My family has been fishing in Port Clyde or off of Port Clyde for over five generations.
I never used to wear a life jacket at all. I had an experience, and it kind of changed
my life. It was late October, early November.
Came in from fishing, unloaded my catch, went to the moor and put my boat on the hook, what
they call it. As I was coming back to get back into my boat, I think I went for the
rail, and when I pulled back like that, my hand either slipped off the rail or I didn't
have the rail. Then I found myself in the water. Immediately floated right to the surface.
I had my oil pants on, and it had a tight seal. When I brought my body, I remember I
kept bringing it up, I burped out the air. When I burped out the air, my oil pants filled
full of water. It was like an anchor, it took me to bottom. But I bet it was five seconds.
When I went down, I remember touching, and it was muddy and it was soft bottom. I
reached down, un-released the bands from my oil pants, and realized I was immediately
running out of air. I have a long rope from my skiff, and it was dangling like four inches
from my face. I grabbed that, and then I was able to pull myself up. I was very, very exhausted.
Then I started yelling.
I was on the dock nextdoor on the float
and actually waiting for my brother Gerry to get done and put his boat on the mooring,
when I heard my oldest brother say that he was in trouble.
I can remember just shutting the hoister off and walking to the forklift.
I thought I heard a noise, but I thought it was somebody hollering on the dock. Then when
I walked on into the dock closer to my boat, I could tell then it was my brother Gerry.
It was his voice. It hit me then it was him, and I looked over, and I couldn't see him.
That's when I knew he was in trouble. I could tell in his voice.
The only thing that was floating was my face. I was just tipping my face back like that,
and I was yelling and screaming. But remember like, "Wow, I'm so tired. Like I could just
fall asleep." It was almost a subdued feeling. I was like, "Man, this could be it."
We jumped into an outboard, a friend of mine, and we got around the stern of the
boat. I jumped across the deck of his boat. I watched my brother jump onto my brother
Gerry's boat before they even got to it. He said, "Don't let go of me. I won't
make it." I reached down as far as I could at the time- And I see him disappear, and we was just starting to get, we was getting closer at
that point. And one big whoosh, I see him pull him right over the side of the boat.
I was amazed. I was like, "Holy crap." I didn't even know he was in the water.
I stayed focused the whole time. I do know that. Was I ridiculously scared and concerned?
Yes, but I stayed focused, because I wanted to live. The memory stuck in my head, and
immediately I wore a life jacket on and off to that boat every day.
Since this happened, I notice he's wearing a life jacket every time he's in the skiff
or even down here around the dock, especially when he's by himself.
I have changed my ways since then personally. I skull the boat back and forth in my boat
alone all the time in the skiff. Now I wear one when I'm alone.
You need to be wearing one of these. It took me less than five seconds to being
in a good position to being in a really bad one, in a serious one that could've ended
my life. I believe there's life jackets out there
for everybody. It takes me less than a minute to put this vest on. It will take you less
than a minute to die in 30 degree water. I know I'm not going to convince a lot of people,
but if I can convince only just a few and change their lives, that would be worth it to me.