|
Post by Canoearoo on Sept 5, 2005 17:31:11 GMT -5
Just a reminder that all children in the state of MN under the age of 13 have to have (by law) a life jacket on at all times while in any boat. And I think the adults should as well (not law)
|
|
|
Post by carlrogers on Sept 7, 2005 1:26:13 GMT -5
Good point! We make it a non-negotiable rule that every person on our trips wears a LJ when on the water. About 30 years ago I had to go to a families home and inform them that their son had drowned while on a trip with us. He'd violated our rule and gone off by himself, but that didn't mean anything. Ringing that doorbell was the hardest thing I've ever had to do, and it's something I never want to do again.
|
|
|
Post by Canoearoo on Sept 7, 2005 10:26:11 GMT -5
Oh my goodness, I can't even imagine! That must have been horrible I have to be honest, our family never use to use our life jackets until our neighbor kid drowned 2 years ago. It was such a waist of life. We also have a friend that works for the fish and boat commission (DNR) for Pennsylvania who is in charge of boating safety. He saw how upset I was about the neighbor and sent some articles about life jackets verses drowning deaths. Ever sense everyone in our family always wears life jackets. In PA they came up with this catch phrase that I have personally embraced: "Life Jacket Float, You Don't". It is so true, and now I try to spread the word
|
|
|
Post by WoodsWalker on Sept 9, 2005 19:12:14 GMT -5
Well.... I guess I am guilty
I don't always wear my PFD on flat water lakes, small creeks & slow moving rivers......But.....always wear it in noticable current or rough water.
I do however make any kids with me wear theres at all times.....I know, double standards..... one day I will find a vest that fits me comfortable enough that I will leave it on.
BTW....I have never dumped a canoe, that wasn't intentional..... but my day will come, probably after I get my solo canoe built. ;D
Woods Walker
|
|
|
Post by qp on Sept 9, 2005 22:33:20 GMT -5
If I'm on the water in a canoe I have my PDF on. I learned the hard way and was very lucky. In 1994 a friend and I were paddling up steam between Keats Lake and Shelley Lake (Quetico). We had just portaged around a large water fall. I'll add that it was mid Sept and about 45 degrees out. What appeared as a small riffle as we decided to paddle up through it we found was a sucking undertow. I have no idea what made us put our PDF on after that portage as we never had them on before then. We hit the riffle it sucked the front of the canoe under. When I came up all I had in my hand was the paddle. Floating quickly down stream I could see the falls. Lucky I was only about 20 feet from shore. I managed to swim to shore, but, had I not have had my PDF on I'd have never made it. My big heavy boots were full of water and I could only swim using my arms. Once on shore I franticly looked for my partner. I found him on the other side of the river. Canoe totally submerged, as he was struggling holding onto a tree limb and the canoe. All the while yelling for help. I took my boots off stripped down to long underwear, put the PDF on and dove in. Lucky for us the packs were strapped in the canoe. We finally got the canoe empty and paddled back to where I dove in from. We then unpacked the gear to dry out. Only to find all of our home dried food soaked. I then recalled seeing my maps floating down steam while swimming to shore. We looked for them in the falls and on Keats Lake but never found them. So here we were thanking god we were alive. No maps and in an area we had never been in before. All of our food wet meaning that we would eat good today but after that is was no good. We loaded the canoe, headed to Cairn Lake set up camp to dry out. Broke camp the next morning at daybreak, and paddle out to PP by 5 that afternoon. So you wont catch qp in a canoe without a PDF. I don't care if I'm just paddling out to fill the water bottle. qp
|
|
|
Post by CanoePam on Sept 11, 2005 18:52:54 GMT -5
A PFD won't always save your life, but they sure improve the odds! There is an American Canoe Association publication called Critical Judgement (I think that's the title) that analyzes death and injury reports in paddling sports. The biggest contributor to death is no PFD and limited experience.
I would never dream of not wearing a PFD while canoeing, even on a lazy river. The key is to find a comfortable one. This is one place that I choose to spend money, since the $20 Stearns special at WalMart just doesn't come close to the comfort of a specialty paddling PFD. I can wear mine comfortably all day.
I won't go around telling adults what to do with their own lives when I'm not in charge, but I won't lead a trip where folks don't wear PFDs. That goes for church groups, scout groups, and classes I teach. If they don't want to wear the PFD, they can find another leader. I don't go nuts if folks I'm paddling with in a non-leader role don't wear a PFD, but I just don't understand why they don't.
Some of you know that I'm an American Canoe Association Canoe instructor so I teach a lot of newbies. When newbies ask me what they should buy first, I tell them to find a comfortable PFD. After that they should buy a good paddle, and then, if ever, get a boat. A good PFD will last you for years if kept clean and stored out of the sun in a dry location.
BTW: Children under the age of 13 have to wear a PFD in the state of Iowa too. I'm thinking it is a new Coast Guard regulation. Does anyone have the reference?
Pam
|
|
|
Post by Canoearoo on Sept 11, 2005 21:49:19 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by JesBen on Sept 19, 2005 6:24:48 GMT -5
The courts interpret the law as when more then one law applies the most stringent supercedes or has precedent, shouldn’t make a dif if we just put them on from the get go.
|
|