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Of the many "perks" I receive as a result of
switching my boat insurance to Boat U.S. -- not the least of which
is a darn good policy that is less expensive -- I have delivered to
my mailbox a copy of Seaworthy magazine. Published
quarterly, it is always chock-full of useful information covering a
wide range of subjects. Granted, it would sometimes seem that
the issues are aimed at bigger boats that spend more time on the
oceans and intercoastal waterways, but the articles are always
a good read... for all captains and crew alike.
My most recent issue offered a small blurb on a
topic that made me think back to a time when I was much younger; I
was also far less concerned about safety -- especially my own.
But then again, younger years were never for the timid; we were
invincible!
I remember when Illinois switched to a mandatory
seatbelt law for drivers (not passengers... just drivers). I
was infuriated and, of course, originally refused to abide,
apparently forgetting about the near-header I was involved in when I
was seventeen; I was afraid at the time to ever drive again.
Having survived many additional birthdays since then, I have grown
more cautious but I am now certain that a seatbelt would have
prevented the injuries I did sustain. And it's no accident
(pardon the unintended pun) the devices are actually referred to as
"safety belts". I wear mine religiously now and feel very
unsafe without it securely buckled.
Boats are really not much different from
automobiles... By the time I bought my first boat, way back in
1991, I was spending many joyous hours on the water on my favorite
lake in Minnesota: Kabetogama. I was aware that life jackets
were required by law to be available to all on board. They
were not, however, required to be worn. Having
spent more hours than I can count running rental boats on Kab with
the mandatory life jackets on board -- but never donning one (after
all, I had earned a Water Safety Instructor badge and I was in good
shape and a very good swimmer) -- I was also aware of the sudden
squalls that were common on Kab in the summer months. Being a
devout watcher of the weather, I always headed back to the cabin
when I saw a storm developing.
 Always, that is, until one summer when I wasn't
paying as close attention as I should have. As was always the
case for this particular week, my mom was with me and seated in the
front of the boat. Neither of us was wearing our life vests;
it had been a rather sunny day and the lake was calm. Almost
out of nowhere, the wind shifted direction and quickly began to blow
with increasing velocity. Although I immediately headed for
home base, I only had a fifteen-horse motor and the going got
tougher by the second. Coming down the back channel, I was
staring at four-footers cutting across my bow at an angle.
Although I instructed my 70-year-old mother to put
on her life jacket, it was of the older Type II variety. You
know the one: bulky, difficult and uncomfortable to wear and also
difficult to put on in a hurry. My mom couldn't manage in the
rough seas, only able to hold on to the gunwales for dear life, and
I was in no position to help. I had my hands full just keeping
the tiller from escaping my grip. Suddenly, coming down the
side of a huge swell, my prop came completely out of the water; it
was at that point -- for the first time I can recall -- I
became concerned for our lives. The wind was howling and in
the distance I saw the pair of triangular red flags flapping
violently at the Voyageurs National Park Visitor Center. This would
mean that the winds were in excess of 38 mph: officially a High Wind
Warning/Gale Warning. Should the boat go over in this stuff, I
wasn't at all certain I could even save myself, let alone my mom.
The good news is that I managed to get the boat
beached on a shoreline, near a trail I knew would allow us to walk
back. During our silent hike, I vowed to never make those same
two mistakes again (not pay attention to the weather; not wear a life
vest while in transit). The shot of brandy at the cabin
steadied our nerves, but the memory of that storm has never faded.
Which brings me back to the very short article I
saw in April 2012 issue of Seaworthy magazine regarding what is now
referred to as a Personal Flotation Device or PFD; I hope they won't
mind terribly if I quote directly from that piece:
"Most people are good swimmers and don't
want to be told when or where they should wear a PFD. A
few years ago, a poll of BoatU.S members found that 98% of the
10,000 respondents were opposed to a federal law requiring
adults to wear PFDs on recreational boats. (There are
federal and state laws requiring children to wear PFDs.)
But at night, in rough conditions, in tippy boats, in cold
weather, or if you don't swim, a PFD makes a heck of a lot of
sense."
 I have come to respect potentially dangerous
situations to a much greater extent than I once did. Almost
85% of all those who drown as a result of a boating accident were
not wearing a PFD. Smart thinking, good knowledge
of boat handling and certainly a portion of luck allowed both me and
my mother to make it home safely that day so long ago.
Personally, I don't much care what the federal and state laws are;
there is a more powerful law onboard my boat. It will never
leave the dock until all persons, including the captain, are wearing
their Coast Guard-approved PFD. There are never any
exceptions.
My advice is to make sure that you have these
life-saving devices available for all... and that they are worn;
they are no good to anyone if they are on the boat but stored away!
When you make your routine safety inspection (whether it be before
every outing, or once a year in the spring), make sure that your
boat is equipped with PFDs. They are truly life savers.
Read more information about PFDs
here:
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