“There are two types of rowing coaches: those who HAVE fallen overboard and those who WILL fall overboard. When it happens (not IF it happens) the situation can quickly become life-threatening… Give some serious consideration to having (and wearing) a rowing life jacket. Wearing mine saved my life… It might just save yours.” Mike Davenport, former Chair of US Rowing’s Safety Committee.
After John Steve Catilo drowned while coaching novices on the Potomac River in 2004, his parents — John Steve was a 20-year-old pre-med student at the University of Virginia — sued USRowing and the Alexandria Boat Club for $25,000,000. The case was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum, but from the outset John Steve’s parents made clear that they sought institutional changes to prevent another unnecessary death.
The principal result, outside of any monetary settlement, was that USRowing agreed to recommend coaches wear PFDs (a recommendation that has been widely disregarded) and use safety cut-off lanyards, and that it would maintain a commemorative page on its website in perpetuity (which also appears to have been disregarded).
The interesting thing about PFDs for coaches is that the variety to chose from is even wider than the selection for rowers. In addition to the PFDs available to rowers and the bulkier, warmer foam PFDs commonly used by kayakers and canoers), there are many jackets with integrated flotation. Here are three from Mustang Survival, Stearns, Quatic.
Three floatation jackets for coaches (from Mustang Survival, Stearns, & Quatic apparel)