires all SUP riders to wear an approved PFD at all times.  The exception would be in the surf or ‘the narrow limits of a swim area” (which does not include the west side of the harbor off Baby Beach) where the Coast Guard has no jurisdiction.  We may also expect an exemption in sanctioned races.
If SUP “Wear” is written into the Code, it will become harder for agencies that receive Federal support for equipment through Homeland Security to avoid enforcement of the regulation.  The hue and cry of our constituency and the tens of thousands of other SUP riders will be huge, but it will be too late!  We have the mandate from petitioners and we must succeed!
At the next meeting of the citizen advisory council, I will propose exemption for SUP.  I have done all of the work to set this up and I have my arguments in place.  I have formed a working relationship with the councilors.  I have identified my enemies at the table.
The RBS is the Coast Guard staff in DC.  They want a simple and direct solution, “Wear It!”  They have the support of the ACA (American Canoe Association).  Chris Stec, their exec is on the Council.  Check out the SUP “Wear It!” logo for SUP that they promote. 
The National Boating Safety Advisory Council holds the decision making power.  They have only the advice of USCG staff and the expertise of Chris Stec and Jack Hanna.  I believe I have the ear of many of the Council members.   The subject of PFD for SUP has been declared “complex” after some lengthy debate over three years.
“Wear or carry” is obviously wrong.  “Wear” is the simple solution that fits the mold of “PFD’s have the ability to save lives.”  But, wearing a PFD inhibits your ability to recover your board and could leave you stranded.  A leash makes a PFD effective and safe.  But, with a leash you don’t need a PFD.  Leashes can snag and create another hazard under certain circumstances.
The subject of SUP and carriage requirements has been on the table with this body for four years.  They need to dispose of this agenda item.  NOW IS THE TIME TO ASK FOR EXEMPTION FROM REGULATION FOR SUP!  This is a good option to avoid a complex issue.
Resistance to this proposal will be significant.  This flies in the face of Coast Guard policy for safety regulation.  De-regulation is not on the staff agenda.  We will put it on the agenda for the Council and attempt to get enough votes to move it along.
The next Council meeting is tentatively scheduled for fall of this year.  The last meeting gave me an opportunity to meet the Council members and dazzle them with my knowledge of SUP, boats, and politics.  It may take more than my golden tongue to get the votes we need.
If I fail to get the votes, the other alternative will be that all SUP riders will have to wear an approved personal floatation device.  If the Council fails to support our proposal, they will probably support the notion that “PFD’s have the ability to save lives.”  Then, with specific Code language, there will be pressure to enforce PFD “wear” for SUP.
Our petitioners and other supporters feel that the issue has gone away.  Many jurisdictions are using the confusion and complexity to avoid enforcement of a bad policy.  The issue has not gone away.   The decision is in limbo.  It must be made soon.
I can make the proposal.  I need only a couple of thousand dollars to travel to DC again.  Steven’s widow put up the money last trip.  The HPWA funds are tied up in probate.  Our major contributor is no longer reliable.  I’m not really worried about the travel money for DC.
I am worried that we need to establish a presence in the SUP community.  We need to network with the other associations.   We need to demonstrate that HPWA is not in competition with any other association (with the exception of one facet of ACA).  We need to promote safe SUP education, but we are not competing for the lucrative instructor training market!
This is the message I will send to the 1500 people in our data base.  I need to mix the call for action and support with the need for some modest support for tent travel next season.  I will make the proposal this fall and we will attempt to gain support for the proposal in 2014.
Major association support now might eliminate the need for the rest and get us a majority vote in the fall.  No one in DC wants me to succeed, so they do not tell me much about the complete process from argument to proposal, to law.  But, a united front from the SUP community might close out the debate.
I would love to see HPWA become a real organization with the ability to pursue the other issues.  I would like to offer an ABC’s of Safety program in support of the “self-regulation” that I am attempting to get for our community.  Referral to the instruction systems is part of the ABC package that would be aimed at renters and big box discount purchasers.
You are my people.  I need your advice.  I want to approach the petitioners soon.

Jack Hanna, Director, HPWA

[stoneaxe]

OK....I'm awake.

[PonoBill]

Glad to help, what do you need specifically?

[Socalsupper70]

Thanks guys-
Creek-appreciate your info and input very much. Changes are coming to HPWA and i think its going to emerge as a great place to get pertinent info and be a voice for the sup community as a whole.

Pono-your bro has Jacks info-email etc...
He needs lots of help-i think the best thing to do would be to contact him directly-hes got a lot of irons in the fire but he knows he needs help with social media etc..
A sage like yourself would be invaluable.

