Poudre Fire Authority saved a live on relatively calm water yesterday, after a woman’s boat capsized in the middle of a lake.
According to their team, the woman flipped her boat while not utilizing a life jacket on Cobb Lake near Fort Collins, leaving her clinging to the boat and unable to make it to shore.
A water rescue was launched, with a Poudre Fire Authority boat used to reach the woman. By the time she was pulled into the boat, she had been in the cold water for about an hour.
Thankfully, this story has a happy ending and the woman was saved. That said, this situation serves as an important reminder that boats can flip even while on seemingly calm water. Cold or chilly water can cause the body to cramp, making it difficult to stay afloat even if one is an experienced swimmer. It can also result in fatal cardiovascular events due to the additional stress.
This situation also goes to show how long it can take for search crews to arrive, even when it’s considered a quick response. This makes it important to be prepared to self-rescue, at least to the extent that there’s no imminent threat to life.