2008 PFD Survivor -Doug Welsh In August 2007, Doug Welsh was floating the McKenzie River in his new pontoon boat. What happened next only took seconds...the boat broke apart and Doug found himself in the water, and was sucked into a strainer. He's here today because he wore his life jacket.
This is the Marine Board's fourth year highlighting someone saved by a life jacket.
Boating Under the Influence (BUII) Campaign
The BUII campaign has been in place for over a decade. This campaign uses billboard, transit, radio and television public service announcements to get the message out to boaters to "Boat Safe, Boat Sober."
Boaters also report that their boating experiences are negative when everyone around them is drinking. The Marine Board receives calls about loud music, discourteous and rude behavior that takes away from the entire boating experience. This is why we have a strong law enforcement presence on the water and a boating under the influence campaign.
Research has also shown that as little as four hours of exposure to sun, wind, glare, vibration and other motion on the water produces "boater's hypnosis," a kind of fatigue that slows reaction time almost as much as if a person were drunk. Ever spend several hours on a boat and feel like your balance was off when you come back to shore? Imagine also having alcohol in your system! Medical testing has shown that one beer consumed on a boat has the same effect as consuming threebeers on land!
Remember to Boat Safe, Boat Sober.
Page updated: October 01, 2009
Adobe Reader is required to view PDF files. Click the "Get Adobe Reader" image to get a free download of the reader from Adobe.
In August 2007, Doug Welsh was floating the McKenzie River in his new pontoon boat. What happened next only took seconds...the boat broke apart and Doug found himself in the water, and was sucked into a strainer. He's here today because he wore his life jacket. 
