Glen Justice

   I finally made it to the boat. This trip was not about cleaning and maintenance. This was about reconnaissance. I have done a few visits and sleepovers this winter – not as many as I'd like – to light the engine, check the bilges and do some general inspection. This time, I wanted to assess the outfitting task ahead.

What I found as I pulled open lockers and lazarettes were children's life jackets – piles of them. At final count, I had 13 jackets in sizes from infant to preschooler. And this count is low, because I know we have more at home.

Now, it is true that most of my friends have young children and that when we get out on the water, it is not uncommon to have half a dozen pee wees bouncing around the boat. But still, I have only two children.

So why do we keep buying lifejackets? Well, children do outgrow them. We had a bfa inflatable with a crotch strap and harness ties that I liked, but it was good for only one season. But the real reason is this: children hate them. Life jackets are bulky, confining and hot. Unless we are swimming, my son will do anything to avoid wearing floatation. Ultimately, we win this war through force. But he screams louder than we do and it can be a pretty good fight.

So finding a jacket that he would wear became our Holy Grail. We bought PFDs with CO2 cartridges, with head floats, and with Scooby Doo. Last season, we seemed to reach detente with a Stearns model that I trusted and he would wear. But I fear it will be too small, and that our quest will begin again this year (I brought it home to have a fitting).

I had a scare once, which I wrote about in a story about childproofing. For 30 terrible seconds, I though my son, then two years old, had gone overboard. We have always required life jackets on deck, but that was a brutal reminder of the importance of floatation. And I don't need another.

Still, it would be nice to find a high-quality jacket that the boys will wear without protest. I have read reviews over time, many of which were quite good, though comfort is often overlooked. I suspect I'll be digging them out again. And, like any good magazine with a question on his mind, I ordered up a story of my own, to run in Mad Mariner. Finding jackets for the boys is something I plan to tackle early this year – one important item in a pretty long list.