Safety guidelines clear as an asterisk
Blame it on the missing asterisk. Or a typo.
Transport Canada is responsible for transportation rules and regulations, so you would think those would be crystal clear for all of us to understand.
Unfortunately, that isn’t the case.
The Sheriff was prompted to check the regulations for humanpowered watercraft after many kayakers endlessly made comments about stand-up paddlers who don’t wear or bring a life jacket or personal floatation device (PFD) with them.
So he went to the Safe Boating Guide: Safety Tips and Requirements for Pleasure Craft which can be viewed online at: https://www.tc.gc.ca/media/documents/marinesafety/TP511e.pdf.
On page 16, it has minimum safety equipment requirements by boat type and length with a series of boxes for boat type and length.
The box for paddleboats and watercycles is lumped in with sealed hull and sit-on-top kayaks. The requirements are:
1. One lifejacket or PFD for each person on board*.
At the bottom of that box, the asterisk says: *If everyone on board is wearing a lifejacket or a PFD of appropriate size, you are only required to carry 1) a sound-signalling device; and 2) a watertight flashlight if the boat is used after sunset or before sunrise or in periods of restricted visibility.”
In other words, no buoyant heaving line for reeling in fallen paddlers is required.
2. One reboarding device (See Note 1). Note 1 on page 19 says: “A reboarding device is only required if the vertical height that a person must climb to reboard the boat from the water (freeboard) is over 0.5 m (1’8”).”
3. One buoyant heaving line at least 15 m (49’3”) long;
4. One bailer or manual bilge pump or Bilge-pumping arrangements with the notation: “A bailer or manual bilge pump is not required for a boat that cannot hold enough water to make it capsize or a boat that has watertight compartments that are sealed and not readily accessible.”
The next box is for canoes, kayaks, rowboats, rowing shells and “other-human powered boats.”
The asterisk is missing from the requirement for a life jacket or PFD. So it apparently doesn’t matter if you are wearing the life jacket/PFD or carrying it on board. And you still need the buoyant heaving line and sound-signalling device.
The next box is for sailboards and kiteboards where the asterisk is back. So you don’t need the buoyant heaving line if you wear the life jacket/PFD.
And the last box that we are interested in is personal watercraft (PWC) where the asterisk says: “If every person on board a personal watercraft is wearing a lifejacket or a PFD of an appropriate size, you are only required to carry: 1) a sound-signalling device; 2) a watertight flashlight or three pyrotechnic distress signals other than smoke signals; 3) a magnetic compass if the personal watercraft is navigated out of sight of navigation marks; and 4) navigation lights if the personal watercraft is used after sunset or before sunrise or in periods of restricted visibility.
Note: Lifejacket or PFD must be inherently buoyant (i.e. no inflatable PFDs).”
In other words, no buoyant heaving line is required.
So, a heaving line is not required for three of those four categories. No explanation why.
Confused yet? Read on for more conflicting information.
The Sheriff recently saw a brochure for Hobie Cat’s new Mirage Eclipse (hobiecat.com) which has pedals to provide propulsion and handle bars to steer. But the brochure doesn’t show paddlers wearing a traditional life jacket or PFD.
“If you take another look at your brochure, you should notice a black belt with a red pouch on the back or front of every user. This is an inflatable life belt. Sometimes this belt can be obscured by the handlebars though,” said Hobie Cat marketing associate Stephanie Locher in California. “As a leading manufacturer in the watersports industry, we take this issue very seriously.”
She must not have been aware of Canadian regulations because she then browsed the web and forwarded a link to Transport Canada’s regulations.
Hobie sells an inflatable life belt (which contains a keyhole-type life jacket that you pull over your head) for US$112.95.
Western Canoe and Kayak sells the Transport Canada-approved Mustang Waist Belt PFD for $155.95, said spokeswoman Laura Vanderhoek who is aware of the confusing rules.
Along the way, the Sheriff heard from Transport Canada’s boating safety officer who is responsible for the Okanagan. As a pilot project, she developed a poster advising paddleboarders as well as tubers of Transport Canada’s regulations.
The poster says: “If you are paddling across a body of water or getting from Point A to Point B, you are navigating. Stand Up Paddleboards and tubes used for navigation fall into the same category as canoes, kayaks, rowboats, rowing shells and other humanpowered boats less than 6m in length, and you are required to carry mandatory safety equipment under the Small Vessel Regulations.”
