This article is one in a series offering tips on boating skills and seamanship prepared for The Citizen by the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.
The first column of this boating season is devoted by necessity to the 2008 National Safe Boating Week (NSBW), which is scheduled in May. Before doing so, I would like to share with you some feedback from last year's columns.
Three of the most talked about columns last summer were the ones discussing sudden cold water immersion, person overboard and hypothermia. They attracted lots of comments and questions. I plan to run these columns again adding what I learned from area boaters concerning their personal experiences.
Collisions, falls overboard and capsizing continue to be among the top five types of accidents. I plan to write about these troublesome issues and offer safety tips. Lastly, this column will keep you informed of any new developments (laws, regulations, etc.) concerning boating and boaters.
On to NSBW.
The origins of the National Safe Boating Campaign date back to 1954, when the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary began observing a safe boating week. Today, National Safe Boating Week serves as the kickoff for the North American Safe Boating Campaign, a year-round campaign with special focus on the summer months of May through September.
The Coast Guard, Coast Guard Auxiliary and U.S. Power Squadron strive to promote boating safety in an effort to prevent injuries and fatalities on the water. To assist with this effort, they launch every year the National Safe Boating Week Campaign.
I particularly like the “one initiative a day” approach.
One initiative to be promoted each day of the NSBW in an effort to educate the boating public and reinforce their knowledge. These initiatives are:
€ Encouraging Vessel Safety Checks - The public is encouraged to get a vessel safety check of their boat. A vessel safety check is a free front-to-back inspection of a vessel by a qualified member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary or the U.S. Power Squadron. A vessel safety check is free and there are no penalties issued during an inspection. Vessel Safety Checks/Inspections are conducted to enhance boater safety, compliance and education.
€ Encouraging Boating Safety Courses - Boating Safety Courses are available in classrooms, on-line and in interactive formats. Of the reported fatalities during 2006, 70 percent occurred on boats where the operator had not received a boating safety course. The next boating course will be offered at 9 a.m. June 7 and 8, at the Coast Guard Auxiliary Base, 508 Taughannock Blvd. in Ithaca. To learn more or to register, call 272-7175.
€ Filing a Float Plan - Filing a float plan and sticking to “the plan” can provide the auxiliary, the Coast Guard and any would-be rescuers with valuable information if you are in distress and not able to contact the emergency response personnel.
€ Wearing a Coast Guard-approved Lifejacket(s) - Boat operators must have a Coast Guard-approved lifejacket or personal flotation device (PFD), for every member on board the boat.
€ Having a Marine Band Radio
€ Boater Vigilance
€ The Dangers of Boating Under the Influence (BUI) - A recent story on this comes from an AP dispatch and this paper. “A 32-year-old man says he's guilty of manslaughter in a drunken boating crash that left a Virginia police officer and his girlfriend dead on Skaneateles Lake.”
For more information on any and all of the above, visit the following Web sites:
€ Boating Safety Web site: http://www.USCGBoating.org
€2005 Boating Statistics Web page: http://www.uscgboating.org/statistics/Boating_Statistics_2005.pdf
Here are some key facts to consider:
€ In 2006, there were approximately 90 lives lost on the Great Lakes. Nationwide, there were 3,451 injuries and 4,969 accidents on America's waterways totaling $22,640,866 in property damage.
€ The majority of boating accidents occurred within three miles of shore.
€ In cases where lives were lost, 52 percent occurred during the summer.
€ In the Ninth District (which includes Ithaca), 35 percent of the lives lost on the water were less than one nautical mile from shore.
€ Nationally, approximately 70 percent of all fatal boating accident victims drowned.
€ Of the victims who drowned, 90 percent were not wearing lifejackets or a personal flotation device (PFD).
€ Operator inattention, carelessness/reckless operation, operator inexperience and excessive speed are the leading contributing factors of all reported accidents.
€ Alcohol was involved in approximately 22 percent of all boating fatalities in 2006.
The Coast Guard Auxiliary and the Power Squadron are challenging boaters to reach a new level of safety by taking responsibility for their own safety. “You're in Command, Boat Responsibly.”
