At the AM virtual briefing this morning at the Coast Guard Sector where I serve in several capacities, the duty Command Center Search Mission Coordinator (SMC) briefed the Command Cadre on the many mishap and Search and Rescue (SAR) cases we had over the weekend. Two cases choked me up.

An 85 yo grandpa and his 8 yo son were fishing on one of the Great Lakes in my AOR. The boat sank (cause as yet undetermined). The youngster, wearing his life jacket was able to swim to shore and alert rescue forces. The grandfather's body, no lifejacket, was recovered shortly thereafter.

2nd case: A dog wearing a life jacket was found wandering the beach of the same Great Lake. Search and rescue assets were alerted and ultimately recovered the bodies of a male and female adult-no life jackets.

In my area of responsibility (AOR) no laws require adults to wear life jackets during the summer months, although both federal and state laws require children under 12(state) or under 13 (federal) to wear life jackets while on board a vessel not moored up. There are some exceptions depending on the size of the vessel and where the youngster is on the boat, but for the most part, for the kids, life jacket wear is mandatory while aboard a vessel whether or not it is underway.

When I am patrolling my AOR, much more frequently than not, I see the adults on boats without life jackets while their kids and dogs are wearing them. I do not understand why people recreating on the water with their kids (or grandkids) create a situation where if something goes terribly wrong on the water, their children are likely to go home without a parent, grandparent, or as orphans. I cannot imagine how that 8 year old is going to cope with the loss of his grandfather.

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest. Oh yeah, and put on your freaken' life jacket... PLEASE.


Regards,
Doug

Geez Doug,

That's rough. And you are 100% Right!

Be Well,
Tony

Thank you for your service Doug. I can understand your feelings I work In Healthcare. Is it the emergency beacons activities when touching water or someone calls over a radio that usually alerts you to emergencies? Do you carry a Randall while on SAR missions or training?

Thank you for your continuing service Doug.
It is great to see you posting again, even though the subject is disheartening.
Life Jackets Matter!
So do masks.
Jefferson County, CO, is now mandating wearing them outdoors in addition to indoors. But, I'm not seeing a lot of compliance.

Hey Austin.
So there is a wide variety of means by which we are alerted to persons in distress. The distressed persons themselves or a Good Sam (Good Samaritan) coming up on 16 or a cell phone is probably the most frequent method in my AOR: Lake Erie-and Western end of Lake Ontario. It's unfortunate that many recreational boaters don't have at least a portable marine radio with them.

Pyrotechnic or other visual signaling devices seen on shore or by other boaters and reported to the command center are probably the next most frequent method in my AOR.

EPIRBS (Electronic Position Indicating Radio Beacons) or PEPIRBS (Personal Electronic Position Indicating etc.) are not as common. EPIRBS usually are rigged to automatically detach from the vessel and activate if the vessel goes down. They are generally found on commercial vessels or larger recreational vessels. When the larger vessels get into trouble there is usually time for the skipper to ask for help before the vessel founders. I don't recall the last time the activation of one of those devices was the first indication of a distressed mariner. We get PEPIRB activations from time to time, but they are almost always accidental false alerts by folks who think they are testing the batteries or kids who are playing with them.

When I’m doing surface ops I always carry a standard Randall Made™ Model #15 in stainless with saw teeth. I inlaid a regulation coxswain device into the handle on the trademark side and the shop etched my name, unit number and EMPLID (Employee ID=Serial Number) on the off trademark side. The sheath is a riveted black sheath that Greg Gutcher made for me when I bought the knife from the shop.
When I am flying (aircrew) I carry a Benchmade automatic knife in my flight suit. I also carry a lime green wetsuit head covering and dye marker powder if I wind up in the drink and still alive and conscious. Our standard issue life jacket has manually operated pyrotechnics, signal strobe, and PEPIRB. The aircraft is equipped with an ELT (Electronic Locating Transmitter).

Regards,
Doug

Hey David,

Good to be reconnecting with old friends. Hope you and your family are well. Yes indeed, Life Jackets Matter a great deal. So do masks. NY had mandated them when outdoors for quite a while, yet lots of folks just can't be bothered.

I am doing all of my shooting in my back yard. My wife bought me a Colt Reproduction 2nd Model Dragoon in .45 for my birthday and I am having a blast (pun intended!) with it. Makes more smoke than bang, and because of the time it takes to reload, not to mention the effort, the neighbors are tolerating it very well. Casting the balls is kind of fun too.

Regards,
Doug

Very interesting indeed. Thank you for the all the info. I go up near Lake Ontario in upstate New York every few years to visit family friends. Stayed in Quebec City last year.