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Experienced sailors Wednesday questioned the wisdom of taking two 3-year-olds out on Long Island Sound on a high-performance, two-hull sailboat Tuesday.
The incident ended in tragedy when the Hobie Cat boat capsized, causing Alexandra Vitale, 3, of Brooklyn, N.Y., to drown. Her cousins William Howell, 3, and Andrew Howell, 6, as well as the 18-year-old instructor were rescued.
"I sail small boats all the time," said Don Hyman, a sailing enthusiast from Fairfield. "When bad things happen on a boat, they happen quickly. I would be very hesitant to allow a 3-year-old onto a boat.
"They are just too young to respond thoughtfully to a panic situation. Even an adult needs a few seconds to react."
Hyman said a "nice puff of wind" combined with the possibility of the shifting of passengers' weight could be a challenge for anyone to control the boat.
"Those are situations fraught with risk," he said.
"A 3-year-old should not have been on that boat," maintained Charles Nobles, executive director of the American Sailing Association in California. "I would question the judgment of an instructor and the parents for allowing them to go out on such a boat. A 3-year-old and open water don't mix."
Doug Jones, of Milford, also knows a thing or two about sailing. He's been sailing for at least 30 years. He's the fleet captain of the Milford Yacht Club and responsible for their Junior Sailing instructional program.
And he's the parent of two sailing youngsters.
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