The latest news about Maine lakes and ponds.

Judgment Call or Lack of Judgment? Photos Unleash Debate on Life Jackets

May 14, 2008 - Last Sunday's "Outdoors" centerpiece in the Portland Press Herald sparked angry calls from boaters who were surprised to see a photograph of a paddler not wearing a life jacket.

While the paddler defends the decision, the feedback nevertheless offers an opportunity to address this public safety concern.

There are many schools of thought about safe paddling practices. The U.S. Coast Guard and kayak safety instructors generally teach one strict standard that requires paddlers to have a number of items on their body, including a life jacket.

Others choose to make their own choices within the guidelines of the law.

In Maine, an equal number of life jackets are required per the number of people on the boat, but the people are not required to wear them.

However, the Coast Guard recommends that boaters wear life jackets and steer clear of oceans and rivers when the water temperature and air temperature are both below 50 degrees -- like now.

Veteran canoe paddlers Eric and Cindy McNett argue that because of their experience and skills, they know their ability and how to handle an emergency; therefore, they do not need to wear life jackets all the time.

The McNetts were featured in Outdoors last week in a story on the evolving popularity of outrigger canoes.

Cindy McNett was photographed paddling without a personal flotation device, and Eric McNett with his life jacket unzipped.

The McNetts did not break the law. But angry paddlers called to complain about the photos, stating that they encouraged reckless behavior on the water.

''They'd have little or no chance of making it to shore if they fell in. They've won lots of races, but they're not invincible. You need to dress for the water temperature,'' said Craig Whiton of Portland, a canoe racer for 25 years.

Eric McNett said he and his wife wear their jackets based on what the water and weather conditions are like. The day they paddled their outriggers for the Maine Sunday Telegram story, the Androscoggin River was smooth as glass. And McNett said they were not reckless.

''This time of year, when the water is cold, we are conservative where we paddle. That is why we train in small rivers and also in Merrymeeting Bay,'' Eric McNett said. ''We don't venture offshore in the ocean for safety reasons.

''We know our limitations. We know all about cold weather. Conditions don't take us by surprise. We watch the weather first, so we are not surprised by some kind of front.''

In July 2004, Cindy McNett was stuck on Bangs Island in Casco Bay after fog rolled in, and she was unable to find her way in a canoe from Jewell Island to the mainland. She and other paddlers camped on the island that night before finding their way off in the morning.

McNett said she learned from that experience, and now travels with a GPS.

As for not wearing her life jacket on the Androscoggin River, Cindy McNett said she was paddling close to shore on a mild day.

''I didn't have it on that particular day, because the past two hours I was doing some hard interval training, and I just got hot,'' McNett said. ''I stowed it behind. It's just a judgment call. If I was two miles off Casco Bay, I would be wearing a life jacket. But it was a beautiful spring day, and I was with two other people.''

Other paddlers disagree.

Brunswick paddler Jim Meehan, a survival skills instructor since 1990, said you can't be too safe on the ocean or in spring conditions when the water is cold everywhere.

Meehan said in water below 50 degrees, a paddler who falls in will have just 10 minutes before they will lose use of their arms and legs and just one hour before they will lose consciousness.

Meehan said when paddlers start to get relaxed, they put themselves at risk.

''One thing you don't want to do is become comfortable with the environment. Nature rarely overlooks a mistake,'' Meehan said. ''That keeps you humble. You need to be humble.''

And members of the U.S. Coast Guard follow strict practices when boating.

They never go into water colder than 50 degrees without a dry suit or a life jacket, said Henry Otten, a machinery technician with the Coast Guard in South Portland.

''Now, each person is going to be different as far as how long they can survive,'' Otten said. ''But the colder the water, the less time you can survive.''

By Staff Writer Deirdre Fleming, Portland Press Herald, May 4, 2008.


Lakes:
Regions:


Print this story

Email this story

return to Lake News