Bass on the starboard, child on the port.

Tim Goeman, Brainerd, Minnesota

Comedy and tragedy. When it comes to boating, the only difference between the two words is a life jacket. Tim Goeman, says that it was almost humorous as he recounts the day his three-year-old son fell into a Minnesota Lake. If this little boy had not been wearing his PFD, Mr. Goeman doesn’t want to think about that!

“It was an August dog day in 1987,” remembered the Brainerd, Minnesota resident. “My wife, our three-year-old and I headed out for an evening of fishing on North Long Lake just north of town. Our son had been accompanying us frequently on fishing outings since he was less than a year old. We were always careful to make sure his child’s Type I vest was worn correctly at all times.”

On this particular day Tim and his wife felt rather guilty about putting their son into his PFD. It was a very hot day, and they felt their 16-foot boat to be a very stable platform. Out of habit rather than for any other reason, the youngster went into his PFD.

“After a short run out to a promising location we turned our attention to hooking a few bass. My wife and I were fishing intently off the starboard side when we were startled by a big splash off the port side,” said Mr. Goeman. “We turned just in time to see our wide-eyed three-year-old bob to the surface. We easily pulled the frightened boy out of the water.”

“This turned out to be an almost typical outing rather than tragedy,” he commented. “In fact, we can even recount this story now in a humorous way, but you can be sure that PFDs are always worn in our boat!”