Top Ten Boating Safety Tips

A Marine Insurer's Suggestions to Improve Ship and Crew Wellbeing

Jun 29, 2007 Alan Sorum

Here is a short list of ten suggestions that will help you be a safer boater from a major marine insurance company.

These recreational boating safety suggestions come from the marine insurance company INAMAR. This company traces its roots back to the Insurance Company of North America, founded in Philadelphia during 1792. They wrote the first marine insurance policy in the United States for a transatlantic voyage of the S/V America more than 200 years ago. As an insurance company INAMAR knows a great deal about the root causes of marine causalities and insurance claims. Along with other useful safety information, the insurance company has published a top ten list for boating safety.

Readers of the Boating & Sailing Section of Suite101 will find many familiar themes in these safety suggestions for boaters. Properly prepared boaters are safer boaters.

Top Ten Recreational Boating Safety Tips

1. Wear a Personal Flotation Device (PFD) - Always wear a PFD and insist everyone onboard wears one as well. Ninety percent of those who have drown in boating accidents are not wearing a life jacket. Use a correctly sized PFD suited for the activity being undertaken.
2. Don't Drink While Boating - Alcohol magnifies boat induced fatigue and is a factor in 30 percent of all boating related fatalities.
3. Take a Boating Safety Class - Incredibly in 70 percent of all boating fatalities the operator has not taken a boating safety class. Research conducted by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) confirms this finding.
4. Take Charge of Your Safety - Boating like a professional implies being prepared for boating emergencies.
5. Learn the NavRules and Safety Procedures - Knowing the rules of the road will make you a safer boater. You will know what to anticipate of other operators on the water and they can expect the same of you.
6. Operate Conservatively and Maintain a Lookout - Operating at high speeds shortens reaction time and increases the energy contributed to a collision. Slow down for weather, poor visibility, crowded conditions, and navigational hazards. Keep a good lookout and encourage your passengers and crew to watch for boating hazards.
7. Check the Weather - Keep track of the weather and know the current marine forecast. Weather information is readily available from the National Weather Service through marine VHF radio broadcasts, the internet, radio facsimile, and by telephone. Know the weather limitations of your vessel. Heed wind and wave warnings.
8. Get a VSC - One the most proactive safety efforts you can make is to get a Vessel Safety Check (VSC) from the Coast Guard Auxiliary. The inspections are free and easy to obtain.
9. Install a CO Detector - Carbon Monoxide (CO) is hazard to boaters and use of a CO detector is very inexpensive insurance.
10. File a Float Plan - Help take the search out of search and rescue (SAR). Let others know where you plan to operate and who is onboard. Many marina operators will take float plans from their customers.

The copyright of the article Top Ten Boating Safety Tips in Boating & Sailing is owned by Alan Sorum. Permission to republish Top Ten Boating Safety Tips in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.