Boating safety is always a good thing to remind folks about....and I'm glad that you fared well. So many don't.

While I like fishing out of small boats, I've swamped one by moving too far forward but was lucky enough to balance quickly and only ship maybe five gallons of water over the bow. But I did see two guys in a 10-foot Livingston (a very stable twin-hulled craft) flip the boat when both moved to one corner to pull on a stuck shrimp pot.

Your call to wear a PFD at all times is something that we should heed. I'm going to be working on that myself. I wear a float coat in the winter, but usually skip the PFD in the summer. However, an inflatable is on the way and will be worn.

Most (can't remember the exact figure, but it's very high--like over 70 percent) of drownings involve males with open zippers, according to a report attributed to the Coast Guard. Many of those guys would still be alive if they'd been wearing a PFD. That kind of makes you think.