NY Sea Grant | NYSG: Great Lakes Boating & Marine Trades (News - On Air: NYS Life Jacket Law; Looking Ahead at 2022 Boating Season, Nov'21)

Contact:

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

Syracuse, NY, November 12, 2021 — Beginning November 1st, New York State law requires anyone on the water in any kind of vessel, has to be wearing a life jacket.

Dave White — New York Sea Grant's Coastal Recreation and Tourism Specialist and the Great Lakes Research Consortium's Associate Director — is on Street Talk to discuss Central New York waterways this time of year as well as thinking ahead to next year’s boating season.

This information was shared during a 10 minute long segment that aired on several 93Q programs, including Street Talk and Ted and Amy in the Morning. 93Q broadcasts on WNTQ-FM in the greater Syracuse region.

You can listen to White's full conversation on 93Q, which starts at 12 mins 40 seconds in on the clip below ...

If you don't see the player above, it's because you're using a non-Flash device (eg, iPhone or iPad). You can download the mp3 file by clicking here (mp3). It may take a few minutes to download, so please be patient.

Full Transcript:

Speaker1: [00:00:04] Welcome to Street Talk, a public affairs presentation of Cumulus Media aired on our Cumulus stations in Syracuse. Street Talk is a weekly show keeping you in touch with the individuals and organizations that work for and serve our community. Where your host, Ted and Amy.

Speaker3: [00:13:42] Well, as we head into the month of November, though, there are some things to remember.

Speaker2: [00:13:46] On November 1st starts what we call the wear it months. And starting November 1st, everybody on board a boat, regardless of the kind of boat that you're on, has to have a life jacket on. It no longer is just to have to have it available [00:14:00] or 12 and under. Everybody has to wear it because, you know, it can be a beautiful day, but that water is starting to get cold. Hypothermia can set in. So it is required that everybody have a life jacket on securely fastened just to give everybody the protection. You know, and as you've heard me say, you know, we want to make sure we have that survivability until you're rescued. So having that life jacket on now becomes law. But also even some of the other things that, you know, we don't really do as much in the summer, like, you know, a float plan. A lot of folks go out hunting [00:14:30] and fishing in the fall. Definitely make sure you're telling somebody when you're going, where you're going, when you plan to come back. So those things that sometimes in the summer when there's a lot of boaters out, we may not do as frequently as we should. They really become important as we go into the fall, you know, hunting season, on water season, you know, boating season for folks that are out there on the water because a lot of times they're alone. So special precautions got to be taken.

Speaker3: [00:14:55] And probably now is a little too late to start looking for where you're going to store your boat. [00:15:00] I mean, whether it be on your property or elsewhere, that's really something that should be looked at as it's still warm.

Speaker2: [00:15:08] You know, it should. But, you know, all of our great friends at the Boating Industry Association of upstate New York and all of our independent dealers, and they're going to help you out. You know, there is space available if or if you're going to store it on your own property, you know, pop down to one of your local marine dealers and just make sure you're going to do it well to make sure you're not going to get mildew over the winter and the kind of cover that you're putting on. So, [00:15:30] you know, they're all, you know, available, you know, want to help you out, be happy to help you store it on their property. And, you know, we've got two or three locations now that you can store your boat inside over the winter and not even have to have a winterized. So, you know, the central New York boating market has just become such a popular market area. You know, we've got a lot of very cool things and, you know, storage is critically important, but making sure you're storing it well. So, you know, check with your local Marine dealer to either put it on their property or to make sure you're going to do it, you know, a good way if you're storing your trailer [00:16:00] or boat.

Speaker3: [00:16:00] Well, and speaking of boats, David, when is a good time to start thinking about buying a boat or at least, you know, thinking about spring when you're going to buy a boat or is now a good time?

Speaker2: [00:16:11] Last year would have been a good time to think about buying a boat next spring. You know, you know, we kid, we laugh, but the boating industry is, you know, the same as every industry right now, the supply chain issue, the basic components. So, you know, if you're thinking of spring to get a boat, you know, now is the time to go out and start talking to your [00:16:30] dealers, looking what they have on online, but letting them know what you're looking for because, you know, the used boat market becomes extremely active over the winter of people looking to go into other hobbies. I'm going to retire. I want to downsize. So, you know, the winter used boat market because a lot of folks are looking at now to put their boats on the market because they don't want to store them themselves over the winter. So if you're looking at a used boat, now is a great time, new boat you definitely want to start thinking about it. And the first thing [00:17:00] you have to do is as a family, always think about what do we want to use the boat for? Don't start with, oh, I want this kind of boat. Start with what do you want to use it for? And then think about matching the boat type size engine to what you and your family want to do collectively because that becomes really important in picking out that next boat.

