If Someone Loves You…

buckybadger wrote:

I have to do better. Thank you for the reminder.

Me as well. I always tell myself I’m going to get better at it but never seem to.

JEREMY wrote:

I dont see anything about 13. I see 10 and under says must be worn when boat is underway. Underway meaning not attached to permanent mooring or dock.

Yeah I just reread the booklet amd now I’m a little confused on why it’s says not approved for 16 and under ? I just had this talk with B.A.S.S league the other day. The information the state gave me is what I wrote here. But if the US coast guard doesn’t approve them for 16 and under then I’m guessing they have the final word ?

JEREMY wrote:

I dont see anything about 13. I see 10 and under says must be worn when boat is underway. Underway meaning not attached to permanent mooring or dock.

Underway is when main motor Is pushing the boat. A 12 year old can use trolling motor and no life jacket but once the main motor starts the life jacket is supposed to be put on. That’s what I was taught back in boaters saftey. Maybe I’m wrong on it all and to anal ? How can it be legal when it’s not approved by the coast guard?

I think this is a generational thing like bike helmets. Multiple generations now grew up wearing bike helmets from day one so to them it feels unnatural to go biking without one. Whereas us old guys NEVER wore a helmet.

With PFDs, it’s the same. The older generation finds it hard to start wearing one since throughout our life, none of the adults in our life ever did and we never did when we became adults. People just didn’t do it.

just to be clear, it hasn’t been made public yet if those guys were wearing LJs or not. From the sounds of it, they think they’re pinned to a rock under the falls. Even with an LJ, the immense power of that type of water flow can still keep you pinned underwater.

Sad deal all around as from what I heard, the two that are missing capsized trying to save the other 2 guys in their group that were capsized.

I was at curtain falls almost exactly one year ago. The pictures and videos don’t do justice as to how powerful those falls are. I remember when we put the canoe in upstream from the falls, there was a lot of invisible current there pulling you toward the falls. Very easy to end up in a bad situation really quick.

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Justin riegel wrote:

This one hits close to home. Reis was my son’s soccer coach last fall, I am really hoping for a good outcome here. I never wear a life jacket or pull cord on the boat. I will from now on.

Yep, acquaintances through wrestling and football, he was my son’s football coach a couple years back. Just an awful situation all around. Good reminders and advice all around.

FYI: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/regulations/boatwater/index.html
Page 13 of the MN Boating laws:

MANDATORY CHILD LIFE
JACKET WEAR LAW
Minnesota law requires a properly
fitted U.S. Coast Guard‑approved
life jacket to be worn by children less
than 10 years old when aboard any
watercraft while underway. Underway
means not attached to a permanent
mooring or tied to a dock.
There are exceptions to the
wear law for:
• children who are below the top deck or in an enclosed cabin.
• children aboard passenger vessels being operated by a
licensed captain.
• children on a boat that is anchored for the purpose of swimming
or diving.
Some infants are too small for any life jacket, even though the
label may say 0–30 pounds. In general, babies under 6 months or
16 pounds are too small for a life jacket to be effective due to the size
of their head compared to their body.
If your infant is under 6 months old or 16 pounds, please wait until the
baby is a little older before taking them boating.
NOTE: Fastening a boat cushion to a car seat is not considered
a lawful flotation device for an infant

Page 15 about inflatables:
Inflatable Life Jackets are U.S. Coast
Guard approved for boaters 16 years and
older. Inflatables have the advantage of
being comfortable and easy to wear. Once
inflated, the flotation is equal to or greater
than traditional life jackets.
Inflatables do have some disadvantages:
• Must be inflated to provide flotation.
• Do not provide as much cold water
protection.
• Require regular maintenance and
rearming after inflation.
Some inflatable life jackets are required to
be worn in order to be counted as one of
your U.S. Coast Guard‑approved wearable
flotation devices — check the label for
indication. Inflatables are not approved
for use on personal watercraft or while
water‑skiing or similar sports. Always read
the label for intended use and follow any
restrictions.
Before purchasing, make sure that
“U.S. Coast Guard Approved” is visible
somewhere on the package or on the
device itself.

Black Bay

I see you highlighted that inflatables “are approved for 16 and older.”

This is 100% true.

BUT, if you have an APPROVED FOAM PFD aboard and accessible for your kid, there’s absolutely nothing illegal about letting them wear an inflatable.

I want everyone to realize it’s LEGAL for them to NOT WEAR A PFD AT ALL, even underway.

By default, they CAN’T get a ticket or warning for wearing an inflatable.

No way, no how (again, as long as a foam vest for them is onboard).

Again, 10 or older inland and 13 or older on the Great Lakes. Anything younger than that and they MUST WEAR A FOAM VEST UNDERWAY.

If you look up “UNDERWAY” in both the state and federal regulations, you’ll notice the definitions are slightly different.

But bobbing around the water WITHOUT an engine running IS STILL UNDERWAY to the State and the Feds.

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Prayers sent B-man. Praying for a positive outcome.

sad to hear B

thanks for posts like these to remind us all. i have gotten a lot better at keeping mine on thats for sure. always on under power and with how light the new inflatable ones are, i rarely need to take it off.

