A Fishing Tale
While walking the dog near the Lake Champlain this morning I spoke with a couple of fishermen who were coming off the slushy, crusty ice with no fish to show for their effort. Their sled was built from a sheet type sliding sled and a plastic box. It is compact, light and manoeuvrable. I asked if they had ever used the life ring.
The owner of the sled said he started carrying the ring about four years ago. The first day out with it was on a cold day on Shelburne Bay. He heard someone hollering for help and spotted a fishermen that had fallen through while trying to cross a pressure ridge. A closer fishermen appeared to be hesitant to go to the mans aid(1) so he headed over with the ring and got the man out quickly. About that time someone else showed up on a quad and took the wet fisherman back to shore.
In addition to being effective for rescuing fishermen he commented that it makes a nice seat cushion.
Bob February 22, 2014
Comment (1): A throw ring is a particularly good addition to a fishing sled. As is described in the 2013 fatalities report, rescuing someone without a rope or something to extend to them is often unsuccessful, all too often resulting in a double fatality when the rescuer trys to pull the victim out from the side of the hole and ends up in the water to. The ring can provide substantial flotation and it can be arm gripped which are advantages over a throw rope.