Boating responsibly can lead to lasting memories,
while bad boating behaviors
can cause issues
ranging from mere embarrassment
to major catastrophe.
Various circumstances encountered while underway provide recreational boaters with ample opportunities to react --
either appropriately or not.
To begin, not requiring life jacket wear of everyone aboard can lead to tragedy.
More than two-thirds of boating fatalities were drowning incidents
and ninety percent of the victims were not wearing life jackets.
Failing to stay active and alert,
and not respecting the weather,
water,
passengers,
fellow boaters,
divers,
swimmers,
and property owners
all exemplify bad boating behaviors that can have harmful consequences.
Choosing not to gain a working knowledge of the Navigation Rules,
not using common sense,
and not taking actions to avoid immediate danger, create many perilous combinations.
Failure to apply the most basic rules of the road such as boat separation schemes
can rapidly give rise to a life-threatening situation.
Not sitting in a designated seat can bring about instant death from falling overboard
and being struck by a boat's propeller.
But serious threats lurk in less obvious places where ignorance can drive actions with consequences that are just as grave.
Whether one boat is overtaking another from behind
or from one side or the other,
their means of propulsion,
and other factors
determine whether to behave as the stand-on vessel
or to act as the give-way vessel.
Not maintaining course and speed or failing to take early and substantial action
to keep well clear of the other vessel can set-up an otherwise avoidable collision.
Not using appropriate sound signals to alert other boat operators of your intent prior to a maneuver,
or not making the proper response, can further exacerbate immediate danger.
Rule Fourteen dictates that two powerboats approaching head-on pass port to port.
The threat of being hit by larger vessels
in multi-use waterways
can be mitigated by gaining a working knowledge
of commercial traffic.
Other factors such as relative maneuverability of different types of vessels
raise additional behavioral challenges for boat operators.
The ability to properly communicate with other boats and persons on shore
can prevent a merely threatening situation from becoming a full-blown disaster.
You and your passengers should
refrain from using sound producing devices or visual distress signals
on the water
except when assistance is needed,
there is immediate danger
to persons onboard,
or it's necessary to attract the attention
of another boat.
At night, not using navigation lights
or not learning how to interpret them
can lead to incidents
with more serious outcomes
than during the day
due to the lack of visibility
not only for those affected
but also for rescuers.
Not slowing down in high traffic areas
and not being responsible for your wake
can rock, swamp, or capsize other boaters,
throw your own passengers off balance or overboard,
and erode the shoreline.
Boating responsibly requires courteous interactions
with other boaters
and the boating environment.
Civil penalties amount to as much as five thousand dollars per violation
and up to two years in prison.
It is our shared responsibility to ensure safe and enjoyable boating.
Have fun, but don't get in the way of fellow boaters having fun;
and, above all,
come back safe.