Posted on 05/26/2017 1:45:07 PM PDT by VRW Conspirator
Safe Boating Tips
No matter how much experience you have, it’s always a good idea for everyone to review boating safety rules before departures. Below you will find 10 basic boating safety tips to help you stay safe:
1.Be Weather-Wise
Always check local weather conditions before departure; TV and radio forecasts can be a good source of information. If you notice darkening clouds, volatile and rough changing winds or sudden drops in temperature, play it safe by getting off the water.
2.Follow a Pre-Departure Checklist
Proper boating safety includes being prepared for any possibility on the water. Following a pre-departure checklist is the best way to make sure no boating safety rules or precautions have been overlooked or forgotten.
3.Use Common Sense
One of the most important parts of boating safety is to use your common sense. This means operating at a safe speed at all times (especially in crowded areas), staying alert at all times and steering clear of large vessels and watercraft that can be restricted in their ability to stop or turn. Also, be respectful of buoys and other navigational aids, all of which have been placed there to ensure your own safety.
4.Designate an Assistant Skipper
Make sure more than one person on board is familiar with all aspects of your boat’s handling, operations, and general boating safety. If the primary navigator is injured or incapacitated in any way, it’s important to make sure someone else can follow the proper boating safety rules to get everyone else back to shore.
5.Develop a Float Plan
Whether you choose to inform a family member or staff at your local marina, always be sure to let someone else know your float plan. This should include where you’re going and how long you’re going to be gone.
A float plan can include the following information: name, address, and phone number of trip leader name and phone number of all passengers boat type and registration information trip itinerary types of communication and signal equipment onboard, such as an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) or Personal Locator Beacon (PLB)
6.Make Proper Use of Lifejackets
Did you know that the majority of drowning victims are the result of boaters not wearing their lifejackets? Make sure that your family and friends aren’t part of this statistic by assigning and fitting each member of your onboard team with a life jacket prior to departure. Wear it!
7.Avoid Alcohol
Practice boating safety at all times by saving the alcohol for later. The probability of being involved in a boating accident doubles when alcohol is involved and studies have shown that the effects of alcohol are exacerbated by sun and wind.
8.Learn to Swim
If you’re going to be in and around the water, proper boating safety includes knowing how to swim. Local organizations, such as the American Red Cross and others, offer training for all ages and abilities. Check to see what classes are offered in your area.
9.Take a Boating Course Beginning boaters and experienced experts alike need to be familiar with the boating safety rules of operation. Boater education requirements vary by state; however, some require validated completion of at least one boating safety course. Regardless of your individual state's requirements, it's always important to be educated and prepared for every circumstance that might arise. You can learn boating safety rules by taking a local community course or online course to help educate yourself.
10.Consider a Free Vessel Safety Check Take advantage of a free vessel safety check from the US Coast Guard. They offer complimentary boat examinations to verify the presence and condition of certain safety equipment required by state and federal regulations. Free of charge, they’ll provide a specialist to check out your boat and make helpful boating safety tips and recommendations. They also offer virtual online safety checks as well.
It was October and we were one of very few boats still on the lake. We were the only boat to respond to the distress call from her boyfriend on shore.
At first she refused help. The kayak was pointing toward the sky. She had a life jacket but wasn’t wearing it. It was quite windy and I had to be Very careful maneuvering my power boat near her. We finally convinced her to accept our help.
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Two female kayakers were found on the Bay a few years ago. Spring kayaking. Died from hypothermia. Never hit the water. Just sitting in the kayak, dead.
😂
Hope to take my 16 ft. Carolina Skiff out for some fishing around Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel tomorrow.
Not really as a CG vet I felt the remark was too broad, although the tips were good, poster should ah left it at that
“Speak for yourself, fool.”
No, it’s true. I had a boating accident two years ago. Earlier that morning I was at the range and when I finished I met my wife and we spent the day on the lake. Sure enough, a rogue wave hit the boat. We managed to keep from capsizing, but in the process the bag with my firearms fell over the side.
It happens.
My wife and I live on a 36ft Tashing Tashiba. We are ALWAYS safety conscience. If we crash or sink it, almost everything we own goes with it.
http://bluewaterboats.org/tashiba-36/
The lake isn’t good enough cover as any 1/2 assed police diver will prove theres nothing down there.
The ocean, miles off shore is the only solution, anything less will be considered BS
I’ve learned the hard way.
Never carry all your firearms and ammo in one trip. Always store firearms and ammo in watertight floating containers. Not doing so can lead to irreplaceable financial loss.
No alcohol? Whaaat? Dropping anchor at the sandbar just wouldn’t be right without a case of beer. And the after dinner cocktail cruise just wouldn’t be the same.
And where’s the rule about leaving the weapons cache back on land. That’s the one that hits us FReeps the hardest.
I will add one more tip. Always have a sharp knife ready and available with easy access at all times when boating.
You guys are hilarious. Not only have I lost many an assault weapon overboard (the last ten or twelve in a nominally memorable encounter with a giant squid off the Marianas,)
But I am proud to have rescued a few other boaters, one “deadly” rescue, a few offshore radio relays including MOL ENDEAVOUR when she was on fire...
Proudest moment, for reasons you may imagine, was under sail alone - leaving Spa Creek, casting a line underway to a vessel called CANTAB, and pulling her over the shoal and into the channel.
There are some salty Freepers.
See my FR page for a link to the transoceanic sailor and Freeper Kenny Bunk.
I LIKE it, so do all the guys in the business, they call themselves “Guides”
I have discovered that if you buy them a beer they will lie about where they caught fish that day. (My brilliant plan is a process of elimination... keep buying them Beer!)
I worked with a guy who went boating, got drunk, and crashed his boat into an immovable object. He ended up with multiple fractures, and his face was destroyed. After many surgeries, you still couldn’t recognize the guy from what he used to look like. Nice guy...just stupid.
And not a FReeper...I gather.
I've never been notrtioris in my life!
1) Driving a boat and drinking alcohol do not mix
2) Driving a boat and drinking alcohol do not mix
3) Driving a boat and drinking alcohol do not mix
And don’t forget your gun collection!
The voice of experience?
Yep. Twice.
Or, don’t be idiots — and have a great time!
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