By Carolyn Brown Treadon
Over the next month, we will be sharing safe boating information from the Coast Guard in support of National Safe Boating Week.
The Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary celebrate National Safe Boating Week, May 17 through May 23, and urge mariners and beach goers to be safe this Memorial Day weekend.
Memorial Day weekend is considered by many as the unofficial start to the recreational boating season. As boaters take to the water, there is an increased likelihood for search and rescue situations, mechanical failures and accidents.
Continuing from last week, where data was known:
The vessel types with the highest percentage of deaths were open motorboats (44%), kayaks (17%), and personal watercraft (8%).
Collisions (with vessels, objects, groundings) were the most frequent first event in accidents, attributing to 56% of accidents, 24% of deaths, and 53% of injuries. Operator inattention, improper lookout, operator inexperience, excessive speed, and machinery failure ranked as the top five primary contributing factors in accidents.
Thanks to Sherrie, we will always remember safe boating is no accident! Check back next week for more information on National Safe Boating Week.
The most common vessel types involved in reported accidents were open motorboats (45%), personal watercraft (19%), and cabin motorboats (13%). Where length was known, 4 of every 5 boaters who drowned were using vessels less than 21 feet in length.
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.
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.