Old Salt wrote on Nov 17^th, 2010 at 5:29pm:

It works like this: if conditions are too dangerous to be on the water, I am off the water.

This thought has crossed my mind a time or two and I was wondering what everyone thinks about this possible scenario..............And that is; that perhaps all capsizes are not caused by external forces. I wonder how many are caused by medical conditions. Vertigo, heart attack or stroke come to mind. It would be difficult to ascertain if a heart attack happened before or after a drowning. Not trying to be morbid but it seems like a possibility. A good reason to wear a PFD all the time IMO.

As for the ditch kit I can't imagine not having one if there was a reasonable possibility of being separated from my gear. River travel comes to mind as does remote travel. I would likely carry one in cold water as well. Just thoughts.