RENSSELAER, N.Y. — Sheriffs, members of the Coast Guard and more convened at the Albany Yacht Club earlier this week to urge New Yorkers to follow boat safety practices as the weather warms.
“We talk about this every year because it’s important, especially for those that go out every year on these waters,” Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa said at the Thursday morning press conference. “The horror stories that we hear when people don’t do simple things that can save so many lives out here on this river.” With the marina behind them and a slew of life jackets at the bottom of the podium, speakers walked through the threats and precautions boaters can and should take on the water.
A personal boater himself, Figueroa said much of the tips they touched on were simply about being prepared. Every speaker emphasized life jackets or personal flotation devices as one of the easiest and most important ways to keep everyone on or near the water safe. Drowning, said Alexi Howland Director of Marine Services at the NYS Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Office, is still one of the leading causes of death in the state.
“While we can’t say for certain how many lives were saved through the wearing of a life jacket, we can certainly see the potential consequences of not wearing one,” she said. “One fatality is one too many.” Sheriff Craig DuMond, president of the New York State Sheriffs’ Association, said 83% of drowning fatalities in 2022 were not wearing.
