Boaters Need to be Their Own Best Lifeguard

Seven Swimming Safety Tips

 

Boating and swimming go hand-in-hand, but unlike a public pool or beach, boaters can't count on a lifeguard to watch over them. As this summer's sweltering heat wave drives more boaters to dive into the deep blue, the BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety has these seven swimming tips:

1. Always ensure the engine is off. The best way to do this is to remove the key from the ignition, leaving it in plain view so everyone knows it won't start.

2. At marinas, stray electric current from poorly maintained boat electrical and shore power systems can kill swimmers. Three separate marina electrocution incidents over the July 4 holiday left four kids and one adult dead, and injured several others who had tried to come to their rescue.

3. Never dive in head first before confirming the water depth. Mistakenly diving into a shallow, mucky bottom may simply leave you bruised and looking more like the creature of black lagoon. However, diving head first into hard sandy bottom, rock or underwater obstruction could put you in a wheelchair. Deploy a boarding ladder first and ease yourself in to confirm water depth.

4. Never swim alone. If you're in the middle of the lake and swimming alone, there's no safety backstop in case you have a problem - which could be nearby boaters unaware of you.

5. It's always a good idea to have a life jacket or floating seat cushion close by (and tied to the boat) that swimmers can easily reach while in the water, or simply hang a dock line over the side. And even if you're a good swimmer, wearing a life jacket while in the water makes you nearly drown-proof.

6. Never swim under a boat's swim platform or near any boat with the engine running. You could strike the running gear or fall victim to carbon monoxide poisoning - it only takes a few whiffs of CO to leave swimmers incapacitated or unconscious. Also stay away from generator exhaust ports.

7. When boats and swimmers collide, boats always win. You're simply asking for trouble if you swim in navigation channels or marinas. Also never swim in area with strong river or tidal currents, which can swiftly sweep swimmers away from the boat.

For more information on boating safety programs from the BoatUS Foundation, such as the free Online Boating Safety Course or free Kid's Life Jacket Loaner Program, go to www.BoatUS.com/Foundation.

BoatUS Towing Services now has over 300 locations

The BoatUS Towing Services on-the-water towboat fleet has reached a milestone: there are now over 300 TowBoatUS and Vessel Assist locations across North America, making it the largest recreational boat towing operation in the world. “We’ve added 14 new locations this year alone, all ready to respond 24 hours a day,” said BoatUS Vice President of Towing Services Jerry Cardarelli. To find any location on a map, go to www.BoatUS.com/serviceslocator.

With half a million members, the on-the-water assistance service for recreational boaters has three times more locations than the closest competitor. On average, 65,000 requests are handled annually from boat owners seeking on-the-water help such as a battery jump-start, soft ungrounding, fuel drop off, or a tow home back to a marina or launch ramp. Business is booming: To date, BoatUS reports that 25 states are already up over 10% in towing dispatch volume over last year. “The free BoatUS Towing App for iPhone and Android have helped drive this increase, along with better weather year to date,” said Cardarelli.

Ten of the program’s 14 new locations this year are located on freshwater lakes and rivers, reflecting the Association’s growth of services for freshwater boaters. “The inland regions, particularly the South, Midwest and Great Lakes, have a lot of boaters who need round the clock service, which many marinas don’t offer. We’ve also had a great response, especially from anglers,” added Cardarelli.

The on-the-water towboat service, a program modeled after roadside assistance clubs for automobile owners, offers a choice of membership plans for recreational boaters and sailors to anglers with fishing boats. Annual towing plans now start at $58 a year for freshwaters and $149 for saltwaters and Florida. Both include a choice of either BoatUS or BoatUS Angler membership.

BoatUS also has a towing service plan for those who trailer their boats – something most roadside assistance clubs don’t include. For $14 additional annually, the Association’s “Trailer Assist” program provides roadside help for both boat trailers and tow vehicles (while towing), and will tow both up to 100 miles to a safe location, repair facility, or home. Ramp winching, fuel drop off and lock out services are also all included. Over 18,000 towing companies nationwide stand by ready to assist.

For more information on any of BoatUS’ towing services, go to BoatUS.com/towing. The towing service is a part of Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS), which began in 1966 and is the nation’s leading advocate for recreational boaters providing over half a million members with a wide array of consumer services, government representation and money-saving programs.