By Petty Officer 3rd Class Nicole J. Groll
"If there was no Coast Guard, we wouldn't be here, we definitely wouldn't," said Rebecca McAllister in a phone interview with WGME.
Rebecca McAllister and her mother were visiting Maine from Pennsylvania in the beginning of July. They went out on their kayak to look at seals when waves started crashing over them. The area they were stranded in was treacherous and rocky; the boat crew from Coast Guard Station Boothbay Harbor could not get to Rebecca and her mom. An aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod was launched. Hours later, the kayakers were each lifted up in a basket into the helicopter with the help of a Coast Guard rescue swimmer.
Taking about 30 seconds to put on a life jacket before going out on the water can save a life, because no one goes out on the water intending never to see their loved ones again.
Kayaking, canoeing, and paddle boarding are some recreational sports New Englanders enjoy in the summer, but just like any other water activity, planning and safety measures need to be considered and implemented.
“Since October 2015, 29 recreational boaters died, 18 of those deaths were paddle craft users,” said Walter Taylor, First Coast Guard District’s recreational boating safety coordinator. “The fatalities were due to not wearing a life jacket, capsizing or falling overboard.”
Chris Stec is the chief operating officer for the American Canoe Association and an avid paddle boarder. Stec makes sure he has the right type of board for the right body of water, like a touring board for a lake.
“I always have my leash attached to me, and I always wear a life jacket,” said Stec.
Similar to a surf board, paddle boards have leashes to attach to the paddler’s body. Stec said he also wears a waist pack life jacket, which inflates when he pulls a cord. It allows him maximum mobility while paddling. Other types of life jackets include suspenders which can be auto or self-inflating or those designed specifically for kayakers.
“Life jackets are good for canoeing, kayaking and paddle boarding,” he said.
Stec also has a radio and waterproof cell phone, checks the tides and weather forecast, and files a float plan by telling someone where he is going and when he plans to be back before he ever heads out on the water.
Stec isn’t the only expert who stresses the value of paddle craft safety. Mark Jacobson, the manager of Charles River Canoe and Kayak, rents out recreational water crafts and takes the safety of his customers incredibly seriously.
Jacobson said every customer must take a safety exam and receive explicit safety instructions before renting any equipment. Jacobson added, each renter is fitted with a life jacket and must sign an agreement to wear it at all times while on the water.
Employees also monitor the weather, which every person going to enjoy a day on the water should do. Charles River Canoe and Kayak advises their customers to pull off onto the shore and wait out a storm if caught in it, which is good advice for all people on the water.
Being on the water in Boston Harbor is different than being on the Charles River, Jacobson said. You need to have a better skill level on the craft to navigate the harbor than the calmer waters of the river.
If something goes wrong on the water the only way the Coast Guard and other rescue agencies will be called is if your loved ones sound the alarm or you call it in yourself with a handheld VHF radio.
When the Coast Guard receives a report of an unmanned and adrift paddle craft, it is automatically treated as a possible person in the water. It is all hands on deck as the boats and aircraft are launched for a full out search.
“The more information the Coast Guard has, the better we are able to find you,” said Brian Fleming, a command duty officer at Coast Guard Sector Boston. “Put an ‘If Found’ sticker on your craft with all the information filled out so we can call the contact information and find out if you are really in distress or you just need your equipment returned to you.”
Fleming also recommends paddle craft enthusiasts carry pen flares, a whistle and/or mirror and get a handheld submersible VHF radio, so if you capsize, there’s a good chance you can still signal for assistance or help.
A few easy ways for people to be safe on the water and reduce the number of paddle craft fatalities is to take some boating safety classes from the Coast Guard Auxiliary. These classes are good places to pick up ‘If Found’ stickers and receive a free boat safety inspection. Their website, www.cgaux.org, even allows an individual to enter in their zip code in order to find the nearest class to them.
For those tech savvy paddlers who can’t leave their phone at home or in the car, the Coast Guard has a free smart phone app, available for any operating system called ‘United States Coast Guard.’ It allows people to file float plans, review safety equipment, request a safety check, and more.
“It's not that I want to discourage people to go out on their paddle craft, I just want everyone to come home safely,” said Capt. Byron Black, chief of prevention for the First Coast Guard District. “I've seen too many preventable deaths."
The Coast Guard urges boaters to wear a life jacket, check the weather, have the right safety gear, dress for the water temperature, and tell someone where you are going and when you will return, take a boating class and display an ‘if found’ sticker. It can mean the difference between coming home or never seeing your loved ones again.
Edward Brackett was an experienced kayaker in Maine who did not make it home to his wife. A storm blew up out of nowhere while he was giving a tour with two other kayakers in the ocean. Even though Brackett was wearing a life jacket, he was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt while transiting 53 degree waters. His kayak capsized and hypothermia claimed his life.
“It’s not the first time kayakers have gotten in trouble around here," said Mike Hunt, one of the fisherman who assisted in the search efforts for the missing kayakers back in June in an interview with BDN Maine.
Too many paddle craft enthusiasts have died due to a lack of safety equipment and not wearing a life jacket. Too many families are sitting down to dinner with an empty chair at the table because a loved one was taken from them. Take the first step to ensure you come home to your family and wear a life jacket; they are even fashionable these days.