Coast Guard Auxiliary Reports

We hope that all the fathers and father-figures out there had a safe and happy Father’s Day!
Last week, we shared some information published in the 2022 USCG Boating Coast Guard summary of the recreational boating statistics.   
The report stated that “Most incidents occur in benign conditions—calm waters, light wind, and good visibility—under which you may least expect to end up in the water, which is why it is critical to wear a life jacket and engine cut-off switch at all times as they are designed to save your life,” stated Captain Troy Glendye, Chief of the Coast Guard’s Office of Auxiliary and Boating Safety.  The Coast Guard reminds boaters to ensure life jackets are serviceable, properly sized, correctly fastened, and suitable for your activity.
Where boating instruction was known, 74 percent of deaths occurred on vessels where the operator had not received boating safety instruction.  The Coast Guard encourages all boaters take a boating safety course that meets the National Boating Education Standards before they go boating.
The most common vessel types involved in reported incidents were open motorboats, personal watercraft, and cabin motorboats.  Where vessel type was known, the vessel types with the highest percentage of deaths were open motorboats (47 percent), kayaks (14 percent), and personal watercraft and pontoons (9 percent).
The data is based on incidents that resulted in at least one of the following criteria:  death, disappearance, injury that required medical treatment beyond first aid, damages to the vessel(s) or other property that equaled or exceeded $2,000, or a loss of vessel.

In addition to wearing a life jacket and taking a boating safety course, the Coast Guard recommends all boaters to attach the engine cut-off switch, get a free vessel safety check, and boat sober.
We will continue to highlight these statistics in the coming weeks.  Safe Boating is everyone’s responsibility.  The trends are moving in the right direction and we want to continue to see these numbers decreasing.
Thanks to Sherrie, we will always remember safe boating is no accident!

If you would like to learn more about vessel safety checks, please contact Steve Hults, Staff Officer for Vessel Examinations at steve.hults@uscgaux.net.

Please contact us for more information about our safe boating classes or learning more about getting involved in the Auxiliary, check out our website at www.uscgaux.net follow us on FaceBook @ Apalachee Bay Flotilla 12 or contact our Flotilla Commander Phil Hill at pnkkhill2000@yahoo.com.

Please contact us to learn more about getting involved in the Auxiliary, check out our website at www.uscgaux.net follow us on FaceBook @ Apalachee Bay Flotilla 12 or contact our Flotilla Commander Phil Hill at pnkkhill2000@yahoo.com

The Coast Guard Auxiliary is the uniformed civilian volunteer component of the U.S. Coast Guard and supports the Coast Guard in nearly all mission areas. The Auxiliary was created by Congress in 1939. For more information, please visit www.cgaux.org.