(Old Fat) Man Overboard

[Stan Wright]

(Old Fat) Man Overboard

As a lifeguard, I use to tell people, "If you don't want to get wet, don't go around the water." If you're around boats long enough, you will fall overboard. Doesn't take much.
A miss step, someone rocks the boat, trolling motor was on FULL when you thought it was on LOW, your fishing buddy sets the hook and backs right into you.... SPLASH.

I was teaching my grand daughter to cast a spinning rod at the time. She put a little too much into her cast and went into the water. I think she was more surprised than scared. She quickly swam to the boat. The #1 Rule in Boating Safety... LEARN HOW TO SWIM.

In trying to pull a 45 pound kid into the boat, I realized there is no way I could get an adult back into the boat. Then I remembered my last "Swim Test" at Scout Camp a few years ago.... You may think you're in good shape, but believe me we're not as young as we use to be (or think we are) It would be all I could do to swim back to the boat... NO WAY that I could get back aboard by myself. It's very difficult to swim when you have your shoes and all your clothes on. I figure that all I could do is hang on and drift into shallow water.

Then there is the... What If... I hit my head on the boat or a log as I fell overboard?
Or had a heart attack and fell into the water?

Now days, when ever I fish alone I always wear a life jacket. One of those kind that inflates when it hits the water. I am seriously thinking of getting one of those fold down steps that attaches to the stern. Remember, it's not a matter of "If your going to fall off the boat... it's when."

[bobbyg]

Good advice Stan!

By the way, that picture is indeed worth a thousand words!!!

Bob

[tlerm]

Wow, it's really raining hard in that picture!

[Stan Wright]

Yes it was raining... all morning. But when your grand daughter calls and wants to go fishing.... what can you say? LOL

[MontanaMoose]

Very informative post Stan Wright, thank you and yep, great lookin' kid and a happy camper grandad !

Cheers,

MontanaMoose

[Grubb]

Its a very good reminder of the fact that we may have thought about it, that ain't doing it, if you'v never tried to pull someone out of water then you may not understand the post. We can think we have already thought it threw but actually doing it is a brand new education. The picture (whitch is very cool, a good day fishing with Grandpa!) Does also show the size of the little girl this big guy was pulling out of the water into the boat...

[Fatman]

Great advice and GREAT PICTURE!!!!!!!!

[thudpucker]

Another good idea for the old fat man who flipped his old wooden Row boat.
A live preserver that will inflate by itself and keep his head and face above the water.
This poor old guy did something wrong, he flipped the boat , and as he went into the water, the oncoming Gunn'l whacked him on his head!
Just as his head went under, he was stunned. He came up under the boat.
He'd have been OK with that. But the bottom of the boat was losing air fast and the 'headroom' under the boat was sinking fast and wound up just at the surface. He was OK, rescued pretty quickly by other Fly Fisher's.
If the blow had made him unconsious, or the water might have been cold enough to stun his thinking, the 'Head's up' style of inflatable might have helped him bob to thte surface. (Maybe he would have held the boat afloat eh?)

He lost everything in the boat though.