Boating Safety
Recently I’ve started looking at boats. Once I have my cottage built I will want to have a boat to do some fishing and touring around the lake. My lake is part of the Trent Severn waterway which makes it a high traffic area for boaters going up and down stream. Since I’ve never owned a boat I thought it would be a good idea to get some boating safety tips so that I know what I should be doing when I get on the water.
Here are some boating tips from www.boatsmartcanada.com
Proof of Competency
All operators of vessels fitted with a motor and less than four metres in length (including personal watercraft) are required to have an Operator Competency Card. It is recommended that all boaters take an accredited boating safety course.
Wear a Flotation Device
Every year more than 600 lives are lost due to drowning. 70 per cent of boaters who drowned were not wearing a personal flotation device (PFD) or lifejacket.
Don’t Drink and Drive
All the same reasons for not drinking and driving apply to drinking and boating. At least 40 per cent of all power-boating fatality victims had a blood alcohol level above the legal driving limit.
Take the Boat Sober Quiz http://www.boatsmartcanada.com/article.asp?id=002556&tid=014
Respect Others on the Lake
If you jump waves or come unreasonably close to other vessels, disturb the peace, speed near swimmers, play chicken or weave through congested traffic at high speed, you risk receiving a hefty fine and possibly ending up in front of a judge.
I’ve sailed a lot. My live has been always at seaside. Curious advices, my friend!
Curious how? I’m interested.
I used to be working for the Coast Guard, although not in Canada. Just to add on a little…
1. Do regular checks and servicing on live saving apparatus every time when you set sail. Many people figured that after the annual check, it is safe enough but incidents do happen due to wear and tear, bumping and knocking.
2. Ensure life saving appartus and damage control items are easily reached. I have encountered situations of a sinking vessel with damage control items packed deep inside their storage hatch, and retrieving is difficult. It is also good to label on the inside of each hatch with a item list, so you know what is placed where.
3. While leisure crafts owners are not as educated in details with sea traffic and signals like port pilots, it is good that leisure crafts owners can spend some time familarising themselves with signal flags/horns in their waters.
Have fun boating, I’m a sea lover too.
Would you guys say that these tips apply to my paddle boat? I love buzzing around our pond in that thing. Can the cops come onto my property to inspect me and my paddle boat? One of the rudders is broken. Jim reefed on the steering knob way too hard. The guy is always breaking stuff at my house.
Quick Story. My wife had a roommate in college who was sitting on the front of a pontoon boat when the drive made a sharp turn and threw her off in between the pontoons. She ended up getting hit in the face/neck with the prop and nearly killer her. Somehow she managed to make it to the ER and live to tell about it. She had some pretty serious scaring and a hell of a story to tell.
Be careful on the water!
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