Speaker3: [00:17:20] And also, I feel like we should mention, especially if you buy something used, you know, check out and make sure the trailer is in really good shape. We've had some just tragic [00:17:30] accidents around here of trailers with tires came off and things. And so it's not just if you're buying a boat, chances are the trailer is also included.

Speaker2: [00:17:39] Absolutely. Absolutely. And that is such a good point, Amy, and thank you for raising it, that a lot of times people do they get so excited about the boat, they don't look at it. And if you are going to be trailering it, you know, back and forth, I mean, if you know, if you're putting it at the marina not as big a deal, but if you're going to be trailering it, you really need to the trailer is, you know, going back and forth to the launch ramp to the family cottage, [00:18:00] whatever it may be, is extremely dangerous, if not done correctly. And, you know, you definitely want to have that checked. You have to have it inspected as well. It's like any other trailer that you have, you have to have it inspected. And those are critically important, like you say, to make sure the tires, the larger the boat, sometimes you're actually going to have electronic brakes on it. They need to be checked. Make sure the attachment to your car is good. You know, a lot of folks will go, oh, I'm just going a couple of miles down to the launch ramp. I'll just pop it on the trailer. You know, that couple of miles can even be [00:18:30] dangerous for not only, you know, the person trailering the boat, but people that are around you if it comes loose. So that is just a fabulous point for somebody to think about when they're buying it to make sure they're having it all checked out as well as the boat.

Speaker3: [00:18:43] And speaking of dangers, I mean, I'm kind of like rambling around, but, you know, time also, if you are going to be out on your boat and using a propane tank or anything like that on the boat, it's just as important to just make sure you take all the safety precautions.

Speaker2: [00:18:58] Yeah, as [00:19:00] I say, when we hit this time of year, safety precautions are even more critically important, you know, and going to any one of our good partners Boat, U.S. Discover Boating New York State Parks they all have great checklists of you know, before you go out on your boat today, just check these things. They become really important this time of year again, because you might be out boating alone, but also there's just not a lot of other boaters out on the water. So if you get in trouble, you're going to be out there alone many times. And, you know, sometimes cell phones will [00:19:30] or won't work or if you fell overboard or your cell phone doesn't work, all of those things become so much more critically important. You know, the spring and the fall can be some of the most dangerous times boating because of weather, but also because of lack of other folks out on the body of water. So, you know, you can even get a detail you can put right on the dashboard of your boat that you know okay, before you go, here's what you need to know. You know, in the five or six things that are just the top priority that you want to make sure you're thinking of that again. You know, summertime, a lot of us, we checked the book beginning [00:20:00] of the season, we don't really think about it. But boy, those things become critically important, making sure you have your flares and your flags and you can communicate with folks both, you know, visually and electronically. That stuff becomes so important right now because you're right, every you know, every year we hear about, you know, the deaths, somebody falling overboard, somebody got hypothermia. They didn't have a life jacket on. And it really concerns me because of the growth of paddle sports, because that's where we really start to see, because it's so easy to throw the kayak in on a gorgeous 45 degree day [00:20:30] and forgetting that the water is really cold.

Speaker3: [00:20:32] And I guess, you know, as we're slowing down, maybe now is the time or at least look towards the winter to take a boating safety course.

