A Story About the importance of Wearing Life Jackets

About the only good thing you can say about Piggy Sue falling overboard, is that her rotund little body made an impressive splash--loud enough that the skipper, Michael Camarata, knew instantly what had happened. It was late at night, and Michael had the presence of mind to grab a flashlight and shine it down into the dark water. But aside from a few tell-tale bubbles, the pig was nowhere to be seen.

Wait a minute. A pig? Before you continue, there are a few questions that are begging to be answered. Why, for starters, would someone on a boat be trying to rescue a drowning pig late at night? Answer: Piggy Sue is a pet.Next question: Why would someone want a pig for a pet instead of, say, a dog or cat? Aha--the answer to that one is simple. Pigs don't have fur, and Michael's daughter Heather suffers from allergies. Since dogs and cats are covered with fur, Piggy Sue was an imaginative alternative for a family pet. She is very playful, loves people, is naturally clean, sometimes sleeps with Heather, barks when she's happy, and moans when she's sad. She's also very smart; almost too smart according to Michael. Piggy Sue tends to train Michael when he is supposed to be training her.

More questions: Even if he finds her, how is Michael going to get Piggy Sue back aboard the boat? Answer: Piggy Sue is a Potbelly pig, which means that at 40 pounds she is much more svelte than your average farm pig. Next question: How is Michael going to hold onto a wet, flailing pig, even if it is "svelte"? Good question. More on that later. Final question: Did Michael save Piggy Sue?

All Hams on Deck

Yes. After several anxious seconds, Piggy Sue "rocketed" (Michael's words) to the surface, propelled by her little piggy life jacket and a strong desire to breathe. Michael and his wife Carol are both Navigators in the Power Squadron, with full certificates, and both believe strongly in wearing life jackets, especially when seas are choppy or at night. They also think children--Piggy Sue is only three years old--should wear life jackets at all times aboard the boat.

The overboard incident at Port Jefferson Harbor wasn't the first time Piggy Sue had gone overboard. She may be smart and cuddly, but Piggy Sue is also a klutz on a rocking deck. She once backed out of the cockpit into the water. On another occasion, she made a daring leap from the dinghy to the boat, only to fall a few inches --ker plunk--short of the rail. Michael's concern isn't her swimming ability--Piggy Sue is a natural swimmer--as much as it is his own inability to get her out of the water once she falls in. Pigs can be slippery. With a life jacket, getting Piggy Sue back onto the boat is simple: grab the vest and hoist her up.

Piggy Sue is comfortable in her life jacket and is especially happy when the family is together on the sailboat. She'll snuggle with Heather, snooze in her little sleeping bag, and hang out in the cockpit with the rest of the crew. Michael likes to tell the story about the time they were at a gas dock in Falmouth, Massachusetts and a woman on another boat started screaming "There's a pig on your boat!, There's a pig on your boat!" It doesn't take strangers long, though, to be smitten by Piggy Sue--her gracious charms and, of course, her intelligence.

Think about it; have you ever seen a chicken or cow wearing a life jacket?

Life Jackets: They float. You Don't.

"It may sound trite to repeat it over and over, but the life jacket isn't going to help anybody if it's not available precisely when it's needed," says Elaine Dickinson, the managing editor of BoatUS Reports and this year's chair of the National Safe Boating Council. "Boating accidents can happen in a split second and the only way your life jacket is going to be readily available to help you is if you already have it on before you end up in the water."

The honorary chairman of National Safe Boating Week is BoatUS Member and country rock star Alan Jackson. In addition to being an avid boater, Jackson has collected numerous awards, including County Music Association's Entertainer of the Year.