Just a note on actually getting approved at the LOC...
The lovely ladies who do the approvals are members of the chamber of commerce, and haven't really been on the water all that much... Last race I had to convince them that we didn't need a Type 3 jacket (which is little more than a wetsuit top), and my type 2 would be fine.
From past races if you turn up with something that sort of looks a bit like a flotation device you'll be fine