Thursday’s mini heat wave might have flirted with 90-degree weather in parts of Clark County, but the Columbia River remains a brisk 50 degrees.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit patrolled the river during May Day’s record-high temperatures that drew crowds of boaters to the water — many for the first time this season.
“So, tell me about that first fall in the water: Did you gasp?” Deputy Kevin Gadaire asked a couple on a personal watercraft.
When you jump into cold water, the shock forces you to gasp. And if you’re under the surface, your lungs will fill with water. That’s when danger sets in, as the air in your lungs keeps you buoyant. The couple was wearing life jackets when they fell off the craft, and said their heads remained above water when they gasped.
Anyone wanting to swim in the waters off the Columbia River shoreline should get in slowly to acclimate the body, swim with a buddy and wear a life jacket, Gadaire recommends. He’s worried people aren’t aware of just how cold the water is and how quickly hypothermia can set in, even when the outside air temperatures are hot.
A wave of high pressure resulted in warm weather along the West Coast up to British Columbia. Pearson Field in Vancouver measured 88 degrees, breaking the previous May 1 record of 84 degrees set in 1998, according to the National Weather Service in Portland. Surrounding cities, such as Salem and Astoria, also broke temperature records.
Local temperatures are supposed to taper off through the weekend, according to the National Weather Service. Friday’s high temperature in Vancouver should reach 74 degrees, while Saturday is forecast at 62 degrees and rainy.
Thursday’s unusual weather jump-started the recreational boating season. Many of the boaters stopped by the sheriff’s office had onboard all of the required life jackets, but they were newly bought — still in the wrapper.
“They need to be readily accessible,” said Deputy James Naramore, who piloted the boat. ?At the start of the season, boat batteries die because people haven’t been trickle charging them through the winter. Trickle charging also makes the battery last longer.
Even if boaters fully charge the battery right before heading out on the water, it might fail and not restart with a jump.
Being in a boat that’s dead on the water can be hazardous. Several summers ago, Gadaire said, there was a personal watercraft dead on the water and a barge heading its way. The barge blasted its horn five times, a warning signal to get out of the way.
Gadaire was able to hook the smaller craft and pull it in before the barge came through. Larger vessels, such as barges, aren’t able to stop quickly.
When the water level is still high, there are pilings just above the water’s surface known as “dead heads.” A boater who doesn’t see one of these hazards and drives over it risks ripping the piling through the boat.
An off-duty Clark County Fire & Rescue firefighter was out on the river when a thick rope that was floating on the river got caught in the propellers of his boat. The sheriff’s office towed his disabled boat back to the Marine Park boat launch as a professional courtesy. They don’t typically tow boats unless there’s a medical issue or the boat’s in danger of running aground. Getting towed on the river can cost about $400 or more.
The best way to avoid it is to have one person driving the boat and another person looking out for debris and pilings.
While docking, Gadaire and Naramore noticed a man on a personal watercraft with registration that expired six years ago. He also didn’t carry a boater education card, which was evident because he didn’t have the kill-switch attached while using the craft. This means if he fell off, the craft would keep going. That’s the sort of thing covered in the test for the card.
Gadaire, who’s been with the Marine Unit for eight years, said he can spend hours at the dock addressing expired registration and registration numbering issues, before even getting out on the water. Still, he said, as the state requires more people to carry boater education cards, more people seem prepared on the water. More people seem to be wearing life jackets, too, he said.
If you’re caught without enough life jackets onboard for everyone, it automatically results in a ticket, along with citations for boating under the influence, reckless boating and not having a boater education card.
