GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – For many, Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial launch of boating season. Those patrolling the water are reminding people to practice safe boating.
As part of National Safe Boating Week, the US Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 47-02 out of Green Bay is reminding people that preparation and safety is easier than you might think.
“Whether it’s an eight-foot kayak that you picked up at a big box store or a yacht that you spent an awful lot of money on, if you’re gonna put yourself or your family on a vessel and go out on the water this summer, it’s best to have a safety check done,” said Public Affairs Officer Kevin Osgood. “No tickets, no citations, no fees. We check your equipment, check the gear, [and] make sure you have what you need out there on the water in case something were to go wrong. If you don’t [have everything], then you have a copy of what you need to go out and get.”
Osgood says it’s important to have a communication device and a flow plan that is shared with friends or family on shore. You can set up a flow plan easily through the Coast Guard app to let people know exactly what your plans are, which vessel you’re taking, and when you’re expecting to return.
It’s also important to have enough life jackets for everyone on board, as well as a throwable life jacket in case someone falls overboard without a safety device.
“Something as simple as having enough life jackets on board and even wearing life jackets can save a life, can save your family’s life. It seems like something that’s just a pain to do, but really the pain is if you don’t,” Osgood said. “A life jacket ticket is expensive, but losing your life is even more expensive. And your family has to pay the price for that for a long time.”
Drowning was the reported cause of four out of every five recreational boating fatalities in 2019. 86% of those who drowned were not wearing life jackets. So far this year, six people have died in boating incidents, and another 22 people died in 2020.
“By not wearing a life jacket, you don’t know what you don’t know is going to happen. So the best way is to just be prepared and to have it and wear it,” Osgood said. “You can get all sorts of life jackets today. You can wear them as a waist belt, they have the inflatable ones that don’t take up much space, and there’s all kinds of different styles for them. So you should just wear one now that it’s easier to do.”
With the rising surge in popularity of activities like kayaking, canoeing, and paddleboarding, Osgood says new enthusiasts should really double-check their list. Over 40% of paddlers don’t own a life jacket, and the largest number of drownings comes from new kayakers. That’s why he encourages anyone buying a new paddle-powered boat to budget for life jackets and other proper equipment.
“Everyone thinks ‘I’m a good swimmer, I’m a great boater, I have this experience, I know what I’m gonna do’. But problems arise at unexpected times in unexpected situations, and there’s a couple of different variables that you weren’t expecting, and you don’t know what’s going to happen,” Osgood told WTAQ News. “The water might be 58 degrees, then it gets cloudy, it rains, and you go into the water without a life jacket and your kayak floats away in the wind. It’s all up to you with whether or not you’re going to be able to tread water for the twelve hours it could take for somebody to find you.”
The Department of Natural Resources reports that the majority of people who drown in boating accidents know how to swim but become incapacitated in the water such as being injured or unconscious, exhausted or weighed down by clothing. Operator inexperience, inattention, recklessness and speeding are the four leading causes of tragic watercraft crashes, and the leading cause of death is drowning.
The DNR recommends:
- Sign up now to take an online boater education course.
- Always wear a properly fitted life jacket that has a snug fit and is fastened when you’re on or near the water.
- Enjoy the waters sober and know your limits. Alcohol blurs a person’s judgment, reaction time and abilities.
- River shorelines and sandbars pose unseen dangers. Higher, fast-moving water can tax an individual’s boating, paddling and swimming skills.
- Keep an eye on the weather and let someone know where you are going.
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