skaha those are good ideas & practises.
On the Fraser River we put on our life jackets as well if going a faster speed.
Once though we were just going very slow in 3 ft waves...thus wife & I were not wearing any life jacket...but before we knew it we were LITERALLY in 5.5 - 6 ft steep waves
...the boat was nose diving as it went down into the trough...infact I couldn't stick mine on when in those situations as my full attention was piloting the boat in a NW direction thus in 3-4 minutes later we were back into 3 fters. again. "scary".
Guess it was just the way the tide ,flow of the river, winds & that location on the river.
By the way also a 16 yr old girl died at Hatzic Lake as she fell off the speed boat she was in & the boat ran over her...at the time I heard the news the RCMP divers still had not recovered her body.
That's 3 accidents or incidents in just the last few days... & 3 deaths ...& if ya count in the accident with the houseboat & 18ft Campion boat that makes it 4 deaths. (assuming of course the missing boaters have drowned)