Kevin Ritz - Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding

The Boat Geeks #15 - Kevin Ritz (ABYC Master Technician)

Recorded 05.23.24

Kevin, an ABYC Master Technician and Marine Systems Program Director at the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding, turned his own family tragedy into a mission to prevent other tragedies and save lives. After losing his son to Electric Shock Drowning in 1999, he became a world renowned expert in marine electrical systems and founded the Electric Shock Drowning Prevention Association.

Recorded aboard their floating studio in Port Townsend, WA, in the heart of the Pacific Northwest, the two Ds take a deep dive into the world of boating.

A personal message from Daeron and Darren regarding this episode: This is our 15th full podcast and 100th video, and we don't think we'll ever do another one this important. When we started The Boat Geeks, education was the driving force. Both in terms of educating other boaters and ourselves. In this show, we discuss with Kevin what happened to his son Lucas and the causes of Electric Shock Drowning (ESD) starting at the 29:30 mark of the video. Leading up to that, we get to know Kevin and his background, as well as his boat and current position as Marine Systems Program Director at the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding in Port Hadlock, WA.

Electric Shock Drowning claims new victims every year, most recently claiming an 18-year-old in Virginia on July 4th ( https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/07/08/jesse-hamric-electrocuted-smith-mountain-lake-virginia/74329714007/ ). What makes it even more heartbreaking is it's an otherwise avoidable tragedy. It is our sincere hope that this video helps spread awareness about ESD, and that it might help save lives.

For more information on the Electric Shock Drowning: https://www.electricshockdrowning.org/

Electric Shock Drowning Educational Resources: https://www.electricshockdrowning.org/esd-resources.html

U.S. Coast Guard Study mentioned by Kevin: https://www.electricshockdrowning.org/uploads/4/8/5/6/48564375/uscg_grant_2008.226165406.pdf

Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding: https://nwswb.edu/

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Look for new episodes of The Boat Geeks on the 1st and 15th every month. Be sure to like and subscribe, and tell your boating friends! For more information on The Boat Geeks, visit https://www.theboatgeeks.com/