We do the same as you Zimm, keep them handy but vest up during bad weather, which can happen in a hurry during the summer months down here. I always watch the weather very close, from several different sources and typically during the summer will leave the dock in the wee hours of the morning and try to be back near shore in the very early afternoon before the weather starts building in the afternoon.
I believe the NFL guys did have their vest on, some sources say they went back and retrieved them after the boat took the wave and turned over ... those fellas just didn't have any luck at all on their side that day, especially if in fact it was a broke down engine that caused them to stay that long.
