Drfit boat safety

THAT SHOULD BE DRIFT NOT DRFIT!!!! I drifted the Sandy river today with a friend I have worked with for nearly 25 years. He owns an Alumaweld boat that he has owned for several years now and he and I have fished on numerous occasions on easier drifts like Mills to Sollie. Today the east wind was really ripping up the canyon as we put in at Dabney to drift down to L&C. The wind made the whole trip a struggle from start to finish but when we were within sight of our take out going through a moderately heavy current the wind whipped the boat sideways catching my friend offguard and we very nearly capsized. I would say we came within inches of going over before the boat righted itself. Now I usually try to take a light hearted approach to my posts on this BB but this post needs to be of the serious bent. I love to drift in a boat but from now on I will have a life jacket on! In fact I will buy one tomorrow! If we had gone over we would have been in big trouble! We were wearing waders but DID NOT have our life vests on! just nearby. I'm not a strong swimmer and with the strong current,waders and no life jacket I would not be posting this tonight. My friend is not an experienced oarsman and we probably shouldn't have gone out in these conditions but if this near accident helps anyone it would be worth it.
Be Careful!!!!!

[This message has been edited by bigstew (edited 12-28-2000).]

Thanks for the reminder 'Stew! Most fishermen don't like to wear life jackets on the river. Then I strongly suggest to at least get a fashionable float coat and wear it when it's cool or cold out. When it is hot during summer steelhead fishing or sturgeon fishing you can wear one of those Stearns CO2 inflatable fishing vests over a T-shirt. Consider all you spend on fancy rods and boats, then a life savor like the above 2 items is a bargain not to pass up! - RT

[First Bite]

Wow, I bet that got your attention in a heart beat. I had a scary incident a few years back on the water that could've been tragic. Since then I have purchased a Stearns inflatable vest. The price is spendy but worth it if you really need it.

This is just a reminder to anyone that has an inflatable vest, don't forget to check it out before you head out to the river. I've had my vest for several years and have never purposely pulled the cord to test it out. I did a dry run last week and found out the CO2 cartridge was empty. I don't know how long it has been that way. I put in a spare cartridge and now I know it's ready. Be safe on thre river.
Mark

[SandySteel]

I'm right behind you bigstew. One of the presents I asked for this year was a new pfd. I got one last year but it was so bulky (type V with a big collar etc) that it was uncomfortable to wear and row or fish so I was only wearing it when I went into big water. The thing is, boating accidents usually happen when you least expect them. My wife bought me a lighter type III jacket that I don't even notice I am wearing so it will be on me 100% of the time.
About 10 years ago I started bicycling a lot and decided to wear a helmet 100% of the time. I was lucky I did as not two months after that I was struck by a car and I wound up taking the windshield out with my head. The helmet was flattened and all I got out of the deal was a stiff neck, scratches (from hitting the pavement) and a dead bicycle.

That said, I could have avoided this accident by using my brain and riding more safely but this can't protect you all of the time either on the river or on the streets.

Some other safety items to consider along with PFD's
Extra rope
Spare Oar
Throw line and bag
whistle
safety knife (attached to your PFD and only used for emergencies not cutting bait)

Do you think it's true that there are two kinds of people, those who have had a boating accident and those who will?

[rags]

Good tips you guys. I was in a driftboat on the upper Quinault a few years back and we hit a sweeper that was just under the water. It took about 5 seconds for our boat to turn sideways and flip. I went under the tree and fortunately floated up and down river and didn't get caught on any snags under the water. My buddy that was rowing jumped out as the boat was going under and safely floated to the bank. I had on a float coat my wife gave me for Christmas years ago. I also had on neoprines but was smart enough to have a wading belt on so they didn't fill up with water. Very scary experience. It happens fast and you don't have very much time to react. Having a float coat or vest is a must in a driftboat no matter what type of water you are floating.

[sgs]

bigstew,
could you go into a little more detail on exactly what happened? Was it wind against current or were you thrown off balance by the wind or? The Deschutes has scared me like that before. any fish?

It all happened so fast. I think the oarsman was not paying as much attention as he should have. The boat got turned crossways in the current and the current almost pushed us over. It was very windy and we got no fish. We saw a dead wild steelhead on the bank, who knows what happened to it.