We are talking with site admin about some help-hes been great and im excited about the possibilities.

Randy-jump in anytime if you ever get some good info directly from Jack.

[supthecreek]

I reposted the link to sign the petition that will help their efforts on the other thread... but I'll put it here as well.... then off to sleep.... wave at dawn

http://www.change.org/petitions/united-states-coast-guard-eliminate-the-pfd-requirement-for-paddleboards?fb_action_ids=4360318943044&fb_action_types=change-org%3Arecruit&fb_ref=__jbOtUGRfYd

[Socalsupper70]

Nice-great idea-thanks Creek!

[HPWA Jack]

Creek, thanks.  But, the petition is in the file and I am not seeking new petitions.  Particularly as they will go to an address that will have to forward them to me.  I have presented them to the Coast Guard.  They pretended not to be impressed.  But, they have to take notice.  I am always pleased to add names to our data base.  So, feel free to post info@letspaddle.org as a way to add names and email to the support troops.

So Cal, You more than I created HPWA.  Although I inherited the organization, before this year, I was just on the PFD thing.  In the establishement of HPWA's advocacy role, I will need more help to take the State of California head on.  This is not a difficult task.  But, it is more time and homework.

Pono,  You bet we can use help.  I admit to being electronically challenged.  We gotta rebuild the whole WWW presence.  Reed did a wonderful job of setting the site up.  But, a lot has changes in four years.  Gotta start with an outline, choose the software, and then populate the pages.  I have lots of ideas, but I need friends to make them take shape.

HPWA will soon rattle the people who started the ball rolling by offering petitions to USCG.  Wake up slowly, My Friends.  Have a cuppa joe and think about it.  The call to action has not been sounded yet.  SoCal has chosen the best place to recruit new people to set up the next movement.  We need people who are interested in the organization part.

Sorry about the lengthy letter.  It has most of the technical stuff I've been working on this year for the bureaucracy.  Remember that the bureaucrats have to respond to the elected people and the appointed people.  It makes for difficult and slow progress before a breakthrough.  A sponsor wrote me about vultures watching and waiting while drawing a paycheck.

Some lengthy correspondence is necessary.  That is my forte!  I need help with the sound bites that bring the butts to the seats.  When the alarm sounds, I hope you will join me by standing and holding up the flame.  For now, I need close associates who want to help set the stage.  When the proposition is on the table, I will publish addresses that need have thier boxes flooded with support.

[PonoBill]

I'll be glad to build, host and maintain the site for you.

For what it's worth, it seems to me that exception from PFD requirements is a mistake. There are a great many people who SHOULD be wearing PFDs on SUP boards. I know there's a problem with coast guard with leashes--they don't have much information on the efficacy of a leash as a lifesaving device. But I think we should push for an either-or solution. Either WEAR a PFD or WEAR a leash.

The current regulation is dangerous. Hood River is a hotbed of rental SUPs, so I see hundreds of people a week on a SUP who don't know much about paddling or about the river. It's also a hotbed of PFD enforcement--hence my three-time loser status for "no pfd" tickets. All the rental companies give the renters PFDs and recommend leashes and they all tell them about the requirement of either wearing the PFD or attaching them to the board. Lots of people don't like to wear the PFD, so they tie them to the boards and paddle around without a leash.

I see people off Wells Island in the middle of the river with a kid wearing a PFD on the nose of the board, sitting on Mommy's PFD while she paddles with no PFD and no leash. Anyone knowledgeable knows the potential for tragedy is immense--and yet Mom is obeying the regulation perfectly. If she were wearing the PFD the potential for a tragic outcome is still huge. Mom falls off and gives the board the inevitable kick. Away goes Junior on the board with no paddle, in a high current, windy river with barge traffic. Mom can't swim to the board encumbered by the PFD.

I'm fine with "Wear It" if for SUP it means PFD OR Leash. That works in every situation except surfing--where there's no regulatory jurisdiction to begin with. Even works in whitewater or fast-current rivers where a leash is an entanglement problem. Wear the PFD--regulation met. Though if you don't wear a PFD in whitewater then maybe it's time to exit the gene pool anyway.

[HPWA Jack]

Pono, as you have expresssed an intelligent but flawed opinion, I want you to read the lengthy letter that Socal put up.  Carry is stulid and as you described, dagerous and a factor in a fatality.

Getting RBS (CG safety office) to look at leashes is more than difficult.