John E. Keshishoglou is the IP flotilla commander of the Ithaca Flotilla 22. He can be reached at (607) 273-7175
Three of the most talked about columns last summer were the ones discussing sudden cold water immersion, person overboard and hypothermia. They attracted lots of comments and questions. I plan to run these columns again adding what I learned from area boaters concerning their personal experiences.
Collisions, falls overboard and capsizing continue to be among the top five types of accidents. I plan to write about these troublesome issues and offer safety tips. Lastly, this column will keep you informed of any new developments (laws, regulations, etc.) concerning boating and boaters.
On to NSBW.
The origins of the National Safe Boating Campaign date back to 1954, when the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary began observing a safe boating week. Today, National Safe Boating Week serves as the kickoff for the North American Safe Boating Campaign, a year-round campaign with special focus on the summer months of May through September.
The Coast Guard, Coast Guard Auxiliary and U.S. Power Squadron strive to promote boating safety in an effort to prevent injuries and fatalities on the water. To assist with this effort, they launch every year the National Safe Boating Week Campaign.
I particularly like the “one initiative a day” approach.
One initiative to be promoted each day of the NSBW in an effort to educate the boating public and reinforce their knowledge. These initiatives are:
€ Encouraging Vessel Safety Checks - The public is encouraged to get a vessel safety check of their boat. A vessel safety check is a free front-to-back inspection of a vessel by a qualified member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary or the U.S. Power Squadron. A vessel safety check is free and there are no penalties issued during an inspection. Vessel Safety Checks/Inspections are conducted to enhance boater safety, compliance and education.
€ Encouraging Boating Safety Courses - Boating Safety Courses are available in classrooms, on-line and in interactive formats. Of the reported fatalities during 2006, 70 percent occurred on boats where the operator had not received a boating safety course. The next boating course will be offered at 9 a.m. June 7 and 8, at the Coast Guard Auxiliary Base, 508 Taughannock Blvd. in Ithaca. To learn more or to register, call 272-7175.
€ Filing a Float Plan - Filing a float plan and sticking to “the plan” can provide the auxiliary, the Coast Guard and any would-be rescuers with valuable information if you are in distress and not able to contact the emergency response personnel.
€ Wearing a Coast Guard-approved Lifejacket(s) - Boat operators must have a Coast Guard-approved lifejacket or personal flotation device (PFD), for every member on board the boat.
€ Having a Marine Band Radio
€ Boater Vigilance
€ The Dangers of Boating Under the Influence (BUI) - A recent story on this comes from an AP dispatch and this paper. “A 32-year-old man says he's guilty of manslaughter in a drunken boating crash that left a Virginia police officer and his girlfriend dead on Skaneateles Lake.”
For more information on any and all of the above, visit the following Web sites:
€ Boating Safety Web site: http://www.USCGBoating.org
€2005 Boating Statistics Web page: http://www.uscgboating.org/statistics/Boating_Statistics_2005.pdf
Here are some key facts to consider:
€ In 2006, there were approximately 90 lives lost on the Great Lakes. Nationwide, there were 3,451 injuries and 4,969 accidents on America's waterways totaling $22,640,866 in property damage.
€ The majority of boating accidents occurred within three miles of shore.
€ In cases where lives were lost, 52 percent occurred during the summer.
€ In the Ninth District (which includes Ithaca), 35 percent of the lives lost on the water were less than one nautical mile from shore.
€ Nationally, approximately 70 percent of all fatal boating accident victims drowned.
€ Of the victims who drowned, 90 percent were not wearing lifejackets or a personal flotation device (PFD).
€ Operator inattention, carelessness/reckless operation, operator inexperience and excessive speed are the leading contributing factors of all reported accidents.
€ Alcohol was involved in approximately 22 percent of all boating fatalities in 2006.
The Coast Guard Auxiliary and the Power Squadron are challenging boaters to reach a new level of safety by taking responsibility for their own safety. “You're in Command, Boat Responsibly.”
John E. Keshishoglou is the IP flotilla commander of the Ithaca Flotilla 22. He can be reached at (607) 273-7175
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