Thanks guys, and sorry that I helped to derail this thread.

I don’t personally know either of the guys missing, but my good friend and his wife are friends with Reis and Angie.

It’s tragic and incredibly sad. I don’t know if either of them had PFDs on. It’s still possible to drown with one, but you up your odds of survival dramatically by wearing one. Nearly 90% of drowning victims didn’t have a PFD.

I’ll start a separate thread about the legality of kids and inflatables to keep the missing men on the focus of this one.

Have these guys been found?

B-man wrote:

It’s tragic and incredibly sad. I don’t know if either of them had PFDs on. It’s still possible to drown with one, but you up your odds of survival dramatically by wearing one. Nearly 90% of drowning victims didn’t have a PFD.

Curtain Falls at high water is no joke. If you go over in these conditions I’d guess even with a PFD your chances are not good. Really sad situation all around.

Onyx AM 24 PFDs are so minimalist, you don’t even know you’re wearing them. They have a ring for your kill switch. And if you use the remote for your Ultrex, it clips right on the bottom strap.

Sylvanboat wrote:

Onyx AM 24 PFDs are so minimalist, you don’t even know you’re wearing them. They have a ring for your kill switch. And if you use the remote for your Ultrex, it clips right on the bottom strap.

Thanks for the referral, just ordered up a couple.

jwellsy wrote:

Have these guys been found?

They have not

Justin riegel wrote:

This one hits close to home. Reis was my son’s soccer coach last fall, I am really hoping for a good outcome here. I never wear a life jacket or pull cord on the boat. I will from now on.

Once you start doing both they become second nature.

There’s no reason not to, and a thousand reasons to do it.

I even wear my tether in the Grady while on plane. Not because it’s the law, but if I hit a log or wake funny there’s a chance I could be thrown and knocked out hitting my head on something in the boat.

9 people (3 adults, 6 kids) were rescued from the Cannon River near Faribault after their canoes and kayaks flipped in swift water and debris. Luckily, every single person was wearing a PFD and they were all recovered without serious injury. I have to wonder if the outcome would have been much worse without those PFDs.

The Cannon River is currently running about 4 feet higher than normal for late May and there is abundance of debris in the river.

https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/cannon-river-9-resuced-rice-county-sheriffs-office/89-f00935ea-e5d7-423d-913a-a1fd0b86487b

The news had pics of the Cannon before and after recent rains. Holy smokes that river is a snarled mess under water! Hitting a log at the wrong angle in high water could definitely capsize a canoe. Then a person could get trapped by a strainer or sweeper and be done.
I started a list for vacation and the first item is PFDs for everyone.

Sad ending to this tragic story. Thinking of everyone impacted by this tragedy.

http://www.bringmethenews.com/minnesota-news/authorities-recover-body-of-second-canoeist-missing-in-boundary-waters-since-may-18

In case anyone is interested, Reis’s brother Erik was on PA’s show on KFAN yesterday. I’m sure it’s available on demand. Gave a pretty chilling description of what these guys went through. Worth the listen.

LabDaddy1 wrote:

Ever since I started fishing the croix and sippi more a few years ago(often cold water, at night, and/or by myself), I’ve been super anal about keeping a life jacket on, wearing my kill cord when on plane, and having all the proper emergency gear with me. Also like to keep many light sources in the boat like high powered flashlights, spotlights, and extra headlamps/batteries.

Can never be too safe!

I agree completely with this. I got stopped by the DNR on pool 2 a couple years ago in March. My fire extinguisher was out of date…he said he wasn’t concerned about that and let it go. Said the thing they care most about is people wearing life jackets and I was. We were at the confluence and he pointed out that of the approximately 20 boats out there only a few had jackets on. Cold water and current and you would be in trouble immediately.

This is a terrible tragedy but maybe it will continue to shine a light on the importance of safety on the water. Thoughts and prayers with the family’s affected by this tragedy.

Wildlifeguy wrote:

In case anyone is interested, Reis’s brother Erik was on PA’s show on KFAN yesterday. I’m sure it’s available on demand. Gave a pretty chilling description of what these guys went through. Worth the listen.

I listened to this earlier this morning… very good listen that answered a few questions I had about how they got in that situation. This was also the first time I’ve heard no one in the group was wearing lifejackets – that was not yet clear based on the articles I read up until today.

I just spent 8 days in the BWCA and covered around 40+ miles. We didn’t see one other group or person wearing life jackets. Not one. I couldn’t believe it.

Super sad. Thoughts and prayers.

Just listened to it on the way home from work. It was a sad and fast incident, and my heart again goes out to the families.

My buddy who is friends with the family said they found Reis while his brother Erik was in the studio with PA.

From what Erik described, it’s a miracle any of them made it out alive, especially when considering none of them had donned lifejackets.

When things go wrong on the water, they go wrong quickly. There’s rarely enough time to put one on before it’s too late. Please wear them all the time guys, there’s no reason not to.

It’s possible that this incident could have been scary instead of deadly.

Really sad and after listening to the interview it sounds like it could have ended even worse if the helpful canoeing party that happened to be around the area would not have been there to help the two that surfaced from the falls and get them warm and called for help on their satellite device.