[GAB-1955]

"Where were the life-vests?"

Abroad, and in the right numbers; however, the boat overturned so quickly that few people could put them on.

ALWAYS WEAR YOUR PFD if the weather a) is bad, b) looks bad, c) threatens to be bad...

ALWAYS WEAR YOUR PFD.

[AnAmericanMother]

In a capsizing accident, a PFD could be a real problem.

I'm used to it because I WW kayak, and used to do a lot of Sunfish/Sailfish sailing, so I'm used to being caught under a sail or upside down in a kayak. But for somebody who isn't used to it, a PFD could be counterproductive if you got caught under the capsized vessel . . . hampers diving down to get free.

With that said, though, the odds are that the benefit of the PFDs would have outweighed the possible drawbacks, especially with elderly or disabled or nonswimming passengers.

[RightWhale]

It's a genuine tragedy. Like most tragedies, the full scale of it could have been prevented if anybody's personal alarm bells had gone off.