Larry’s Tips No. 7: Lights and Whistles

Posted on Posted in Articles, Carolina Paddler

by Larry Ausley

Be Seen. Be Heard. Paddlers enjoy a great deal of freedom from a myriad of boating laws that powerboaters and sailors have to meet. At least in NC, paddlers don’t need to register (nor pay registration fees) for their paddlecraft. Since many of us own a full stable of kayaks, canoes, and SUPs, that’s a really good thing.

We’re not completely exempt, however. Laws that we do have to follow include carriage (and in some cases, wear*) of a personal flotation device (and yes, that includes SUP paddlers, unless you are in the ocean surf!), PLUS having on-board a “sound-producing device” (like a whistle) at all times and at least a white light source that can be deployed to prevent collision, from sunset to sunrise. It has become exceedingly rare to encounter Wildlife Enforcement Officers on the lake or river checking to see that we have these things, but making sure we do sucks much less than getting a ticket for not.

* There are situations where PFD wear IS required by law including, but not limited to:

  • Paddlers under 13 years of age
  • Paddling on certain bodies of water, e.g. Chattooga River, Nantahala River as required by the USFS or other government agencies
  • Type V inflatable PFDs

Since we all consider ourselves knowledgeable and safe paddlers and understand that a PFD is the single most important safety precaution we can take, we are ALL, ALREADY WEARING our PFDs every time we get in/on a paddlecraft, right?