Tenk yew velly mooch Ms. DM.
About the offshore requirements.... I thought that it went something like this.
Bad things happened...Daisy, Low Speed Chase and another boat loss that I'm not remembering right now.
Bad publicity...threat of lawsuit.
Sailing organizations responded with conversations about safety, recommendations about what to carry, safety-at-sea seminars, etc.
Coast Guard took those conversations about safety and equipment suggestions and made them requirements, as in, "If you guys don't put these requirements into your rules, we won't issue you an event permit".
Sailing organizations codified the earlier "discussions" and "recommendations" into "rules" which were in line with the Coasties requirements. If they didn't there would be no organized racing outside the Gate.
.....But I was kind of out of the room when all of this happened, so I might have it wrong. Mind y'all, while I don't agree with common sense of all of the equipment requirements, I don't object to efforts to make things safer. I'll just have to save my pennies and borrow / buy used when I can.
1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"