We are confronting peoples' legitimate argument that they have the right to make their own choices and not be told what to do.

We are fighting against - I don't know how else to put it - casualness, relaxation, a desire, on a boat, to just lay back and not think about anything too serious, which is really as it should be, within certain limits…

All of these things make the job of changing behaviour on water enormously difficult.

You could look at that, and be overwhelmed. Because a lot of us in this room have done enormous work over the past number of years to change the picture.

But I hope that we are not overwhelmed. A powerful moment is slowly and quietly arriving for us.

We know more now than ever before about the real risks in water, about the physiological risks in particular, and how to prevent them.

Because we know more, we have raised awareness about water safety to an unprecedented level. Boaters may not be changing their behaviour. But a lot more think twice about it than ever before.

And leaders in boating and related industries who had never led the discussion about danger and safety are starting to lead now. The culture of safety, which has always been an important part of boating, is growing even bigger.

There is, in other words, something of a tipping point coming our way. And with this in mind, some of you may interested to read Malcolm Gladwell's book called "The Tipping Point" which examines how social change can occur.

We have the chance to change behaviour now.

So the question before us tonight is clear: How can we tip the knowledge we have gained, and the growing consensus about safety in our boating community, into really changing behaviour in the broader public - including people like me, who boat only every now and then?

And while there is no single answer, there are components to one.

Let me start by raising a controversial issue. The mandatory wearing of PFDs.

Now, I am a Canadian. And it's not my place to be telling Americans what they should do. So I will keep my brief thoughts on this to the level of principle, which applies to both of our communities.

In principle, people need to know that if you want to stay alive in a boating incident, wearing a personal flotation device before the incident is not optional - it is essential.

I don't know how you put on a lifejacket if you have been thrown from a boat and knocked unconscious.

I don't know how you put on a lifejacket, even if you're conscious, but hyperventilating and struggling to stay afloat.

It is incredibly hard, if not impossible to put a lifejacket on when you're already in the water. People just have to imagine how they would do it, and most people get it.