Key To Boating Fun Is Being Safe, Sensible
There are boat owners who like to fish, and there are fishermen who use a boat just to get closer to the fish.
The bothersome thing to people in the business of saving lives is that the fisherman who would not be caught “dead” without all of the necessary gear to be a good fisherman, too often turns up dead in the literal sense because they are not good boatmen.
They somehow overlook carrying enough life jackets or take chances by standing up with the motor running. A sad but probably too true observation was made by a young boy who was asked what he considered the most dangerous thing about boating and he responded: “go pee.”
Search-and-rescue people say that many of the bodies they recover have their pants open.
Life jackets do save lives and a new design called the Sospender manufactured in Idaho is now approved by the Coast Guard. The neat thing about it is that it can be worn like a pair of suspenders and doesn’t get in the way like a conventional personal floatation device.
Next month, National Safe Boating Week will be proclaimed and recognized as a time to promote boating safety.
In connection with National Safe Boating Week, units of the Coast Guard Auxiliary and members of the United States Power Squadrons will be available to conduct vessel safety checks.
By satisfying the requirements of the safety check, you can get a VSC decal recognized by marine patrols and authorized by state boating law administrators. The likelihood that you will be arbitrarily stopped for an examination is minimized when you display the decal.
It just makes sense to keep the pleasure in pleasure boating by having an authorized person check out your boat as the season gets underway and displaying the decal to avoid being stopped.
Another area of concern expressed by marine deputies is that of boat operators being “under the influence” when out on the water. A glorious hot sunny day and a cool drink seem to go together on a holiday outing but the deputies say they are going to be tough on boat operators who appear to be too high in spirits and operating in an unsafe manner.
It should be noted that according to the law, it is the boat operator and not the boatowner who is responsible for the condition of the boat and its passengers. When it’s party time, the motor vehicle caution of “designated driver” is a good rule to follow afloat.
This sidebar appeared with the story: HELP US OUT
We want this column to be your column and request that you send information about events or regattas on Kootenai County waterways, along with your questions to: The Idaho Spokesman-Review, 608 Northwest Blvd. Suite 200, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814. You can reach us by fax at 765-7149 or by e-mail at rbka@televar.com.