What a crazy summer it has been this year; river was too low, then too high, no rain and then too much rain, that’s life!

Yesterday I had a few situations where I was transporting kayakers who owned their owned kayaks yet didn’t bring a life vest or a flotation device.  Michigan State law requires you have a life jacket or some flotation device in your kayak with you for each person in the kayak.  I hope I didn’t upset my customers as I required they follow the law.  The river is and was running fast Saturday, July 17.

Furthermore in both situations there we children in the group.  So what is the message that the adult sends to the children when they require they wear a life vest but you don’t?  Even if it isn’t your child ….. what message are you/we (the adults) sending?

I say all this as yesterday ,Saturday, late afternoon a group of kayakers left D Ave.  It was an adult with I think up to 4 young boys.  They were not associated with our business but I am sharing this story to make a point.  It seems the group got in the river and somewhere along the way one of the boys fell out of his kayak and keep floating down the river!  The Plainwell Police stopped by the Kayak Barn as at the time they didn’t know if they were customers of mine and were trying to figure out where the kids might be floating.  This story has a good ending as one of the police or sheriffs were able to catch the boy quite a ways down the river.  The 14 year old did not have a life vest on; I am told he did have a life vest in his kayak.  That young man was fortunate that he was rescued.  I wonder why he didn’t have on his life vest, who set the example for that 14 year old.

Kayaking can be fun but it can be dangerous.  Please wear your life vest!