Staying Safe While Boating
We know that accidents on the water happen all the time. Whether it’s your first time at sea or on the lake or your 50th, it’s imperative that you continue to cover all of your safety checks, wear appropriate clothing and take safety or emergency equipment.
In 2017 alone there were more than 658 deaths directly caused by boating accidents. This highlights just how important it is to stay safe, be cautious and make sensible decisions when you’re out on the water.
Below we’ll take a look over a few basic safety tips to help keep you safe while having fun on your boat.
Always Be Aware of the Weather
Thankfully we’re permanently connected to the internet in the modern world, and this makes it so much easier to keep an eye on the weather forecast. If you’re planning on heading out to sea or just down to the lake, keep an eye on what’s going on in the sky. Just because you can’t see storm clouds doesn't mean there aren’t any on their way.
Take advantage of sea weather reports, wind speeds and temperature predictions too. You won’t want to be out fishing and get stuck in a wild storm.
Follow a Departure Checklist or Make Your Own
You can’t expect yourself to remember every single pre-departure detail each time you set off on the water. This is where following a comprehensive checklist comes in handy. You need to outline just about everything you can think of to make sure you haven’t overlooked any precautions that are deceptively obscure.
Always be sure to follow a trustworthy checklist that you can be sure actually covers everything you need to do. In doing this, you can rest assured your boat’s safe, you’re safe and so are other anglers.
Don’t Be Reckless
Similarly to driving a car, being reckless on the water can be fatal. Owning a boat comes with great responsibility and you should always make common sense operation a top priority.
At all times you should be traveling at a safe speed, being sure to slow down and be more alert in crowded areas. If you’re operating your vessel around larger boats, you’ll need to respect that they’re unable to maneuver their boats as easily. This means tearing clear and stay well out of the way.
Use Your Life Jackets!
An incredibly high percentage of boat-related drownings in the US occurred because of sea goers refusing to wear their life jackets. You've added life jackets to your boat for a reason and it’s so important to make use of them.
This is particularly important for newbies, friends or family members who aren’t able to swim - or aren't confident in the water. If an accident takes place, you need to be sure everyone has the ability to keep their heads above the water and there’s no better way to do this than with a life jacket.
No Alcohol
Again, similarly to driving in the car, alcohol dramatically raises the risk of an accident. When you’re boating and under the influence of alcohol, you’re far more likely to make reckless decisions or have a slow reaction time. Where things become even more concerning is that the effects of alcohol are worsened by being out on the water in the wind and sun.
It’s best to just save the alcohol for when you’re back on land or at home. Everyone deserves to be safe when they’re out fishing or boating in general and alcohol cuts back on this right to safety.
Keeping Your Boat Safe All Summer is Easy!
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