This Marine Patrol twitter post ......
http://www.twitter.com/NH_StatePolic...091264/photo/1 ..... says he had a cell phone but did not have a pfd.
I find it hard to believe that he would not have a pfd while sailing a 17' sailboat in "strong winds and choppy water conditions" so could be the pfd was lost when the sailboat flipped over in the wind or something and got blown away. Sailboats can flip with a wind gust and an inexperienced sailor and a pfd that was not actually being worn can suddenly go missing when you need it plus it's not too easy to put on a pfd while in the cold 57-degree water. One wants to be wearing a pfd before a capsize happens and everything becomes discombobulated.
A 17' sailboat can weigh about 500-lbs or so without a motor. A 17' motorboat can weigh about 1500-lbs and be much less tippy-wippy.
A very happening 17' Sandpiper sailboat capsize video from June 16, 2008 ......
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxC-dnTNYG8 ..... Mazinaw Lake, Ontario, Canada ...... a volume blaster!
Is always a smart move to have a foam noodle as well as a pfd as a second flotation device when a small sailboat flips in the wind because the two combined keep you higher up in the water or to wave it around as a signal. ....
...... hey there ..... come rescue me!