I have frequently written that there are two types of boaters who put themselves and others in harm’s way. One is the novice who buys a boat and ventures out without the benefit of experience or a safe boating class. The other is the highly experienced boater that is so comfortable on the water that he becomes careless. Hurricane Sandy recently had to deal with an example of each, and as usual, Mother Nature won.

The first instance involved a small craft with two persons aboard. The two ventured out for a day’s fun, playing in the high waves. When they failed to return at the anticipated time, friends and family grew concerned and sent out a distress call to the authorities. After a lengthy search, the Coast Guard found the two standing on top of pilings, which were all that remained from a recently departed pier. Their small craft was capsized and floating nearby. These two ventured out in the face of small craft warnings and learned the hard way exactly why the warnings were out. Our fine U.S. Coast Guard had to leave their mission of guarding the homeland and risk their lives to rescue two thoughtless boaters.