[Paddlewise] More on the great PFD debate

I'm a "varied" responder on the PFD issue.  I always wear when I'm
leading a trip, and always when my daughter is in the canoe with me.
However, I have been known in the heat of the summer and the depths of
the cypress swamps to paddle without one, thanks to the heat issue
combined with the relatively placid water - unless of course you bump an
alligator, but that's another issue.



Just thought I'd cloud the water a bit more with what my boss, the
safety officer who survived the Cynthia Woods sailboat disaster (other
safety officer killed, unable to escape a 38' sailboat that turned
upside down with no warning;  Steve spent 26 hours in the water with 4
student sailors until rescued by Coast Guard).  This was during a
sailboat race across the Gulf of Mexico from here in Galveston, to Vera
Cruz, Mexico.  The accident happened 60 miles offshore.  Just before
watch change about 11:30 p.m., Steve was at the helm of the boat;  two
students on watch with him;  two with the second officer down below
sleeping.  Steve wearing his inflatable PFD, and the two students on
deck also wearing theirs.  Of the two down below, both able to grab
their inflatable PFDs as the boat went over and was quickly awash;  only
seconds to realize what was going on before boat went completely upside
down in pitch black.  Of those two from down below;  one PFD inflated,
as it should have, on immersion in the water.  It was abandoned as the
student had to dive down to get out of the upside down hatch.  The
second did not inflate as it was designed to do - but the student took
it with him to the surface of the water;  where he was able to manually
inflate it.  Every safety instrument known to man was secured to the
upside-down boat - raft, flares, epirb, food and water, etc.  Waves were
6' and high winds;  they weren't able to get the equipment loose (now
several feet under water).  The 5 of them shared 4 inflatable PFDs until
spotted by Coast Guard 26 hours later.  Not a fun ride, but should they
all have been WEARING their PFDs instead of stowing while in their
bunks?  I"m afraid there would have been none escaping the boat.  And
will the surviving safety officer be wearing an EPIRB on his PFD next
cruise?  I'll bet he will be...



FWIW.  There is actually ice on the puddles again this morning here in
Galveston. BRRRRR for sure;  but we're about to go into our more usual
winter range of 60s in the daytime.  And the wind will lay down too -
Galveston Bay full of whitecaps this morning.  It won't be long until
there's good paddling again on Gulf Coast Texas.



Cheers,



Natalie Wiest

Jack K. Williams Library

Texas A&M University at Galveston
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