Agree: in Oregon most riders, particularly beginners, shkuld wear vests in most conditions.  But that does not mean that serious water people and yogis should have to in calm water (like Baby Beach Dana Pt)
  Local jurisdictions are not doing their job!  Cities and counties havthe ability and responsibility to monitor local conditions.  Hood River and any difficult venue can and should have local rules and post them.
Education tells us leash and PFD, or other precaution.  Mom is responsible for herself and her child.  The most notable fatality was much like what you describe.  The renters need to alert customers about the venue.
Hey, you can sue for hot coffee.  We need to make our own guidelines.  Lets talk and find the mutual ground.  Wear or carry doesnt work

[PonoBill]

I did read the letter (it needs some reworking and editing, BTW) and I understand the viewpoint. I also understand that in any political environment you need to have your ducks in a row, your enemies in sight, and go after the viable solution. I'd certainly want to keep the "wear a PFD OR wear a leash option" in my pocket as a fallback but an exemption might be the only viable approach.

[HPWA Jack]

To date, the only alternative offered to the Council that writes the code revisions is "wear".  This includes any approved PFD.
After a great deal of thought, consultation with members, and research I am comvnced that legislation cannot replace education.  Regulation tends to eclipse regulation, well evidenced in the sightings you (and I) have seen on the water.

Swimming is not regulated.  Orange County beaches, where I grew up, are subject to rip currents.  Warnings and lifeguards do not replace the need to teach people how to swim though, instead of against, a rip.  Education, supervision, warnings, and an alert communit of locals ready to offer advice and assistance needs to be cultivated.

I have never downwinded the Gorge.  If I ever get the chance, I assure you I will wear a vest and a leash.  Inflatables have limited value and whitewater people do not use them, as a rule.  A vest will keep you from recovering your board in a fall with 30 knot wind.  A life jacket should be worn with a leash in wind and/or current.

The issue is giving an ignorant water cop the authority to interfere with a competent operator in relatively safe conditions wiithout the knowledge of safe and unsafe operation.  Tie an orange keyhole vest to your leash and you are legal, but safety is not aided in any way shape or form.  The cop is happy.

Some cops look for trouble, believe it or no.  I met a man got a $ 1,000 ticket for not having a whistle on his vest.  This is just a cop flexing his authority and raising money.  Lifeguards can be trained for police power.  Why not train cops for lifeguard wisdom.  See dangerous operation and interfere.  See safe operation and forget the technicality.  One size does not fit all.

If we are really interested ini safety, then that is what we need to look at.  An instructor in Washiington, near the Sound, told me that he demands that students wear a vest, not an inflatable.  In California, many of us who have faced fines (I paid on of $ 600) wear the fanny pack and a leash.  But, working out at home, I have a course that runs from my dock adjacent a lot of other docks, why on earth would I wear a PFD except to avoid hasstle from the Sheriff?

Worse still:  many Southern California jurisdictions, including So Orange and San Diego have stopped enforcing "wear or carry".  Each have thier reasons.  Contra Costa Sheriff patrol told me it was not enforceable.   USCG HQ RBS staff lawyers disagree.  Another safety officer told me they have 'other priorities'

BTW, the letter does need editng for length and mistakes.  SoCal didn't say he was gonna publish.  I hope you got the info.  I am a bit long winded.  There is a lot of stuff to cover from the meetings and the research.  Thanks for noticing.  I'll give it another cut before I send it.

As you are interested, I can tell you that the whole system of classification and approval of PFD's is in the revision process.  How many Newtons should you wear in the Gorge?  Hint:  150 is self righting.  It is the European system.

[SUP surf chick]

Petition signed.

Sorry to sound like a dunce, but can you tell me what HPWA stands for? 

[Socalsupper70]

Petition signed.

Sorry to sound like a dunce, but can you tell me what HPWA stands for? 
[
/quote]
Human Powered Watercraft Association  www.letspaddle.org

[HPWA Jack]

Our petition drive has been presented to the USCG.
What is equivalent these days is an email to info@letspaddle.org with contact information, city, state, business if applicable.

When public comment on the exemption proposal opens, we will be asking everyone who ever contacted us, sponsored us, or signed a petition to email the Coast Guard with cc to Human Powered Watercraft Association.


For such a popular sport, there is a whole lot of ignorance around.  PFD's can keep you from recovering a board or at least make it harder to recover the thing.  Leash First for safety.  SUP is the best floatation out there.  Ask any lifeguard

A paddle and a surfboard do not make a boat.  But, ignorance of the nature of the sport does not seem to make it any harder for non paddlers to make rules about paddling.  Ask any lifeguard that question and they will have a hard time with an answer.  The one I got was, 'I don't know.  I just work here.'

Safety and courtesy are our obligation.  Let's get the ignorant people out of our business.