I mostly agree, but question the comments about the pump.

: At
: least one party lacked a basic hand pump, which could have allowed them to
: easily empty their swamped boat in the relatively benign (2-3 foot)
: conditions.

If they didn't have the skills to dump the boat in the conditions, then I wouldn't be too sure that a pump would have helped much. I am pretty much a novice sea kayaker and can dump out my boat alone in most conditions that I could effectively pump it out. With the bow of another boat to hang on to, it should be easy, unless conditions are rough enough to make pumping out difficult too.

I carry a pump, mainly because I go on CPA trips where it is required. That said, I have a hard time imagining conditions where a pump is the best answer.

Note: I am not saying it isn't good to have a pump along; another option is always good. I am just suggesting that the lack of a pump wasn't the real problem so much as a lack of sufficient reentry skills for the conditions. Good, well practiced, rentry skills would have probably saved him without a pump; a pump with no skills probably wouldn't have helped.

Pete