Coast Guard to winter boaters: Wear life jackets

LYNN-Kayakers, canoeists, commercial lobstermen and duck hunters in small skiffs are frequent sights between Lynn Harbor and Massachusetts Bay despite plummeting water temperatures.The U.S. Coast Guard’s regional office in Boston is advising these and other mariners to use caution and wear a life jacket at all times.Although the summer boating season is already past, boating fatalities continue to rise statewide.Since Labor Day there have been 12 boating fatalities, bringing the total to 57 deaths in New England since January. Of those deaths, only nine victims were wearing a life jacket.”Boaters should be prepared for sudden cold-water immersion,” said Lynn resident Al Johnson, the recreational boating safety specialist for the Coast Guard’s Northeast First District. “Your first level of protection is simply wearing a life jacket, and with the cold water temperature, you should consider wearing a wet or dry suit as well.”According to Johnson, simply having a life jacket on board isn’t enough – it needs to be worn. “Once in the water, it becomes nearly impossible to put a life jacket on,” said Johnson. “You are fighting to just stay above the surface.”Hypothermia isn’t the only concern in a case of cold-water immersion.”If you aren’t wearing a life jacket, your chances of drowning are greater than those of becoming hypothermic,” he said. “Immersion in cold water causes a powerful, involuntary gasp reflex and if not wearing a life vest, a person in the water may take this breath underwater and drown.”In addition to wearing a life jacket, boaters should also have a signaling kit that includes a signaling mirror, flares, whistle, light, and a VHF radio.”Always wear a life vest. Let someone know where you are, and know what to do if you fall in the water,” said Johnson. “Attitude, training and preparation can save your life.”