Care In Boats

Te Ao Hou, December 1962, Page 18

Care In Boats If you use small boats you shouldn't go out when the sea is rough or the weather is threatening. Your boat should be in good condition and properly equipped. Even an outboard runabout needs oars and rowlocks, in case the motor breaks down. An anchor, rope, a spare bung, and a bailer are also essential. Everyone in a boat should wear a lifejacket. None of the 39 people drowned in accidents to small boats last year was wearing a lifejacket. They might all be alive now if they had. In another accident, youths clung to a capsized canoe and were saved. The other man tried to swim to the shore, and drowned. If a boat capsizes and doesn't sink, it is safer to cling to it than to try to swim to the shore. A man clinging to a boat will find it easier to stay afloat and will be easier for rescuers to find. The hazards of swimming in rivers were illustrated by the drowning of two teenage youths. A young girl, who had been swimming with the boys, said that one went to the middle of the river and the other to the opposite side. The youth in midstream began calling for help but the girl, thinking he was fooling, left the water and walked along the bank. When she returned both boys had disappeared. Still thinking she was being teased, the girl did not call help until more than an hour had passed.