I think his point might have been that sometimes people in authority make blanket statements about safety and preparation that really aren't all that helpful, and are not always 100% correct. They do this because to try and be more correct would probably be more harmful. You hear alot of stuff about hypothermia, like the Bay of Fundy is 40 degrees all year round and if you fall in you will be dead in 20 minutes. That's kind of crazy. Fisherman will often tell you that kayakers and sailboaters should never be out there, ever. That it's just too dangerous. They wouldn't be out there except to earn a living.

I understand what they are really saying. It's just kind of weird the way they say it. We had a big public inquiry or coroners inquest here when a fellow in his 20s died of hypothermia during a adventure race - run, bike, kayak.

All kinds of information and recommendations came out of it, but it was all the same old crap that people don't listen too because its hard to separate the practical from the impractical when people are forced to make general statements. So the inquiry made no real practical recommendations, when they probably could have. Like...

1. Hypothermia happens sooner if you are exhausted.
2. Adventure races probably shouldn't do the paddling leg last.
3. The Bay of Fundy is about 5 deg C colder in early June than early September, and that's alot.
4. Wet suits are sometimes more vital than life jackets and tow ropes, or flares, even though for some strange reason they are not mandatory when other stuff is.
5. Kayaks can often be easily modified with some foam inside to be more stable when swamped.
6. People should consider measuring the water temperature whenever they go paddling. It does vary.

None of that came out of course. That's just my own personal knowledge and opinion. The official word is just the same old crap as always. Not saying it happened in this thread, but people are often afraid to recommend anything other than the age old wisdom, even if it isn't really helping people. Not sure what the answer is. I certainly don't have all the answers. I also have a big beef with alot of crap about wind chill, but don't take my word for it.

I'll say this...
People should be careful when diverging from conventional wisdom, but also be
very cautious about following conventional wisdom without really understanding it.