Contact:

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


Watertown, NY, May 19, 2022 - "This is the time people are getting their own boats out, making sure they're checking the engine and checking the trailer and also checking all of their safety equipment," says Dave White, New York Sea Grant's Coastal Recreation and Tourism Specialist, during a recent boating segment on WTNY 790 AM Watertown. "And something we talk about every year is to double check to make sure you've got all the right gear on board."




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Full Transcript:

Speaker1: [00:00:12] Not only. Good morning. Good morning. Happy Thursday. Friday. That's right. You are starting your day with J.J. and Brian Best, the best news director in the North Country. [00:00:30] Take me to the river, Brian.

Speaker2: [00:00:33] Isn't that the song that big mouth Billy Bass sings?

Speaker1: [00:00:37] I don't know. I'm pretty sure it is. Oh, the wall thing.

Speaker2: [00:00:41] Yeah, I got a confirmation over here. Yeah, it is a song. Big mouth, Billy, bass sings.

Speaker1: [00:00:45] You would you. You know that one? I'd say you probably have one. I just was going to say that was version. Yes. I do think he does this does sing this song so well. Me, Bryan and Big Mouth Billy Bass are going to the river [00:01:00] this morning because we are joined in the studio. Never a lack of laughs here when this character is in New York Sea Grant, Coastal Recreation and Tourism Specialist Dave White. Good morning.

Speaker2: [00:01:11] Good morning. The Billy Bass, I'm sitting there going, yep, yep. I'm I'm visualizing it at my mind when you turn them on and his head whips out from the wall when he start singing. Yeah. Just happen to the music. Yeah, oh yeah. And then you just want to rip it off the wall.

Speaker1: [00:01:27] You know, your dog figures out how to bark and set it off, [00:01:30] and the kids start setting up and you're like, Why did I buy that thing?

Speaker2: [00:01:34] I had a Christmas ornament that I got one year that was just really a creepy ornament. And if you walked by, it was a sensor on it. It started singing in this really obnoxious voice. It was just fun to watch people walk by in the office that didn't realize it. It all sudden would go off. You now see where my sense of humor is.

Speaker1: [00:01:49] Well, I'm learning. I'm learning. So. Yeah, but so. Well, I mean, we could talk about Billy the Bass, but are we finally there? Are we finally [00:02:00] can we get excited about the weather and the potential of boating season being here? Fish.

Speaker2: [00:02:05] I'm going. I'm going to say yes. Good. I don't know what that means, but I'm going to say, yes, we are there.

Speaker1: [00:02:10] And you are the specialist.

Speaker2: [00:02:12] This this weekend starts boat safety week, which to me really is for a lot of folks, you know, the kick off of the summer, you know, we are there. You know, Mother Nature throws a little loop here and there, which she always does. So that's okay. It keeps us fresh. But yeah, with the start of Safe Boating Week, you know, people are really thinking [00:02:30] about getting the boat out. Then we go right into Memorial Day. And so this is the time people are getting their own boats out, making sure, you know, checking the engine and checking the trailer and also checking all of their safety equipment. And really, that's what Boat Safety Week is about. And it's something we talk about every year is double check to make sure you've got all the right gear on board. You know, I always talk about boating is fun. And what makes it fun is the captain, whomever that might be, has got the boat prepped. So when everybody gets on on a beautiful Saturday morning to go out on our great bodies of [00:03:00] water, you're going to have a fun day if something happens. They're prepared, but they don't have to worry about it because they've done all the prep up front.

Speaker1: [00:03:07] Well, yeah. And there's nothing, nothing really to deter somebody from enjoying the water as having a a like a tragedy happen on the water. I mean, you don't get over that stuff, you know, any kind of you don't.

Speaker2: [00:03:18] And you know, the nice thing about boating and you know, I listen to you guys want them coming in and, you know, we've had a lot of negatives in the world and that kind of thing. And, you know, all of us that have been out on the boat, what happens when you go by another boater? You [00:03:30] wave.

Speaker1: [00:03:30] Right.

Speaker2: [00:03:31] You know, and I always tell people, let's bring that to the rest of society because we don't know who these people are. They're just they're just another part of the boating family. Right. But you always do, you know, you're always giving them a wave when you're out on the water. So that's where the fun comes in, the relaxation. So, you know, making sure that you've got the right number of life jackets, right size on board, you know, the 12 and under are wearing them. You've checked your fire extinguisher, you've got your flares on board. You know, all of your other safety [00:04:00] equipment, you know. And again, you know, think about the other stuff you need as well. First aid kit, suntan lotion, you know, those kind of things you also want to have on board because.

Speaker1: [00:04:08] Sure, hydrating.

Speaker2: [00:04:09] Yeah. Coming back at the end of the day, dehydrated or with a sunburn is just going to end a great day of boating with not such a great evening.

Speaker1: [00:04:16] No, it's, it's yeah. That's not the fun part of the end of the day. So now when it comes to specifically, I always think of like life jackets because that's one of the biggest but simplest things to have on board and the easiest thing to for [00:04:30] people just to kind of shrug off like, oh, I don't, I don't have enough or I don't, you know, I don't need it, you know, even in smaller crafts like kayaks or smaller boats. I don't need one of those. Right. You know, so what are what are some like what are the common misconceptions that people need to understand with, you know, maybe just shrugging off that safety device.

