: I'm not sure I'd call them all "slow" - here in Seattle
: there's a weekly race that's about 1-1/2 miles that they do in
: 15 minutes...

: Also, most of the paddlers here wear inflatable PFDs - look like
: fanny packs.

: Greg, the board looks great! Let us know how it paddles!
Stephen,
I agree that not all are slow. Talking to the racers at the OR show they had very impressive times. The vast majority are still very slow and in all fairness it is not the intention of the paddler to go fast. I do enjoy that looking down into the water feel. After spending a lot of time in a kayak it does have a peanut butter feel though. I am glad the PFD's are being used in your area, it is not the case here nor was it at OR. Unfortunately it is going to take some tragedy to change the mind set.
Scott