Perhaps the most painful aspect of a missing boater is that loved ones will never know what really happened. Perhaps even more painful for loved ones is the lifejacket question- would the person have been saved had he or she worn a life jacket? It is a question that can haunt loved ones for years- if not a lifetime.

Boaters foolish enough to go out on Lake Michigan alone without wearing a life jacket take an awful risk of drowning should they fall overboard. And should they go overboard and their boat drifts off or motors away, their fate is almost certainly sealed, especially if the fall overboard occurs well off-shore. Even with other boaters around the chances of survival are slim and made even slimmer by the age and health of the person and whether nearby boaters saw the person fall over.

Over the last year I know of three overboard cases on Lake Michigan (I was involved in two of the searches) that claimed five lives. One involved a father and his two young daughters. In all three cases, the victims were separated from their boat and were not wearing life jackets. The most recent case occurred several weeks ago off White Lake, Michigan. A fisherman, age 59, aboard a 20-foot Hydro Sport fishing craft disappeared without a clue.

The boat was last seen by a fisherman around 10.30 a.m. on Monday, Aug 21, approximately five to seven miles off White Lake. The weather at the time called for 10-knot winds, four-foot seas with air and water temperatures at 68 degrees.

The Coast Guard began searching the area on Tuesday afternoon after the fisherman’s daughter expressed concern about her father’s whereabouts. By Wednesday afternoon, the search had expanded all the way across the lake to Milwaukee and involved Coast Guard helicopters, surface rescue units, a 140-foot icebreaker, a four-engine C-130 Canadian aircraft, and Coast Guard C-130. What had searchers baffled was that the search, conducted under ideal conditions, did not provide a single clue. A brief but violent storm struck the area Tuesday afternoon, but even if the vessel had fallen prey to the storm, according to the boat manufacturer, the vessel was made to withstand heavy seas. If the vessel did capsize, it was designed to stay afloat with a large portion of the vessel remaining out of the water.

Family members reported that the captain was an experienced and cautious boater in excellent health with a well-equipped boat, but he was not prone to wearing a life jacket.

So where was the boat? What happened? The former question was answered Thursday afternoon when authorities in Milwaukee located the boat beached just north of Milwaukee harbor. Its electric kicker motor was still engaged with two down riggers set trailing 200-feet of line; all four life jackets that it normally carried were still aboard. The distance from its last reported position off White Lake to Milwaukee is 70 nautical miles. Coast Guard air and surface units continued their search off White Lake for the captain until Friday when the search was suspended. In all, the search consumed about 1,100 man-hours, covered over 1,000 square miles, and shut down boat crews at Station Ludington, Muskegon, Grand Haven and Air Station Muskegon because of fatigue. That heavy strain on the rescue system, however, pales in comparison to the strain placed on loved ones regarding the missing captain.

As to what happened, we will never really know except for the clues the boat offered. That his trolling kicker motor was still engaged and his down riggers set suggests that he could’ve been landing a fish when he fell overboard. There is one factor, however, that seems certain, he was not wearing a life jacket.

Believe me, my heart goes out to the family. Those who read my column regularly know how I feel about wearing life jackets, especially on small boats, and especially if a boater is alone. Understandably, some boaters find life jackets uncomfortable and even intrusive. No one understands this more than I who, along with a bullet proof and pyrotechnic vest, wear a life jacket, which I do without complaint. I’ve written too many Boat Smart columns like this one to even think about complaining.

Let me suggest to those who scoff at life jackets, especially those who find them intrusive, that there are some nifty inflatable life jackets on the market that are so user friendly that some boaters claim they don’t even know they’re wearing them. What a great gift for a boater from a loved one who wants insurance against never being haunted by the ‘what happened’ curse.

Boat Smart, don’t become an unanswered question, wear a life jacket- if but for the sake of your loved ones. Note: Over the Labor Day weekend Coast Guard Group Grand Haven boat crews were involved in two search and rescue cases that involved three boating fatalities (drownings). In both cases, the victims were separated from the boat and were not wearing life jackets.

Boat Smart is now on the Internet: www.boatsmart.net (includes Lake Michigan water temperatures and local weather).

Use channel 16 for emergencies, and channel 9 for calling fellow boaters.