Speaker2: [00:20:41] Absolutely. You know, a lot of our friends and the Coast Guard Auxiliary, the Power Squadron, volunteer instructors for New York State, are good friends and blue, you know, sheriff and state police. They're all going to be starting to think about teaching their classes, you know, and now is the time you can go online and start to think about that as a family, you know, maybe the first part of the year or, you know, if the family [00:21:00] is going to, you know, be getting maybe some personal watercraft or boat or, you know, maybe, you know, maybe there's going to be something special under the Christmas tree. A great time to be thinking about signing up for those classes. You can do them online. I mean, we have all had to go to that, you know, with the pandemic. But more and more folks are now doing in-person. And, you know, as you and I have chatted before, an in-person class is so important because they're going to bring the equipment in. They're going to show you what it looks like. We're going to show you how it works. So those in-person classes are just wonderful [00:21:30] to take advantage of. So definitely be thinking about that. And definitely, you know, through the winter, that's a great time to take them and it's just a great thing to do as a family as well. I just, you know, want to reiterate, you know, as you and I have talked, this can become a very dangerous time of the year for boating, and we don't want to see that happen. So just take the special precautions, make sure you've got your life jacket on and make sure you have some way of communicating with folks because, you know, it can get kind of lonely out there on the water if you're in that water for an extended period of time. So, you know, have a great boating season. [00:22:00] It's not over with yet. You know, it's great to see it continue. And for all those people that decide on January 1st to go out and boating, please be safe.

Speaker1: [00:22:07] See more at nyseagrant.org. Well, that's it for this week's edition of Street Talk. If you have an issue to discuss or an event or non-profit organization to promote or to find out more information about something you've heard on this or past week's programs, you can email Amy Robbins at Cumulus.com for events allow two weeks in advance. Street Talk has been a public affairs presentation [00:22:30] of Cumulus Media, where Ted and Amy, thank you for joining us each week here on Street Talk.

You can also listen to shorter segments of White's conversation on 93Q ...

Full Transcript:

Speaker1: [00:00:00] And fishing season continues. Hunting season is well underway. So that means that people are still out using their boats on central New York waterways. But Dave White of New York's Sea Grant says that boating this time of year can be more dangerous if you're not prepared. He says this month, November began a requirement of all life jackets all the time.

Speaker2: [00:00:18] Starting November 1st, everybody on board a boat, regardless of the kind of boat that you're on, has to have a life jacket on. It no longer is just to have to have it available or 12 and under. Everybody [00:00:30] has to wear it because, you know, it can be a beautiful day, but that water is starting to get cold. Hypothermia can set in, so it is required that everybody have a lifejacket securely fastened just to give everybody the protection. You know, and as you've heard me say, you know, we want to make sure we have that survivability until you're rescued. So having that life jacket on now becomes law.

Speaker1: [00:00:51] So as of November 1st.

Speaker2: [00:00:52] Is that like forever.

Speaker1: [00:00:53] Or is that just during the fall? It's November through April, March, something like that. But [00:01:00] I mean, when you think about hunting season, you don't necessarily think about boating season. But a lot of people use their boats to go to remote areas or they're hunting for something other than deer. Let's say you're hunting for pheasant or something. And so you're going out and you're looking at different areas where they could be. So yeah, because he was like hunting season and I'm thinking, well, why would you take your boat? But I guess, yeah, I mean, it's still, it's still a thing and a lot of people boat I mean, a lot of people kayak right through until the water freezes if it freezes so just really. Especially [00:01:30] he said because and I get this because there's not as many people out on the waterways to see you to see you because in the summer, right in the summer, there's usually somebody around that can help you if you're stranded or you fall overboard or something in the winter or late fall. There's not a lot of people.

Speaker2: [00:01:48] Those life jackets.

Speaker1: [00:01:49] Yeah. And just, you know, have a plan in place. That's the biggest thing.

Here's the second in a series of shorter segments from White's conversation on 93Q ...

Full Transcript:

Speaker1: [00:00:00] Well, fishing season continues, hunting season is underway. So that means that people are still out using their boats on central New York waterways. But Dave White of the New York Sea Grant says boating this time of year can be more dangerous if you're not prepared. He says this time of the year especially, it's important to have a float plan. A lot of

Speaker2: [00:00:18] A lot of folks go out hunting and fishing in the fall. Definitely make sure you're telling somebody when you're going, where you're going, when you plan to come back. So those things that sometimes in the summer when there's a lot of boaters out, [00:00:30] we may not do as frequently as we should. They really become important as we go into the fall, you know, hunting season, on water season, you know, boating season for folks that are out there in the water because a lot of times they're alone. So special precautions got to be taken.

