Whereas we haven”t yet had the usual storms, it could happen any day. Clear Lake is known for bad weather during the winter months, which provides the perfect ingredient for a disaster when fishing or boating. With water temperatures currently holding at 45 degrees, the survival time for someone tossed into Clear Lake is less than 30 minutes. After that hypothermia sets in and possible drowning occurs.
It”s amazing the number of fishermen and boaters who don”t wear a life vest when out on the water. More than once I have seen fishermen head out onto the lake in a small boat with no one wearing life vests. They often don”t even have live vests in the boat. And it”s not just the small boaters who can get into trouble. A lone fisherman fishing from the front of a bass boat can easily slip and fall into the water. If he/she isn”t wearing a life vest it could spell real trouble. In fact, wearing a life vest is so important that all the bass tournament organizations have a rule stating you must wear a life vest whenever the big motor is running or you will be disqualified from the tournament.
Statistics have shown that more than 70 percent of drowning victims weren”t wearing life vests. This is amazing considering winter storms are common, especially on Clear Lake. We are fortunate that we have very few drownings on Clear Lake even though it”s a very large lake and at times there are dozens of speed boats on the lake, especially during a bass tournament.
There have been some close calls. A few years ago a well-known local duck hunter fell out of his boat and he wasn”t wearing a life vest. Luckily for him the unmanned boat made a large circle and he managed to grab the boat as it went by. He climbed back into the boat and to safety. If the boat hadn”t came by he would have certainly drowned.
A boat can capsize in minutes. I know this because 35 years ago I and two duck hunting companions went down and had to be rescued after spending more than eight hours in the frigid water. The accident occurred in the flooded Yolo Bypass near Sacramento. The bypass had flooded due to heavy rains and was loaded with ducks and geese. We decided to take my friend”s 16-foot aluminum boat and go duck hunting. In addition to the three hunters we had several dozen decoys and a Labrador retriever.
We launched the boat at daylight and heading to an island two miles away. The water was calm but with a fast current and the air temperature was just above freezing. Halfway to the island a strong north wind suddenly came up and there were whitecaps on the water. We knew that we could never reach the island and decided to change course and head for a row of trees. As we neared the trees, suddenly a massive wave washed over the boat tossing us all in the water. Foolishly we weren”t wearing life vests and in fact had on hip boots. In a matter of seconds the boat was gone and we were struggling in the water. Luckily we managed to swim to a pair of trees and climbed up high enough to be just out of the water.
By then the wind was roaring and not another boat was in sight. We clung to the trees and yelled for help. After more than six hours a small boat with a hunter appeared. The hunter attempted to rescue one of my hunting companions, but as soon as my companion got into the hunter”s boat a wave swamped the boat. They ended swimming nearly a mile to an island where they flagged down another boat, the one that finally rescued us. That particular day two other hunters drowned in the flooded bypass. We were extremely lucky.
That episode taught me valuable lesson. I never go out in a boat without wearing a life vest and knowing the weather forecast.
Many people don”t like to wear a life vest because they”re often bulky and uncomfortable. However, modern technology has come to the rescue of boaters. Some of the most popular life vests on the market are the ones that automatically inflate if you”re tossed into the water. That way even if you”re knocked unconscious you will float. These are lightweight vests and can be worn throughout the day in comfort. They cost about $120 and are well worth the price. They are Coast Guard approved and most of the bass fishermen use these type of vests. There are other types of approved life vests that are also effective, but none of them will work unless you wear them.
