May 25, 2009 — Wearing life vests, also called personal flotation devices, was the theme for Monday's Safe Boating Week celebration at Hawksnest Beach on St. John, and U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary members and Planning and Natural Resources Department officers were on hand to reinforce that message.
"If your kids are 17 and under, they have to wear a life vest," said Planning Enforcement Ofc. Elvis Petersen.
Petersen, busy flipping hot dogs on a huge grill, said the first time he spots a boater with kids on board sans life vest, the boater gets a warning and information about the 17-and-under law. The next time, he said, they face a $1,000 fine for each child on board not wearing a life vest.
The law doesn't extend to those over 17, Petersen said, so it's legal for adults to go boating without wearing life vests. But not smart, several people at the event said.
"The majority of accidents are drowning," said C.C. Kreglo, the Coast Guard Auxiliary's territory-wide division vice captain. "If you have a life jacket on, you'll survive."
He pointed out that while people may say they don't go in the water, accidents happen and people may end up getting wet when they hadn't planned to. A good example is people who venture out on shoreline rocks to look for whelks: One slip and they're in the water.
"And they can hit their head," he said.
Kreglo showed off the survival kits the Auxiliary put together to give to fishermen. In other locations, he said, fishing boats are usually around 65 feet long, but in the Virgin Islands most are only about 17 feet. This puts the fishermen at risk when the engine breaks down and they start to drift.
The survival kits contain smoke canisters and flares to alert other boaters or rescue agencies as to their location, survival suits and blankets, water, food, a whistle and other useful equipment. The Auxiliary plans to include a long piece of yellow tape similar to that used at crime scenes, as well as balloons, so fishermen can stream them out behind the boat to make finding it easier, Kreglo said.
Kreglo placed a value of $500 on each kit.
On the other islands, Auxiliary members have handed them out at fishermen's meetings. But there are so few fishermen on St. John, Kreglo said, they plan to seek them out individually.
Drunk boating is also an issue, several people said.
"You're not supposed to operate a boat under the influence," Petersen said.
Planning and the Auxiliary distributed coloring books and safe-boating pamphlets to those who stopped by for the event. They included the Lord's Army from St. Thomas, a youth group fresh from braving the mosquitoes at Cinnamon Bay Campground.
"It's always good to keep kids safe, and this shows them the safe way to boat," chaperone Kernis Akers said.
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