WEAR YOUR LIFE JACKET!

Took the kids out tubing on a local lake. The lake was windy and choppy. Two ladies on kayaks get pushed out to the middle of the lake by the wind. One tips over and falls in the water. They were not wearing life jackets. She couldn’t get back in the kayak. They start waving and screaming for help. We went over there in the boat and had to pull both ladies and the kayaks into the boat and drive them to shore. Not sure what would have happened had we not been there. Dumb!

Good job Rick, on keeping an eye on them and helping them. Did they have life jackets in the kayaks at all? I’m always surprised at the number of people who paddle around in kayaks or canoes without life jackets on. Perhaps its from my years of being in Boy Scouts, but I never get in a canoe/kayak without a lifejacket on.

And this folks is why we have people making what I call “common sense” laws.

In MN…

A readily accessible and wearable life
jacket is required for each person onboard
a boat, this includes canoes, kayaks,
stand-up paddleboards and waterfowl
boats.

Heroes don’t always were capes Rick. Nice work!

They had life jackets with them. The one who didn’t fall over put hers on. The one in the water was holding the life jacket and trying the hold the kayak at the same time. She was really struggling with the wind. When we got there she was so tired she couldn’t even climb up the ladder onto the platform on the back of our Sport Fish. I had to pull her up onto the boat.

MN Z wrote:

They had life jackets with them. The one who didn’t fall over put hers on. The one in the water was holding the life jacket and trying the hold the kayak at the same time. She was really struggling with the wind. When we got there she was so tired she couldn’t even climb up the ladder onto the platform on the back of our Sport Fish. I had to pull her up onto the boat.

Wow. so not only did she actually have a life jacket with her but she somehow risked dying rather than put it on in order to maintain her grasp on the kayak. foolish. I hope she learned from this experience. Glad you were there Rick!

Crappie, if you haven’t already go into water over your head and try putting on a PFD. It can be done, but it’s not as easy as it sounds.

Now add waves, a little panic and in some cases some alcohol…

Brian Klawitter wrote:

Crappie, if you haven’t already go into water over your head and try putting on a PFD. It can be done, but it’s not as easy as it sounds.

I hear ya. Ive done it plenty of times while swimming off of the boat. I guess you add in those other factors and sure I can see where it would be difficult. All around poor decision making on her part. Either way glad that it all worked out and hopefully we all learn from it

crappie55369 wrote:

Brian Klawitter wrote:
Crappie, if you haven’t already go into water over your head and try putting on a PFD. It can be done, but it’s not as easy as it sounds.

Being calm makes a big difference… by the time someone gets into trouble, the calm thought process of how to get this on goes out the window.

I had a scuba class once where we had to get gear on in the rough ocean water – it was really a challenge unless you could get under the surface. That was in an environment where fear wasn’t involved, and there was advance planning.

I don’t Kayak “big” water, and often take mine off for comfort – but it is always attached, and I have a plan if I go in. Big water or rough conditions… it is on at all times.

Glad you were there to help.

Friend got a ticket for not enough vests in his pontoon-easy mistake; ‘3 are going, no 5, no he’s not going wait he is…” then you think you have the 5 vests in your storage but 2 got taken out for another boat and surprise-not put back.

tim hurley wrote:

Friend got a ticket for not enough vests in his pontoon-easy mistake; ‘3 are going, no 5, no he’s not going wait he is…” then you think you have the 5 vests in your storage but 2 got taken out for another boat and surprise-not put back.

That happened to us with a throwable once. Two of them in the fishing boat, none in the pontoon.

Chuck Melcher wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>crappie55369 wrote:</div>
Brian Klawitter wrote:
Crappie, if you haven’t already go into water over your head and try putting on a PFD. It can be done, but it’s not as easy as it sounds.

Being calm makes a big difference… by the time someone gets into trouble, the calm thought process of how to get this on goes out the window.

