Non-swimmers and life jackets!

[higgs]

I wonder how many cases of going in the drink actually happen at the dock as compared to when the boat is a t sea. It seems to me I have heard about people going in from the dock while boarding that I have heard about actually falling in while underway. I wonder if the most dangerous time is stepping off the dock. The irony is that all the life jackets are on the boat when one steps aboard.

 

[Cpt. Jon]

yeah, I hear of people going in the drink while at the slip alot too. I always maintain 3 points of contact... kinda some old army training that stuck with me. Especially when the waters this cold, not that it matters when nobody sees me slip, fall, bonk my head, and drown.

 

[Jim Kolstoe]

Every guest on my boat is offered a pfd, kids 12 and under are required to wear one as a matter of both law and good sense. My personal use is condition dependant, although I know the best rule would be always wear it. My and wife and I both have lifeguard training (she worked as a lifeguard for seveal years) plus experience as volunteer search and rescue divers for the local sheriff's office. I know that a life endangering incident can occur on the water at any time, but the reality is that life is full of risks which we each evaluate and accept with (hopefully) appropriate safeguards. Part of being an adult is the obligation to make informed judgements, and accept the consequences of your decisions.
Jim Kolstoe, h23 Kara's Boo