A recent article from the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries online Outdoor Report (free subscription:
http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/ )highlighted just what can happen when a person falls overboard and can't get back in. Copied with permission is the article:
"Man Overboard… On July 21, 2007, Officers Wes Billings and Lee Wensel were patrolling Claytor Lake when a subject in a bass boat waved them in for assistance. Upon approach, a second individual was observed in the water. This individual was a 53-year-old male weighing approximately 300 pounds. He had fallen overboard, was not wearing a PFD, and was unable to re-enter his boat due to his physical condition. The officers lifted the man out of the water back into his boat. The man was visibly exhausted, and the rescue squad was contacted. He was given oxygen and examined by rescue personnel. The man was grateful for the assistance of the Conservation Police Officers. The boaters were advised that public safety is the primary concern of a Virginia Conservation Police Officer and that it's always a good idea to wear a Personal Flotation Device. "
Even with a friend aboard, this person could not get back into his boat. The article doesn't say why the person in the boat didn't give his partner a life vest!
Thanks to the Virginia DGIF for the article and permission to copy it.