Risk Management Magazine

Without warning, a strong gust of wind lifted the bow straight up and, in a blink of an eye, I was looking at blue sky. The boat spun 90 degrees before the front end dropped and I realized I was headed straight for the riverbank still running wide open. I had enough time to release the tiller arm, grab the sides of the boat and hang on for dear life.

As we waited at the intersection, we couldn’t find any distinguishing marks to help us figure out exactly where we were. It had finally stopped raining, but a dense fog was rolling in and the wind was still 20-30 knots. We continued to stand by the road, waiting for our friend. Little did we know he would never find us.

Every hunting season brings new stories about successful outings, big trophies and near misses. Unfortunately, it also brings tales of serious mishaps — most of which could have been avoided with a little common sense and proper safety equipment.