Water safety: Going down with the ship

[The Patriot]

I have owned at least six boats since I was 15. None of these were big boats, mind you; just 19 feet or less. Being that I'm very safety conscious, I've taken my share of boating courses and always carry more than the minimum requirement of protective gear whenever I go out on the water. I also always leave a float plan. It's nothing fancy - just a piece of notebook paper with the names of my passengers, where I intend to launch, where I am going, the type of vessel and my expected time of return. I have two VHF radios, one of which is a backup, and added an extra bilge pump on my boat as an additional safety precaution. I also have extra life preservers on board at all times. Unfortunately, as I learned firsthand, not all boat owners are as serious about safety.

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