Contact:
 
Dave White, New York Sea Grant, Recreation and Tourism Specialist, P: 315-312- 3042, E: dgw9@cornell.edu

Syracuse, NY, July 2, 2021 - Many Central New Yorkers are gearing up to spend time on the water this weekend.

There will also be a lot of boating newcomers, after boat sales skyrocketed in the last year.

Dave White, New York Sea Grant's Coastal Recreation and Tourism Specialist, spends most of his time educating everybody about how to stay safe on the water.

According to White, it starts before leaving the boat launch.

“It’s just like getting ready to go on a road trip you got the snacks, you got the water you have all the gear you want to have on board and that’s just going to make it a great trip you’re not going to have to worry about it and you’re prepared if something does go wrong,” White said.

The most important items you need before heading out on the water are life jackets for everybody on board. It could be something as simple as inflatable life jackets that you can find at your local boating store.

White said it’s also important to have a whistle attached to them or some kind of sound-producing device to call for help in an emergency. He also said boaters should always keep their eyes on the sky.

“It’s really watching for the wind, if you start to feel that wind picking up, depending on what body of water you’re on because it’s really going to start that wave action and depending on the size of the boat you’re on you make it into an unsafe situation,” says White.

“Ninety percent of the time it doesn’t go wrong, so plan for the 10 percent and enjoy the 90 percent while you’re out on these great waterways,” said White. 

To learn more about boating safety or to sign up for boating safety courses, visit New York State Parks and Recreation’s Safety Courses web page.

White's NYSG "Boating and Marine Trades" content can be found at www.nyseagrant.org/marina. He also has information on Great Lakes shipwrecks at www.nyseagrant.org/shipwreck.


More Info: New York Sea Grant

New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York (SUNY), is one of 34 university-based programs under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Sea Grant College Program.

Since 1971, NYSG has represented a statewide network of integrated research, education and extension services promoting coastal community economic vitality, environmental sustainability and citizen awareness and understanding about the State’s marine and Great Lakes resources.

Through NYSG’s efforts, the combined talents of university scientists and extension specialists help develop and transfer science-based information to many coastal user groups—businesses and industries, federal, state and local government decision-makers and agency managers, educators, the media and the interested public.

The program maintains Great Lakes offices at Cornell University, SUNY Buffalo, SUNY Oswego and the Wayne County Cooperative Extension office in Newark. In the State's marine waters, NYSG has offices at Stony Brook University in Long Island, Brooklyn College and Cornell Cooperative Extension in NYC and Kingston in the Hudson Valley.

For updates on Sea Grant activities: www.nyseagrant.org has RSS, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube links. NYSG offers a free e-list sign up via www.nyseagrant.org/nycoastlines for its flagship publication, NY Coastlines/Currents, which is published quarterly.