Small Boats, Big Rescues

This past weekend marked by small boats getting into trouble with their operators not wearing life jackets...

Photo courtesy of the New Hampshire Fish and Game.

Each Monday throughout the summer, we take a look at all the boating incidents from the past few days and share some of the ones that are unique and interesting, or that can provide a reminder about boating safety.

This past weekend, as Operation Dry Water tried to reduce boating and drinking, small boats were getting into trouble all over the place...

Anchored In
Boat sinks near Columbia Point, 2 men rescued
Our first incident took place on the Columbia River on Saturday morning. The article gives a play-by-play account that illustrates how many things can go wrong during a simple day out fishing, and hopefully reminds you to be careful with anchor lines and your prop. Also, wearing a life jacket is almost always better than holding on to it when you find yourself outside the boat.

Swamped in South Australia
Another day of fishing went bad for two boaters on a small boat in South Australia. In this incident, Sky News reports that the boat took on one wave that swamped it and killed their engine, and then another wave that completely capsized it.  Somehow the men were able to recover the EPIRB device from their sinking boat to ensure that they'd be found.

Familiar Theme
Small boat, no life jacket. This article from cbs12 could have been a tragic story for one young sailor on Lake Mangonia in Palm Beach, Florida, on Saturday, but luckily it only turned out to be a very expensive learning experience. Think this guy will ever sail his 14-foot racer without a life jacket again? Let's hope not.

Lucky Lobstermen
A recreational lobstering trip went bad on Friday for three fishermen off the coast of Rye, New Hampshire. The Coast Guard reports that the men were knocked in the water, sans life jackets, after a wave came over the stern of their 18-foot boat and capsized it. New Hampshire's WMUR reports that choppy seas and a tangled trap line combined to capsize the men's 18-foot boat.

Check out FirstBoat.com's tips on boating safety, and stay tuned to the Daily Boater for more boating safety articles.

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