Lee Loader

I promise this will be my last "personal" thread, but I have a lot of respect for the fellers here and feel called to share a warning. My wife's grandson died yesterday in a boating accident. Near a small lake east of Mt. Shasta he and a couple friends were working and they brought their families with them as sort of a working vacation. They were all together having a few drinks and someone came up with the idea to go out on the lake in a canoe. Well, boys will be boys, and while nobody knows for sure what happened, the bodies were retrieved yesterday just after sunrise. Three young men, having a good time, somehow drowned during the night. (One of the most common reasons for small boating deaths is standing up to pee and ending up in the water without any life jackets/belts). Perhaps this is what happened and hypothermia hit them and they didn't make it to shore.Clothing often becomes a drag and extra weight when wet, so on a cold evening a jacket becomes a very poor/dangerous swimming outfit...

I've been around the water (Pacific Ocean) most of my life surfing, fishing, boating and sailing and I often think of PPDs as something someone else uses, and I was an excellent swimmer, even though to be legal I kept several on board.

I strongly urge you, whenever on a boat of any kind, even after tossing a few drinks back, to think and use a PPD. Even the best swimmers have been known to drown... Real men do wear PPDs...

MY sincere condolences to your family. This kind of tragedy is made more painful when we learn the lesson in a death of a love one. I pray your hearts be filled with joy of the season by strengthening the bonds within your family and among the friends who also loved him.

daboone wrote:MY sincere condolences to your family. This kind of tragedy is made more painful when we learn the lesson in a death of a love one. I pray your hearts be filled with joy of the season by strengthening the bonds within your family and among the friends who also loved him.

Please accept my sincerest sympathies for your loss. Having spent 35+ years in the Coast Guard I can sadly relate to your caution. Young men, drink and boating have often been a deadly combination. Sharing, as you have, I know is difficult but it may help prevent another family from experiencing a similar tragedy.

I am very sorry this happened and offer my condolences. I have several stories where a life vest saved my life, I will not share them here, now. Needless to say I agree with you 100%. Tragedy strikes when you least expect it. God bless your wife's family and yours.

Sorry to hear, Ill say a prayer for them.

I don't know what to say other than I'm truly sorry for the loss that your family has come up against. I hold your family in prayer.

mikld wrote:I promise this will be my last "personal" thread...

We, including yourself, are a group of individuals that have taken every burden another is carrying with respect and prayer.

So very sad to hear! I also spent time in the Coast Guard and know that young folks often do foolish things. My thoughts and prayers go out to your family and the family of the other young men.

Ranch Dog wrote:I don't know what to say other than I'm truly sorry for the loss that your family has come up against. I hold your family in prayer.

mikld wrote:I promise this will be my last "personal" thread...

We, including yourself, are a group of individuals that have taken every burden another is carrying with respect and prayer.

Even when we don't have any words to say in the midst of our own train wreck .