How many safety issues can you spot in these photos?

I encountered this group on Lindbergh Lake on July 3rd: two men, one woman, one kid, and two puppy dogs in a grossly overloaded canoe and two vinyl pool toys.  How many safety issues can you spot in these pictures?  For starters, I should not have been maneuvering that close to them, because the wake from my kayak could have swamped the canoe.

They're going to be drinking way too fast if they want to consume all that beer before their ice runs out. An expedition like this requires a super-cooler.

At least the kid's in a lifejacket. I hope they made it wherever they were going.


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They have added pool noodles to the railing of the canoe for added flotation, they're going to just fine.   

Darwin at its finest, at least they brought the bow and case, just a question is bow hunting open there right now?

They have added pool noodles to the railing of the canoe for added flotation, they're going to just fine.   

I saw the photos and was going to write exactly this.....  I've been on this forum too long.

Darwin at its finest, at least they brought the bow and case, just a question is bow hunting open there right now?

Big game bow hunting is not currently open in Montana, and archery fishing isn't legal on Lindbergh Lake.  I think they brought the bow along for entertainment and practice.  There is a foam target on top of the coolers in the rear pool float.

They have added pool noodles to the railing of the canoe for added flotation, they're going to just fine.   

I saw the photos and was going to write exactly this.....  I've been on this forum too long.

 

They have added pool noodles to the railing of the canoe for added flotation, they're going to just fine.   

I saw the photos and was going to write exactly this.....  I've been on this forum too long.

My guess is that the pool noodles were added to protect the gunwales of that heirloom Grumman from being scratched by the paddles.  If they were trying to add flotation, they would have used bigger pool noodles, and they would have covered the entire length of the gunwales.  And they would have found a way to attach the pool noodles to the gunwale, so they wouldn't just pop off if the canoe flipped.

Can you imagine the carnage which would result if that extremely top-heavy canoe tipped over?  Two guys and two dogs with no PFDs, and one kid with a pfd, would end up in the water.  The gal would probably try to get the kid and dogs onto her pool float.  While much of the gear in the canoe was probably somewhat buoyant, it would have been tough for the two guys to right the canoe, and if they did right it, the gunwales would probably have ended up at or below the surface of the water, making bailing impossible.

The guys did seem worried about the stability of the canoe.  While I was there, a motorboat went by several hundred yards away.  Well before the small wake arrived, they stopped paddling and turned the canoe so its bow was facing the approaching wake.

They have added pool noodles to the railing of the canoe for added flotation, they're going to just fine.   

I saw the photos and was going to write exactly this.....  I've been on this forum too long.

My guess is that the pool noodles were added to protect the gunwales of that heirloom Grumman from being scratched by the paddles.  If they were trying to add flotation, they would have used bigger pool noodles, and they would have covered the entire length of the gunwales.  And they would have found a way to attach the pool noodles to the gunwale, so they wouldn't just pop off if the canoe flipped.

Ya think?   

The cannon and archery equipment make it sound like the only thing missing was banjo music?  You were brave (?) to be so close, regardless of the size of your wake, lol.

Darwin makes a note in his book, soon.
Did the gal get short straw and end up in the caboose?

I'm pretty sure that before there were roads or powerboats, this was a common sight in the NW.  Only, the cargo would have been beaver pelts and the crew would be wearing canvas or buckskin.

-Mark-

I'm pretty sure that before there were roads or powerboats, this was a common sight in the NW.  Only, the cargo would have been beaver pelts and the crew would be wearing canvas or buckskin.

-Mark-

was Sacajawea banished to a floatie tube? 

If I learned anything while playing The Oregon trail:

If you're about to ferry across the river...Expect at least one snake bite and a mild case of dysentery.

They got lucky.