|
Looking for a book,
or something else:
Click here for
Amazon US
Click here for
Amazon UK
and support our work when you buy!
(no cost to you)
|
|
More paddlers on
the water means everyone needs to step up their safety this boating season
The Most Practical Boating Safety Advice You’ll
Get This Year
3 timely tips for National Safe Boating Week,
May 18-24
Wearing a life
jacket, avoiding alcohol, and taking a boating
safety course tops the list of things you can do now to improve your
chances of a long, safe summer of boating. For this year’s National Safe Boating Week (May
18-24) here’s three timely safety tips from the BoatUS
Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water.
- Be
on the lookout for small craft. The U.S.
Coast Guard reports that operator inattention and improper lookout are
at the top of the list for contributing factors to accidents. Combined
with the increasing popularity of paddlecraft such as kayaks and standup
paddleboards, boaters should slow down in areas where paddlers congregate.
Be mindful of your wake. Consider learning the S.C.A.N. (Search, Concentrate, Analyze, and Negotiate)
method to help you safely navigate around paddlers and other traffic on
the water. Accept and understand that some paddlers may not understand the
rules of the road or all of the safety risks inherent to small-craft
operation. Some boaters are guilty of this as well.
- Avoid
ship traffic. With the U.S. economy strong, there may be more commercial
ship traffic on coastlines, harbors, and rivers than we’ve seen in
recent years. Ships can be deceptively fast, and recreational vessels
attempting to cross in front of moving vessels can disappear
under a ship's bow and out of the captain’s line of sight, greatly
decreasing safety for all aboard and potentially creating a very scary
situation. For more information on safe boat operation around ships, go to BoatUS.org/RulesOfTheRoad.
- Beware
of the spring season of rain. According to NOAA, nearly
two-thirds of the lower 48 states face an elevated risk for flooding
through May. Snowmelt and heavy rain have brought trees, flotsam and
jetsam downstream where they can collide with boats and create additional
safety challenges with the increased current. A boater’s best bet is to
slow down, watch your speed (especially running down current), keep an
extra lookout, and hope the sun comes out soon!
|
|