The poster illustrates three options: wear a PFD or lifejacket with a whistle; carry a PFD or life jacket on board with a buoyant heaving line and a whistle; and (no safety equipment): You could receive a $200-$500 fine for noncompliance.
The problem is the Safe Boating Guide doesn’t say that due to the lack of an asterisk under life jacket/PFD requirements for canoes, kayaks, towboats, rowing shells and other-human-powered boats. So it doesn’t matter whether you are wearing a life jacket/PFD or carrying it; you need a buoyant heaving line (and the whistle).
Try telling that to all of the tubers heading down the Penticton River Channel without safety equipment. The goal is education, not fines, says the boating safety officer.
Transport Canada also says “You should also consider attaching a non-metallic pealess whistle to the PFD.” In fact, a sound-signalling device such as a whistle is required, not recommended.
There are also Transport Canada regulations about those inflatable PFDs which no one seems to be aware of. They say:
“Remember: You have to be wearing an inflatable PFD for it to be approved on an open boat. If the boat is not open, then you only need to wear it while you are on deck or in the cockpit. Restrictions for inflatable PFDs: — You must be at least 16 years old to wear an inflatable PFD.
— No one may wear an inflatable PFD on a personal watercraft.
— No one may use an inflatable PFD for white-water paddling activities.
Although these PFDs inflate quickly, weak swimmers may feel it takes forever. All Canadian-approved inflatable PFDs have an oral inflation tube in case the CO2 inflation system fails. This tube could be hard to use when you are trying to keep your head above water.”
Although it’s legal to just carry a life jacket/PFD, Transport Canada says: “Remember that the best protection you can give yourself on the water is to always wear your lifejacket or your PFD.”
The ironic part is that the safe boating officer and her peers agree Transport Canada regulations are a challenge to understand and they are trying something different so rental agencies are aware of the regs.
In a response to the Sheriff’s inquiries, Transport Canada media relations advisor Julie Leroux said: “There are many personal flotation device options available for ease of use, such as waist-pack inflatables (a popular choice among competitive rowers) or low-profile paddling vests.
“There are several videos online that demonstrate the use of waistpack inflatables. To be Canadianapproved, a lifejacket or PFD must have a label that states it has been approved by Transport Canada, the Canadian Coast Guard and Fisheries and Oceans Canada; or any combination of the above.
“Lifejackets or PFDs approved by the U.S. Coast Guard are not Canadian-approved; however, visitors to Canada may bring their own to use on a pleasure craft.
“Carrying a buoyant heaving line is mandatory on all pleasure crafts in Canada, with the exception of human-powered pleasure craft, sailboards and kiteboards when everyone on board is wearing a personal flotation device. An appropriate buoyant heaving line is readily available as part of the safety kits available in stores selling boating equipment in Canada.
“Through the Pleasure Craft Courtesy Check Program delivered by partner organizations across the country, trained volunteers verify safety equipment and other requirements, identify problems, and discuss boating safety issues with boaters. Enforcement officers may issue a contravention if a pleasure craft is not carrying the required safety equipment such as the heaving line.”
That too ignores the lack of an asterisk in the canoes, kayaks, towboats, towing dhells and other human-powered boats category. Was it just a typo and no one has noticed?
Transport Canada has posted information on floatation devices for stand-up paddleboarders at: https://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/marinesafety/debs-obs-equipment-lifejackets-information1324.htm#paddleboard.
“Transport Canada classifies stand-up paddleboards as humanpowered vessels if you are using them to take a trip or do a circuit such as a group crossing. Therefore, you must have a Canadianapproved lifejacket or PFD on board which is available for immediate use.
“Many PFDs such as low-profile vests and waist-pack inflatables are easy to use for paddleboarders. Note: The Substitute Safety Equipment provisions in section 4 of the Small Vessel Regulations do not allow leashes in place of lifejackets and PFDs. They only allow like-to-like exemptions, such as high-buoyancy PFDs instead of small vessel lifejackets on certain types of vessels. Transport Canada supports leash use, but not as a replacement for lifejackets and PFDs.”
J.P. Squire, aka the Hiking, Biking, Kayaking and Horseback Riding Sheriff, is a retired Okanagan Weekend reporter and an outdoors enthusiast. His column appears every weekend. Contact him with your outdoor news at: jp.squire@telus.net.