Not Safe Boating

[MBLMIKE]

Something else to think about if your going out early I copied this from a article on line

You’ve heard our tips on how to be safe when out boating on Cold Water; but sometimes things happen, and you can find yourself in a bad situation.

Unless you’ve directly experienced it before, it’s hard to imagine what being immersed in cold water actually feels like.

For example, it is a common misunderstanding that if you fall into cold water you can die from Hypothermia in a matter of minutes. The truth is, it can be upwards of 30 minutes to 1 hour before a person can die from Hypothermia.

There are a few physiological stages that occur before Hypothermia sets in:
Cold Water Shock Response – This is due to the rapid cooling of the skin and creates uncontrollable breathing or gasping that can last 1-2 minutes. Drowning can occur during this phase if your head goes under the surface and water is inhaled into the lungs. This is one of many benefits of wearing a life jacket.
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Cold Water Incapacitation – This can occur any where from 5 – 15 minutes from falling into the water. The body is preserving it’s warmth and is restricting blood flow to the extremities (arms and legs). With the reduction of blood flow the muscles and nerves are not functioning well and you will loose any meaningful movement of them. Once this occurs you will not be able to keep your head above water and the only thing to keep you afloat will be a life jacket..

[limitlypps]

one spring I hit three dead heads, took out 2 stern drives, and even witnessed a picnic table floating a mile offshore, so don't try to be a hero. be smart and go it slowly

[slimshady]

one spring I hit three dead heads, took out 2 stern drives, and even witnessed a picnic table floating a mile offshore, so don't try to be a hero. be smart and go it slowly

A good buddy of mine hit a pipe that was just below the surface a few years ago and his 200 HP V-Max ended up in his passenger seat. No joke. Had anyone been fishing with him at the time, they would have likely been dead. Totaled the boat, but he was fine.

It happened on Lake St. Clair when a dredging barge was working about 500 yards from the Harley-Ensign boat ramp, they were pumping the sludge back to land through the pipe. There were no bouys or markers warning that the pipe was there. Another boat went through the area right before him and didn't have any issues, so he went through as well. As they pumped the pipe would rise and fall depending on how much stuff was going through it. The boat before just got lucky and timed it right. When he talked to the Coast Guard about it, they said he wasn't the first to hit it, so it is crazy that they didn't have it marked when he went through.