Should the St Louis Canoe & Kayak Club Stay in the ACA

I appreciate all the thought and care you are putting into this decision Eileen and Marty, and all the comments of experienced instructors and trio leaders.

I am a newer paddler and club member, so I can’t speak from long experience or having led trips. I can say that I do appreciate the ACA’s advocacy for the paddling community and stewardship. I also deeply appreciate the instructor recruitment, cultivating, training, and mentorship. There are so many phenomenal ACA instructors in this community and it is an incredible resource.

I have found the ACA waiver as a member to be pretty easy to navigate my second year through and the online waiver option to be awesome. It would be helpful if we could post the links to the online waivers for both members-annual and nonmembers-event in an easy to find home location on the main home page. I would make an effort to use that for my kids next time.

I do not know anything about the statistics of ACA outlays for attorney fees and settlement cost that the organization absorbs every year. My guess is it is very little, or they would be bankrupt. I run a small company and we don't engage in recreation activities where people are exposed to danger. Our employees drive cars and install machinery in factories. I spend $1,200 for a $2 million personal business liability policy. I spend $6K for a $ 5million dollar business liability policy. I spend $3,500 for $1,000.000 business use auto liability policy. I spend $300 on a $1million umbrella policy for my home owners.. I have never had a claim on any of these policies. But, I have been a witness in some lawsuits on behalf of companies that I have worked for as an employee. I suspect that the ACA insurance carrier will find fault with any execution of activities of our officers and will try to remove themselves from covering our liabilities. If you officers truly believe that you are engaging in significant risk involving yourself in the dangerous activities of kayaking, then would stop taking these risk - if I were you. Or, buy some personal liability coverage. Do you have any claim experience with ACA's insurance carrier? Do you understand their limits of coverage? Do you have a copy of their insurance policy? Are you named on the policy as being covered? Does the club have a legal status? Are the officers owners? Have you looked into director's liability coverage? Relying on the ACA insurance to protect you from $millions of exposure as stated in messages above sounds iffy to me. When I get in my kayak. I am getting into a boat that I own. I am liable for that boat. My home owners insurance covers that liability. If I drown while using it on a club event, are you thinking that that the officers are liable to my estate for the accident and my death? Do you condone alcohol or recreational drug consumption on your events? Is that covered on the ACA policy? Does it cover bad weather decisions? You guys have a lot more faith in ACA insurance than I have.