I left the Fish-in on Friday partly because I knew what I was in for on the weekend. I fished the Muskegon River at Croton dam a few years ago. By noon on Saturday the party flotillas were coming down to the point it was absolutely dangerous to be in the river at all. I'm amazed that more kids aren't drowning every year up at Grayling. I saw very few life jackets, even on little tiny kids. We've got some of the same thing on our Mad river here in Ohio, but the vast majority of the boaters are respectful of the fly fishermen. Sadly, there are always a small number of people tanked, or people who have never been in a canoe and can't steer the thing at all. I think you should at least have to take a course or something before you man the paddles.
Eric