I had a scuba class once where we had to get gear on in the rough ocean water – it was really a challenge unless you could get under the surface. That was in an environment where fear wasn’t involved, and there was advance planning.

I don’t Kayak “big” water, and often take mine off for comfort – but it is always attached, and I have a plan if I go in. Big water or rough conditions… it is on at all times.

Glad you were there to help.

Totally agree with the staying calm comment. I am an avid triathlete so spend quite a bit of time swimming in open water w/o a lifejacket. One thing even experienced swimmers have to focus on is staying calm if you get in trouble but it’s an extremely hard thing to do. For even the most competent people in the water, once they panic the heart rate shoots up, breathing becomes short, and blood rushes to your heart to compensate. Because of that, decision making ability starts to reduce and the problems compound themselves.

Bottom line is, wear your lifejacket regardless of how comfortable you are in the water.

Nice job Rick – glad you were there.

Ralph Wiggum wrote:

That happened to us with a throwable once. Two of them in the fishing boat, none in the pontoon.

Posted this before but…. I got checked while out fishing by myself a while back. Was getting threatened with a ticket for not having mine “fully” accessible by a smart cracking young officer while his older partner looked on – I asked what it mattered, who was going to throw it to me if I fell out? Sure I would have gotten the ticket if the older guy didn’t find my reply amusing before telling the kid to let it be.

Chuck Melcher wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Ralph Wiggum wrote:</div>
That happened to us with a throwable once. Two of them in the fishing boat, none in the pontoon.

Posted this before but…. I got checked while out fishing by myself a while back. Was getting threatened with a ticket for not having mine “fully” accessible by a smart cracking young officer while his older partner looked on – I asked what it mattered, who was going to throw it to me if I fell out? Sure I would have gotten the ticket if the older guy didn’t find my reply amusing before telling the kid to let it be.

Had the same thing happen this spring on P2. I was by myself and it was the first time I had the boat out in the early spring. I forgot to put the throwable in after cleaning the boat but I was wearing a lifejacket. The CO stopped and I told him I forgot it. He laughed and made a joke about who was going to throw it to me anyways. Since I was wearing my lifejacket he gave me a warning and that was that. He made a comment about how many people, especially fishing alone, don’t wear lifejackets while on the river in cold and fast moving water.

OOPS, I was pontooning at the cabin last weekend and on Sunday when I was putting everything away I noticed I still had all the PFD’s hanging in the shed.
Note to self – put PFD’s in boat!

The other reason Im told they want you to have a throwable handy when fishing alone is so you could quickly assist another boater if needed.

In a near drowning situation you may not be able to get the boat over to assist quickly enough. It’s that 2-3 seconds saved by throwing the cushion and the guy going under never to surface…..

-J.

Bonus of having old boat seats, the throwable is either under the cheeks or behind the back for cushion that got diminished over the years. Heck got 2 of em bc they’re so useful!

How many (throwable) do we need in fishingboat.? Sorry for dumb question.i always carry 3.

One wrote:

How many (throwable) do we need in fishingboat.? Sorry for dumb question.i always carry 3.

Just one, on a 16’+ boat, but three won’t hurt.

I’ve got a story about staying calm. Back in the late seventies I lived near Seattle for a year and did a lot of diving in the area.The Northern Pacific ocean is cold, real cold, so cold it was pretty routine to get muscle cramps even with wearing a wet suit. Getting all cramped up while diving is very dangerous and can easily rattle your nerves. The only way I could get rid of the cramps was to relax, sink to the bottom then use the resistance of the bottom to work out the cramp and get my legs working again. But the key was staying calm and working with what ya got to improve the situation.

I had a throwable thrown at me. I was going to tell him I was ok, but he was panicking, so I figured it would calm him if he did.

^ Never stand up in an area you know has under water obstructions.

Since you knew that, I would have thrown you the anchor.

Or “no matter how careful you think you are being, you aren’t being careful enough”. You can probably replace the careful with prepared and get the same meaning.