How many people have to die...

[cat_man]

Before folks will get it into their head that it is dangerous to go boating without a life jacket!!!! Especially on Utah lake where several have died in the past year!!!!

Monday, July 25, 2005 - 12:00 AM [url "http://www.harktheherald.com/print.php?sid=60463"][/url] | [url "http://www.harktheherald.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Recommend_Us&file=index&req=FriendSend&sid=60463"][/url]

Eight boaters rescued from Utah Lake on sinking skiff

DAILY HERALD


Eight people in a small boat were rescued Saturday from Utah Lake when their overloaded skiff began taking on water in rough weather.
The three adults and five children called for help through a third party around 11:15 a.m., according to the Utah County Sheriff's Office. [url "http://heraldextra.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=display_ads&file=index&func=display_ad&ad=00271046"][/url][url "http://adserver.harktheherald.com/adclick.php?n=a1d19a67"][/url] Searchers from the Utah State Park Service and Utah County Search and Rescue scrambled onto three boats and personal water craft.
Utah County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Darrin Gilbert said a fixed-wing sheriff's aircraft spotted the failing boat approximately 6 miles north of the Utah State Park Boat Harbor in Provo.
"When they found them the boat was only six inches out of the water," he said. "It took on a lot of water really fast ... It could have been devastating." None of the boat occupants were wearing life jackets.
The adults and children were transferred to rescuers' boats and shuttled back to the safety of the Provo boat harbor.
Gilbert said 3- to 4-foot high swells combined with the fact that the boat had too many aboard could have resulted in disaster. He said there should have been a maximum of five to six occupants aboard the skiff.
"There's an investigation into the over capacity of the boat and a lack of personal flotation devices," Gilbert said. This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A8.
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[Carp_Punisher]

[#505000]Amazing isn't it? You think people would learn. Not to be completely cold and uncaring but sometimes I wonder if we are doing society a dis-service by rescuing stupid people.[/#505000]
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[Old_Coot]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][green][size 3]QUESTION .... [/size][/green][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][green][size 3][/size][/green][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][green][size 3]How many of you ALWAYS (or 90% of the time) wear PFD's when fishing from a boat?[/size][/green][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][green][size 3][/size][/green][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][green][size 3]I personaly do not. I always do have enough PFD's very handy at a second's notice. And I (and my visitors) put them on at first sign of small white caps. I also whear one the often when I am out on the cold winter water at Bear Lake jigging for macks. But I don't always wear one and my wife frequently chastizes me until she is sitting in 100 degree sun and then even she takes hers off.[/size][/green][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][green][size 3][/size][/green][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][green][size 3]I am just curious to know how often you wear your own PFD's.[/size][/green][/font]
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[ocean]

People always underestimate the power and devastatation utah lake can do to a boat no matter how big it is.Ignorance is almost always costly.I bet now they will wear their pfds![mad]
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[Jedburton]

I may get made fun of a lot, but I almost always have a pfd on. Call me whatever you will, but I plan on living a long a fruitfull life and you never know what is going to happen,
jed
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[kokeking]

I hardly ever wear my PFD buts its handy when i need it,I will wear it when water conditions warrent that i do.Any child on my boat will wear a pfd and so will people that cant swim.

As for the stupid people in the news article i hope a big fine is awaiting them for being so thoughtless.Its these kind of accidents that will make the govt,tell ALL boaters that they will have to take a mandantory test and have a lincence to operate a boat.This is already happening in some eastern states.

Its dummies like this ,that make it hard on the safe boater.
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[aquaman]

i myself don't believe a license is needed to run a boat but i do feel that a basic safety class explaining things as PFD per person, 50 yard distance, and rules of the road, etc would be a good idea
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[hashbaz]

Old Coot, I sit on mine! My butt gets sore if I don't. I don't think I have worn the life jacket since my first time in the canoe.

I believe in fitting the safety precaution to the risk. Of course I always have a pfd in the boat for every person (it's the law and just common sense). When the weather is good, the lake is small, and there are no waterskiers running me over I don't see a need to be wearing the life jacket. I might think differently if I couldn't swim.

Just use common sense! and if you don't have common sense then wear the life jacket - you WILL need it.
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[ProvoRiverFool]

I fish with my father who always has 5 pfd's on his 17 foot bass boat. We don't wear them but have them handy and put them on if we get caught in wind/high waves (once on Lake Powell). My kids, however, when they go with us ALWAYS have one on. My son actually fell in once! We weren't moving and he is an athletic swimmer but still... the water was pretty cold and shocked him! I'd give anything for a picture of the look on his face!
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[cat_man]

You make a good point coot. When I go with my dad out in his canoe we always wear our life jackets. It makes it harder to cast as they are a bit cumbersome, but canoes are not the most stable craft to be in. In my float tube, which is much more stable, I always bring my PFD with me, but I don't wear it. If water gets choppy or other boats are approaching that might throw a wake, I put it on. If I was out in very cold water like early in the season I would also wear it. It's always handy if I need it though. To go out on a boat without the life jackets on board is against the law, and just not smart. We can all learn from these people's mistakes.
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[utfishguy31]

I dont wear my pfd,but i do have them handy in my boat and my kis regardless of the conditions have them on at all time from the min they step onto the dock.These guys in this little boat is a common site and i shake my head everytime i see it.I own a 14' and a 20ft' boat and when i am out on the 14' i am very watchful for the conditions and how fast they can change.If people are going to own a boat they need to know whats going on at all times.I think a license would be a great idea for all boat owners for safty reasons.
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[loomislover]

Everyone wears a PFD when the outboard is in operation. If I'm fishing alone I also wear it. I use the self inflatable suspender type PFD. They don't hinder your casting nor are they too warm when the sun gets up. Sometimes I forget to take it off.
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[Marshall_Law]

Im with coot on this.. I don't alwyas wear mine in a stable seaworthy boat. Canoe, yes, Tube, Yes.

If a cloud appears or wind seems to be getting a little strong, LIFE ON !!!

I my be the stupid one.
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