Folks,
I agree with the folks who suggest letting go of the CG bashing that's been going on. They didn't do everything right. But then, neither did we.
I don't agree with the folks that suggest that we should all be quiet until all the information on rescues is in. Or that this is all Chief's call and we should just wait to hear what he decides. There are a lot of changes that will need to be made. And while decisions should certainly await compilation of as much information as possible, observations and discussions should continue.
Having participated in the inspection process this year and having my own positive and negative experiences during the past 6 ECs, I feel strongly that we need to adopt some better methods to improve safety. It's great having lots of participants at the start. But when a significant number of them are not even close to being ready to go on Saturday morning, I think we need to raise the bar a little. The big question is, how do we discourage or prevent the ill-prepared from starting without imposing overly onerous requirements.
I propose one fairly straightforward rule: You have to demonstrate your and your boat's capabilities in a 60 mile, 2 day paddle/sail/row in conditions that include winds over 10 mph and open water (waves over 2 feet) BEFORE the Friday before the event. This could be documented with with a SPOT track and a trip log. No major modifications to your boat can be made without another qualification run. (Maybe the shakedown requirements get easier if the mods are small.) The inspection team reviews the documented trip and defers any borderline case decisions to the Chief.
This, by the way, would have prevented me from participating in all but my second EC. And I've had three really solid, fast, and safe trips. So maybe it's too hard. But it would have prevented me from entering the two events where lack of a proper shakedown of my boat and self rescue techniques arguably imposed an inappropriate risk of needing to call for a CG rescue.
Don't get hung up with the numbers. Comment on whether a shakedown requirement should be considered.
IsZataRock