The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary is urging all boaters to use extra caution while boating during holiday weekends, and though we know all our SpinSheet readers will have no problem doing just that, there are a few boaters out there who make us all look bad. To avoid a potential disaster, let’s briefly review the areas in which they can most easily come about.
Lifejackets. Look, don’t be that guy who is out on a paddleboard at 8 p.m. with a lifejacket strapped to the front of his board, no leash on his ankle, and a red solo cup balancing between his feet. Don’t be that guy who has the packet of six jackets buried deep in a lazarette under spare anchors and moldy docklines, still shrink-wrapped in their packaging with the West Marine tag still visible. Have your lifejackets somewhere you can reach them when you need them.
Functioning Boat Equipment. Don’t be that guy bombing across the harbor after the fireworks show with no running lights, no masthead light, no warning signal save for the whir of an outboard and the glow of a cigarette. Vessel safety checks are free and worth it.
Be ready for an emergency. And no, an emergency doesn’t involve running out of ice. Don’t be that guy who doesn’t know how to operate a marine radio when one of his friends becomes unresponsive.
Don’t drink to excess. Being out on the water all day will completely change your tolerance levels. We’ve all seen the guy with a massive yacht, attempting to dock it front and center at the club in a mindstate that can mostly be called “blackout drunk.” No matter how nice a boat he has, nobody wants to be that guy.
File a float plan with a friend. Remember Aron Ralston? He was the guy who went hiking in a canyon and had a rock fall on his arm. He spent 127 hours underneath it before cutting off his arm with a pocketknife. He hadn’t told anyone he was going out hiking, so no one knew to look for him. So, you know, don’t be that guy. Tell someone you’re going sailing so that if something goes wrong, people know to look for you.
Be aware of your surroundings. Don’t be that guy who gets stuck in a storm that was mentioned on the weather channel 45 times. Don’t be that guy who doesn’t see the freighter barreling down on him until she is blasting her horns. Don’t be that guy who gets caught in the lines of a fishing boat. Don’t be that guy speeding through an area where little kids are in the water. Don’t be that guy trying to have a social conversation on channel 16.
And just remember, if you’re ever in doubt about any of your safe boating practices, all you have to do is ask yourself, “Am I being that guy?”
