Boating and Sailing

Any number of things could go wrong during an outing on your boat. By practicing boat safety rules you can stay prepared for the unexpected. By maintaining your boat and making sure some necessary pieces of safety equipment are onboard your boat at all times, you can establish a little peace of mind.

Boating Safety Equipment
It is important to have Coast Guard approved personal flotation devices. There are numerous different PFDs available for purchase so do your research and find a type that will work best for your needs. If you have children onboard your boat, make sure that you have some PFDs available that will fit them.

Another piece of boating safety equipment that should be kept on your boat is a fire extinguisher. Depending on the size and type of boat that you have a fire extinguisher might be a required piece of safety equipment.

Visual distress signals should be stored on your boat in case of an emergency. Depending on the time of day some flares might be more appropriate than others. Flashing lights really work best at night and a distress flag will only be seen during the day. Multiple types of flares are available including those that can be launched into the sky. Flares are also available in handheld forms that generate smoke that can be used to signal distress. Make sure to pay attention to the expiration of flares and replace them as needed.

Boat horns, bells, and whistles are great to have onboard your boat to help signal to other boaters nearby. Depending on your location and the size of your boat, the Coast Guard may require that your vessel has one of these devices installed.

On top of having personal flotation devices for all of your passengers towing or having a life raft onboard you boat can be useful. Depending on weather conditions and your location you might not want to spend hours in the water drifting while you wait for rescue. With a life raft you can seek refuge safely during your wait. Make sure to pack some boating safety gear with your life raft. Flares should be a must have as well as a weatherproof flashing and some type of device that can be used to generate noise.

Boating regulations vary depending on the type of boat that you have. Check the Coast Guard’s website if you have any questions regarding the safety of your boat. You will also find several additional great boating safety tips that you can apply to your boat.

The third and fourth quarter of the year often brings with it some really bad weather. It is this time of the year when hurricanes, typhoons and other weather disturbances become real threats to the people at sea. As a boating enthusiast, you need to be prepared for bad weather. Moreover, learning a few sound boating safety tips will definitely make a lot of difference. To help you save lives at sea during bad weather, here are 10 boating safety tips for you.

Boating Safety Tip #1
Appraise everyone on board about the weather situation. First, call your crew to a meeting and explain the situation to them. Do not forget to reassure them of their safety. You need to boost the confidence of your crew that you can handle the situation fairly well so that they will not panic. You should also brief the crew on what to do in case things really get rough. After meeting your crew, inform the passengers about the weather disturbance but take care not to ring the alarm bells to much. Talk calmly to the passengers and assure them that you and your crew have the situation under control. Tell the passengers that you and the rest of the crew need their full cooperation. You can also give the passengers a couple of simple but useful boating safety tips such as staying in the middle of the boat to minimize motion sickness and keeping low in the boat most of the time to prevent untoward incidents such as going overboard as the boat rides out the big waves.

Boating Safety Tip #2
Make sure that you know the position of the storm, the direction of the wind, the estimated speed of the wind and the approximate time when the bad weather will reach you. Be mindful of the latest weather bulletin and stay alert for any changes in the weather.

Boating Safety Tip #3
Secure any loose equipments, gear or cargo inside the boat. Remember that loose objects on the boat can topple over or move from place to place and may cause the boat to tip over.

Boating Safety Tip #4
Bad weather can make your surroundings seem really dark. To guide you on your journey, turn on your navigation lights. Turning your navigation lights on can also help rescuers to spot.

Boating Safety Tip #5
Keep the water outside of the boat. Make sure that all the windows and hatches are securely locked. You cannot afford to let the water in or you will definitely get into some huge troubles.

Boating accidents can happen when you least expect it. Most people feel safe on a calm day when the sun is shining but it is a mistake to give into the misconception that boating accidents only happen during stormy weather. Every year hundreds of boating accidents happen on beautiful sunny days. It is important to avoid a potential boating accident by practicing boat safety rules during your outing.

Common Boating Accidents
One of the most coming boating accidents that occur is the collision of two vehicles. There are numerous things that can contribute to this type of boating accident. Sometimes when there is fog over the water it can be difficult to see other boats making the conditions ripe for a collision. You can avoid this type of accident by installing a fog light onto your boat or installing a horn that you can sound that will alert nearby boaters to your presence. Alcohol can also play a role in a boat collision. Too much fun in the sun and alcohol can impair your senses which could result in a boating accident that could prove to be fatal.

Another type of boating accident that occurs frequently is when a boat hits a stationary object. A stationary object can be anything from a pier to a dingy or even a rock. If you decide you want to test out the capabilities of your boat make sure to obey safety rules in the process and exercise extreme caution. It is important to keep watch over the area of which you are covering in your boat. If you see objects ahead of you make sure you slow your boat and steer around them to avoid an accident.

Passengers falling overboard are another common type of boating accident. When the boat is in motion make sure all passengers onboard remain seated while the boat is in motion. Exercise great caution when people are getting on and off of the boat. When people get thrown overboard the potential risk to get hit by the propeller from the boat becomes very real. This can result in serious injury and even death. Disfigurement might even occur as a result of the injury.

While many accidents are avoidable by simply following standard boating safety guidelines there are other accidents that might be out of your control. Acts of nature can create dangerous conditions that can lead to boating accidents. Make sure to pay close attention to your surroundings and check the current weather conditions periodically.