The front page of the Aug. 18 Kennebec Journal had a photo that should not become a model for boaters in Maine. It showed a man giving his 6-year-old son a ride in a kayak on a large lake. Neither person crowded into this tipsy watercraft was wearing a life jacket, and no floatation devices were visible in the deck bungee cords.

If the boat had tipped over, you could have had an entirely different picture on your front page.

I am not sure whether it is a law or just a high recommendation, but is has been my impression that persons, particularly very young persons, riding in watercraft, particularly small tipsy watercraft, are supposed to wear Coast Guard-approved life jackets or vests.

Either way, this picture represented a practice that should not be modeled or encouraged on the front page of your newspaper.

Harvey Versteeg

Augusta


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