Hoofer classes promote education, prevention

It was an accident waiting to happen: Two people fishing from a canoe, only 25 feet from shore, with a puppy on board. They didn’t have any life vests or floatation devices aboard. And one of the guys couldn’t swim.

Details: For information on Hoofer boating or sailing classes, call 262-7351, 262-1630 or visit: http://www.hoofers.org.

Though it was nice for mid-April, with temperatures in the 60s, the water was considerably cooler. The good news is that when the novice boaters capsized, they were not far from the Hoofer Pier behind Memorial Union Terrace.

Hoofer sailing instructor Mike DeCiccio happened to be hanging around. He didn’t see the canoe tip over, but he saw the individuals in the water. He jumped into one of the Hoofer motorboats and was pulling them from the water.

“I’m used to helping experienced boaters and windsurfers, so I wasn’t expecting to find people in real trouble,” says DeCiccio. “When I got there, one guy was hanging onto the canoe with one hand, and with the other, his friend who couldn’t swim. That guy was barely above water. He was in trouble immediately, and the shock of cold water didn’t help much. When I pulled them onto the boat, they were pretty much dead weight. It was 5 p.m. on a nice day, but the water was about 45 degrees.”

Neither boater suffered more than the chill from the dunking – and the indignity of flipping a canoe in front of a terrace full of people.

“To be honest, the biggest problem was that their little puppy kept jumping back into the water,” says DeCiccio, who as a Hoofer instructor is well-trained in rescue technique. “I couldn’t keep him in the rescue boat.”

If the boaters had been Hoofer members, they would have received an orientation on safety before getting anywhere near the water.

“Prevention is the most important thing we teach,” says Jim Rogers, head of instruction with the Hoofer Sailing Club, which boasts more than 1,000 members and more than 300 youth participants.

Hoofers Outdoor Recreation, one of 10 student-run committees of the Wisconsin Union Directorate, is the largest and oldest campus outdoor recreation organization in the nation.

The University Lifesaving Station Rescue Service also plays a primary role in keeping Lake Mendota safe for everyone. “Though we focus mainly on the university, we help anyone who is out on the lake,” says Bob Gerber, rescue service director.

Rogers adds that the key to reducing accidents and injuries on Lake Mendota is to prevent them from happening in the first place by educating boaters about safety. “The more people know about safety on the water, the fewer will end up being in trouble in the water.”