Boating Safety
Happy Boaters Receive a Vessel Safety Check Decal
The Ten Commandments of Boating
#1 - Thou Shalt Wear a Life-jacket
If 16 mariners go into the water without a life-jacket - only 1 comes out. Conversely, if they fall overboard with a life-jacket, 15 come out. Which group do you want to be in? Always have an adequate supply of personal flotation devices aboard. Make sure that children are wearing life-jackets that fit correctly. Federal and State law requires that they have one on. Only you, the skipper, can insure that it fits them properly.
#2 - Never Shalt Thou Drink and Drive
Whether a car or a boat, it is just plain crazy - and illegal - to drink and drive. Individual years vary but never has alcohol accounted for less than 25% of boating accidents in a given year.
Scotch and (Sea)Water is a deadly cocktail.
#3 - Taketh a Boating Safety Course
Something as simple as an 8-hour boating safety class can make all the difference. 70% of boating accidents involve skippers who have never taken a boating safety course. The Coast Guard Auxiliary offers them. Start here http://www.cgaux.org/boatinged/
#4 - Safety Begins With Thou
Adults between the ages of 40 and 49 account for the highest rate of boating fatalities. You set the tone for safety for the the entire crew and passengers. Wear your life-jacket and make sure everyone does.
#5 Thou Shalt Know The Rules of Navigation
Can you imagine giving the keys to the family car to one of your children - and they have never opened a book on the rules of the road? You can get them online at the US Coast Guard's Navigation Center.http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/
#6 - Thou Shalt Keep A Good Look-Out, While Driving Safely
You are required by law to always maintain a look-out. You are also required to use all available means to do so. Have radar? Turn it on. Speed is another matter because like driving a car, speed should always be reduced if visibility and/or weather demands it.
#7 - Knoweth Thy Weather
Clearly, if you've ever left the dock under beautiful skies and then came home under heavy weather, you know how important it is to know - before you go - what to expect during the course of your journey. Particularly for skippers of open boats, this can be all the difference, even between life and death. Small Craft Advisory - That Means You!
#8 - Haveth Thy Boat Meet Federal Standards
Can there be any easier way to ensure that your boat meets USCG requirements than getting a Free Vessel Safety Check? This is not a regulatory event - if your boat is missing some requirement, the examiner is very likely to give you his or her cell phone number and then advise you to, "fix this and then give me a call - I'll come right down, complete the safety check and affix the safety sticker to your windshield." Go to http://safetyseal.net/GetVSC/, put in your zip code and a Vessel Examiner will contact you directly.
#9 - Useth a Carbon Monoxide Detector
If you have an enclosed cabin, equip it with a Carbon Monoxide detector. Nothing else will protect you from this orderless, tasteless gas that can kill you and your passengers.
#10 - Thy Shalt File a Float Plan
The US Coast Guard recommends that you always tell a friend or family member where you plan to go and when you'll be back. Make it a habit before leaving on any boat trip.
Seven Tips For Swimming Boaters
There have been many tragic drownings this summer, and the BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety has these seven DO NOT tips for boaters who want to swim:
DO NOT . . .
. . . permit anyone in the water until the engine is turned off and the key is out of the ignition.
. . . permit swimming until there is at least one life jacket or throwable flotation aid (tied to the boat) in the water, and every child is wearing a life jacket.
. . . swim at marinas. Electric current leaking from poorly maintained boat electrical and shore power systems can stun you and cause you to drown.
. . . dive in water headfirst unless you know exactly how deep the water is. Ease yourself down a boarding ladder to confirm the water depth.
. . . swim alone.
. . . swim under a boat’s swim platform or near any boat with the engine running. You could die from a propeller strike or from carbon monoxide poisoning.
. . . swim in a navigation channel where you could be struck by a vessel or in an area with strong river or tidal currents, which can swiftly carry you away from the boat.
For more information on boating safety programs from the BoatU.S. Foundation, such as the free Kid’s Life Jacket Loaner Program, go to their web site: http://www.boatus.com/foundation/LJLP/index.htm
Source: BoatU.S. Foundation for Safety and Clean Water
Hypothermia In The Summer?
Hypothermia is not just a winter danger...it's a summertime danger, too. With air temperatures climbing well into the 80s and 90s in many parts of the country, hardly anyone gives a thought to hypothermia while cruising down a river, spending hours fishing on their favorite lake, or heading out on a day-trip to the deeper waters of the Atlantic.
But the fact is water temperatures could be well below the air temperature and an unexpected dunking as a result of a boating accident could have disastrous results…particularly if you are alone.
For example, if you are boating in Miami’s Biscayne Bay in mid-July, the water temperature will be in the mid-to-high 80s…and you can spend many hours immersed before the symptoms of hypothermia set in – plenty of time for a rescue.
But if you are boating on an inland lake or river, or off the coast of Long Island or New England, it’s an entirely different story. In water temperatures from 70-80 degrees, exhaustion or unconsciousness can set in within 3-12 hours; 60-70 degrees, 2-7 hours, and in water from 50-60 degrees, you could be unconscious in 1-2 hours.
Once your core body temperature drops from normal 98.6 degrees to 95 degrees, your extremities are numbed to the point of uselessness – trying to fasten the straps of a life jacket or cling to an overturned boat becomes nearly impossible. Panic and shock set in, and total disorientation can occur. Cold water robs the body of heat considerably faster than cold air.
To guard against the potential for succumbing to hypothermia as a result of a summertime boating accident, the Coast Guard Auxiliary suggests:
1. Know the weather conditions before you set out…don’t leave your port or dock if the weather may turn rough.
2. File a float plan to tell your friends and family where you are going and when you plan to return.
3. Always wear a life jacket while boating.
4. If you wind up in the water, try not to panic as it can increase heat loss from your body and shorten your survival time…remain in a curled up, heat-retaining position.
5. Stick with your capsized boat and try to get as much of your body out of the water as possible.
6. Avoid consuming alcoholic beverages while boating…they allow heat to escape from the body more quickly because alcohol dilates blood vessels.
Source: U.S. Coast Guard
Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) Entry Required for DSC Radios to Function
If you are shopping for a new DSC (Digital Selective Calling) radio for your vessel, be forewarned that it will not transmit any DSC call until you obtain and install your nine-digit MMSI (Maritime Mobile Service Identity). The radio’s user manual *must* be carefully followed during installation, and great care must be taken when inputting the MMSI, as mistakes are not easily corrected, if at all. Once the MMSI is stored, it should not be possible to alter it without contacting the manufacturer or possibly returning the equipment for a factory reset. Trying to save money by buying a DSC radio at a swap meet or flea market is obviously a bad idea. Purchasing a DSC radio from a reputable and knowledgeable dealer is the only way to be sure that the unit meets current requirements and will function as intended.
DSC radios are programmed to display the vessel’s MMSI on start-up, so obtain your MMSI as soon as you purchase your radio. If the equipment is not configured with an MMSI, it will generate distracting auditory and visual alerts indefinitely and will not function properly. The manufacturers of DSC equipment are including these alerts to convince us to obtain and enter an MMSI so that this equipment can perform its intended lifesaving functions. A thorough tutorial on the installation and use of DSC radios is available at this BoatU.S. Foundation website www.boatus.com/foundation/dsc/player.html, and a free registration process for obtaining an MMSI is available here www.boatus.com/MMSI/.