Recently, I posted a picture of my four-year-old daughter fishing from a dock in Ballard. One reader left this comment:
please consider always having small kids wear life vest when at docks or near boats.
The reader makes a good point. The Coast Guard reports that 90% of drowning victims are not wearing PFDs, which really emphasizes the necessity for each of us to carefully consider the PFD guidelines we’ll use aboard our boats. What’s your PFD protocol?
In response to the reader’s comment, let me clarify that actually, I have considered always having small kids wear life vests when at docks or near boats. I’ve considered it carefully. I’ve also considered always having adults wear life vests when at docks or near boats.
But I have concluded that it’s much more reasonable to usually have small kids wear life vests at docks and near boats, and always have both children and adults wear life vests aboard vessels while underway.
My decision is the result of a basic cost/benefit analysis weighing overboard fall risk, convenience, risk of forgetting PFDs at home, the additional danger of wrangling kids in a parking lot while putting on or taking off PFDs, etc.
The PFD protocol for our family looks like this: PFDs are stored aboard the boat, so they are always present for outings. They are worn by children from the moment we get aboard the boat and at all times while moving around on boats or docks, until we get back to our home moorage and leave them on the boat. Adults wear PFDs while underway, from before we cast off until after the boat is secured at each destination.
In the case of this fishing photo, we happened to be in Ballard, the sun happened to come out, we both happened to be interested in playing with our new fishing gear, which happened to be in the truck with us. No PFDs were in the vehicle at the time, but it didn’t make sense not to go fishing.
What’s your PFD Protocol? Share yours in the comments section.
5 responses so far ↓
Richard Rodriguez // Jan 14, 2008 at 2:29 pm
Good Stuff Tim,
I always wear mine on the rescue boat. It makes a point and it is a lot easier to ask folks to put theirs on if I’m doing the same.
Richard
Laureen // Jan 15, 2008 at 2:15 pm
heya!
I’ve got a five year old and a two year old, and we’re liveaboards on a 47′ catamaran. If they’re in the cockpit, no PFD required. If they set toe on the combing behind the cockpit (it’s a 1″ step up, but still with railing and lifelines to above their heads), the PFD goes on. This is while we’re underway or while we’re tied up.
I’ve never bothered with the PDF while they’re on the dock. They tend to want to hold hands, they know that if they’re going to look over the edge at something, they need to be on their bellies, and besides… they’re never on the dock alone.
One thing I think is really really important to consider, is that the PFDs most folks put their kids into are seriously uncomfortable. Those Mustang kids PFDs would drive an adult mad within minutes, so it seems really unreasonable to demand they wear them all the time. I know there are also problems (depending on your kid, natch) with offgassing of the nasty foam used in most of the cheaper PFDs.
My older boy wears an Astral “Otter” PFD, and loves it. It’s comfortable, doesn’t restrict motion, doesn’t offgas, is sturdy, and looks very very cool. (http://picasaweb.google.com/TeamHudson/SailingAndStorytelling/photo#5154767221907497250)
My younger wears a Salus, now, but will upgrade within another 5 pounds of growth or so.
I am also fascinated that in the UK, you can get kids PFDs that are comfy and easy to wear, *with* integrated harnesses, and you can’t get those in the US that I’m aware of. The dichotomy between the American paranoia about “always put them in PFDs!” and “let’s not manufacture much that’s reasonable for them to wear” just baffles me.
Woah, touched a nerve there. Maybe I better go blog on my own site…
Toast // Jan 15, 2008 at 4:14 pm
A reasonable, rational Coast Guard approved policy is that you and your children must wear a PFD at all times when in or near water.
A practical, time-tested policy for liveaboard families is to assume that no matter how much you coax, beg, cajole, implore, or even tackle them on the transom and wrestle them into the smelly things, your children will go overboard someday without. It is in their very nature. Gravity is stronger for children. So is the lure of the forbidden.
My policy on PFDs?
The Rule: You Must Wear Your PFD When Underway.
The Reality: Regularly throw your children off the bow without so much as a second thought or a backward glance. It’s a long way down, and the last thing you want is for the kid to be surprised when she hits the water.
john doe // Jan 19, 2008 at 12:55 am
We have two small kids and a sailboat. We keep kids lifevests in the car, and put them on in the parking lot. This way kids are safe to walk the docks to the boat, and stepping from the docks to the boat is safe as well.
I’ve witnessed a grown up person slip and drop between the boat and dock when climbing onboard, breaking a bone in the process. She couldn’t have climbed back on to the dock herself, luckily I was able to help her. There was a story in Yachting World some time ago where a man drowned between his boat and the dock.
In my boat kids keep their life vest always on when on deck or in the cockpit, regardless of whether the boat is moving or not. And I’m thankful for this as last summer my 1 year old was feeding ducks with bread crumbs, and fell in. It was easy to pull her back to the boat as she was happily floating, but without a life vest this would have been a life threathening situation. What if she wouldn’t have resurfaced? I also keep a dive mask and fins readily available for that unlikely situation.
When underway kids are also tethered to jackstays or strong points in the cockpit.
Only when they are inside the cabin they can take off their vests. This has been a rule, and they totally comfortable with it, and as it’s non negotiable they can’t even consider going without.
Safe Boating Week | Navagear.com // May 23, 2008 at 6:43 am
[...] said it before and I’ll say it again: Have a PFD Protocol! The Coast Guard and the Safe Boating Council seem to [...]
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