Speaker1: [00:00:47] I get it float plan as opposed to flight plan, flight and flow. Very clever. Yes. And let people know. And yeah, because I mean, it's not like summer where you can look and see three other boats that are around if you're out this time of year and plus the weather kicks up and and if you fall [00:01:00] in the water, I mean, it could be 40 degrees, but the water is going to be much colder. So you just really have to be prepared. And yes, let's see. Opening day of regular season deer hunting starts tomorrow in western and central New York.

Speaker2: [00:01:13] Can you Deer hunt from a Boat?

Speaker1: [00:01:14] Well, I was saying that. I know. I don't know. But I was saying that hunting in general, like whatever you're hunting for, I think a lot of people still use boats because they go to like areas or something like that. So that's why. Yeah. Boating you wouldn't think of as hunting, but I think that's the reason.

Speaker2: [00:01:28] Well, just make sure you tell somebody [00:01:30] where you're going and how long are you going to be gone.

Speaker1: [00:01:33] Right, right. Don't show up missing. Sure.

Here's the third in a series of shorter segments from White's conversation on 93Q ...

Full Transcript:

Speaker1: [00:00:00] Well, fishing season continues and hunting season is underway. So that means that people are still out using their boats on central New York waterways. But Dave White of New York Sea Grant says that boating this time of year can be more dangerous if you're not prepared. He says if you're still transporting your boat or storing it for the winter, please make sure your trailer is in good shape.

Speaker2: [00:00:20] A lot of times people do. They get so excited about the boat, they don't look at it. And if you're going to be trailering it, you really need to. The trailer is extremely dangerous, if not [00:00:30] done correctly. And you know, you definitely want to have that checked. You have to have it inspected as well. It's like any other trailer that you have, you have to have it inspected and make sure the attachment to your car is good. You know, a lot of folks will go, oh, I'm just going a couple of miles down to the launch ramp. I just pop it on the trailer. You know, that couple of miles can even be dangerous for not only, you know, the person trailering the boat, but people that are around you if it comes loose. So that is just a fabulous point for somebody to think about. Yeah, we've had some tragic trailer accidents. [00:01:00]

Speaker1: [00:01:00] And I got to tell you, you know, when I'm behind something like that, that's what I think about. And you just hope you just hope that all the trailer owners just know to check the tires and all that kind of stuff. So this is yeah, this is a dangerous time of year for that spring and fall especially. So not just on the waterways, but just play it safe off the water.

Speaker2: [00:01:18] What did we learn? Everyone has to have a life jacket.

Speaker1: [00:01:21] As of November 1st.

Speaker2: [00:01:22] Through during the season.

Speaker1: [00:01:23] Yeah, because just because the water is so cold. So, I mean, you could, you know, people are still using a ton of different [00:01:30] even small kayaks and boats and things like that. So just everybody's got to wear a life jacket through the winter months.

Here's the fourth in a series of shorter segments from White's conversation on 93Q ...

Full Transcript:

Speaker1: [00:00:00] Well, fishing season continues. Hunting season is well underway. So that means that people are still out using their boats on central New York waterways. But Dave White of New York Sea Grant says that boating this time of year can be more dangerous, especially if you're not prepared. He says it may be a beautiful, chilly day, but remember, the water is so much colder.

Speaker2: [00:00:18] When we hit this time of year safety precautions are even more critically important. Boat U.S. Discover Boating New York State Parks, they all have great checklists of, you know, before you go out on your boat today, just check [00:00:30] these things. They become really important this time of year again because you might be out boating alone, but also there's just not a lot of other boaters out on the waters. The spring and the fall can be some of the most dangerous times boating because of weather, but also because of lack of other folks out on the body of water. So somebody's falling overboard. Somebody got hypothermia. They didn't have a life jacket on.

Speaker1: [00:00:51] And and that's where it could go. You can nobody could spot you. So really have a float plan tell people where you are. As of November 1st through the winter months, you've got [00:01:00] to wear a life jacket no matter what kind of watercraft you're on. And yeah, people, you know, you go to remote areas to go hunting or something. A lot of people are still taking their boats. I mean, then we go to ice fishing and all that. But that's another story in terms of safety.

Speaker3: [00:01:12] Make sure, though, yes, you tell someone where you're going to be and for how long are you going to be there? Because that way they'll be able to tell if you're actually missing.

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.