Please Wear Your PFD. Always!

We lost a fellow racer on the Chesapeake last night. He was not wearing a PFD. While it's never fair or respectful to speculate or pontificate about tragedies that befall others, there is no doubt that this should serve as a cautionary tale to the rest of us.

While I never met this man I crewed on a boat that raced against him in the same waters two weeks ago. We did two short races on a Saturday. The first race was in light winds just enough to keep the race from being canceled: the course was shortened after the first lap. The second race finished in 20 knot gusts with whitecaps. I saw two boats broach. With rookies aboard (one being me) we lost control of the kite on the second downwind run and had to blow the halyard to retrieve the sail.

Earlier that day as we worked our way down the Bay from Baltimore to the race site, the other rookie on the boat we were on asked me why I was the only one on the boat wearing a PFD. I gave her three reasons.
1. I swim like brick.
2. Since my wife knows how well I swim, my PFD keeps her from worrying.
3. You just never know.

Concerning #3, here's proof.
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi...8/05_22-60/TOP

My apologies for the lecture. Please, wear your PFD: always.

It was snotty on Weds here on the Chesapeake.

For more tales of sadness and destruction: http://forums.sailinganarchy.com/ind...topic=73000&hl

and

the front page: http://www.sailinganarchy.com/

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