ARe we still allowed to talk about wearing a pfd?  Many thoughtful comments on the issue and I feel compelled to chime in.  A few years ago we went in the drink on the fattest part of Basswood lake.  It was a SW wind and we should not have tried to cross.  Anyway, here is one more reason to wear it.  

If you go over and you are not wearing your PFD, the guy in your canoe who IS wearing your PFD will have to risk his life to save yours.  My partner was sitting on his, and in my efforts to make sure he got it on and didn't drown during the process, we both lost our paddles.  We stayed with the canoe until it drifted us into a reef in the very center of the lake.  We sat there and watched the inevitable thunderstorm approach wondering how the hell to get to a safe place without a paddle.  So, we did the only thing we could think of and hopped in the canoe and let the wind push us swiftly back toward North bay where we mercifully found a lee and were able to hand paddle the boat to shore.  

Wearing your PFD will not only save your own life, but it also will not needlessly endanger the life of your partner.