Speaker2: [00:04:48] In the life jacket is what will save your life if you do get into that problem and just having it readily available, accessible, they're in good working order. You have the right size for the people on board. You know, when I'm driving [00:05:00] my boat, mine, you know, I'll tell you a secret. I don't wear mine when I'm driving my boat, but don't tell anybody. But you know what? If something happens, mine is right next to me where my wife sits in the boat hers is next to her kids were theirs is right there. So if they weren't wearing it because they were of age, they didn't have to, they were right there. So if something happens, you grab it and you get off the boat, you know? You know, I always laugh when I talk to people in the fire extinguisher and they'll look at me and they'll go, you know, if my boat catches on fire, [00:05:30] the first thing I'm going to do is jump out of it. You know, so it's an important, you know, you want to have a fire extinguisher, but for a lot of people, they're just going to grab a life jacket and go, right. They need to be right there and available. You know, the nice thing now with inflatables, I am a huge fan of inflatable life jackets because they're not cumbersome at all. You know, you can get them to match color of your eyes, color of your bathing suit, whatever, you know.

Speaker1: [00:05:51] Is that a thing? Is it a concern?

Speaker2: [00:05:54] Really? You need to get out more.

Speaker1: [00:05:56] I guess.

Speaker2: [00:05:56] So. You know.

Speaker1: [00:05:59] Now I [00:06:00] know I'm like, is that a concern you can get them to match.

Speaker2: [00:06:03] Or you know, you know or. No, you know, you know. Oh, boy, we we could have a whole, oh, Lord oh my yeah.

Speaker1: [00:06:09] Listen, it is all about accessorizing.

Speaker2: [00:06:12] Hey there.

Speaker1: [00:06:13] Thank you all about the accessories. I get it. I get it.

Speaker2: [00:06:15] Well, you know, manufacturers of boats and products and that kind of they do think about that because they want people to be comfortable and they want you to wear them. So inflatables are great because they're not cumbersome. They're very easy to have on board to be wearing. [00:06:30] So it just changes it because people go, oh, it's too bulky. Well, it's an inflatable. I mean, I have an inflatable that's basically a fanny pack, right? I mean, you know, so if you go overboard, you know, you pull the cord on it and it pops open to a full life jacket. Yeah, that's not cumbersome.

Speaker1: [00:06:44] No, no, not at all.

Speaker2: [00:06:45] You can.

Speaker1: [00:06:45] Quite innovative.

Speaker2: [00:06:46] You can fish with it, you can swim. I mean, depending on what you're doing, you have that available to you. And that's where manufacturers are looking at it. And yes, you can get them in a variety of colors they come in camo, you know.

Speaker1: [00:06:57] Can you bling them out or. Yeah, you're just [00:07:00] asking for a friend.

Speaker2: [00:07:01] You shouldn't modify your life jacket. I wouldn't bedazzle it. Yeah, yeah. Don't yell. Oh, did somebody just write? Somebody just dated them. I didn't even know the bedazzler was still around.

Speaker1: [00:07:10] Well, you know, you never know.

Speaker2: [00:07:12] Yeah, but I still have one at my house, so I know how that goes.

Speaker1: [00:07:16] You should see my car outside.

Speaker2: [00:07:18] It's easy to pick out, you know. So. Yeah, but also all the other safety equipment. But yeah, life jackets are the real critical thing we always talk about because, you know, and you know, when our good friends in Coast Guard or troopers, [00:07:30] parks, sheriff pull you over, those are the things you're going to check. And they're really out there to help us all make sure we have a safe day. So, you know, and, you know, getting a vessel safety check from the local Coast Guard Auxiliary, a lot of times they'll do that to launch ramps or they're going to do it at your marina, take your boat down, and they're going to check all your equipment for you and they're going to go through the checklist with you to make sure everything is there it's current. And they give you a sticker that you've been through the vessel safety check for 2022. So, you know, anybody going by knows, okay, you've you've done [00:08:00] the right thing. You've checked with the folks that can provide all that good safety information for you. And again, it ends then with the day being a great fun day for everybody out on board, you know, so that when you're waving to those folks, you're just having a really great time out on the water.

Speaker1: [00:08:14] Right. And again, this isn't just for not necessarily motor crafts either. You get down into like the paddle boards, the canoes. I'm a kayaker, so I always refer back to that. But I'm kind of like you secret secret. I don't necessarily wear it while I'm paddling, but it's usually right there, like at [00:08:30] my feet or I'm sitting on it, right where if that boat tips, I have easy access to it. And, you know, and when my kids go out, they're always wearing it regardless. So but it's for really for any kind of watercraft to have that safety flotation device.

Speaker2: [00:08:42] And as I always say to folks, if you can ride in it or on it, it's a boat. It doesn't matter how it's propelled, it doesn't matter what it looks like, unless on it it says this is a toy, right? Like, you know, you have your kids, right? You know, rubber boat or whatever that might be. But anything else that you're out on that you're riding on [00:09:00] or in is a boat paddle board, whether it's inflatable or I mean, I have an inflatable paddle board that I just love. You need to have a life jacket. I also really suggest folks on paddle sports carry a flair with them. I mean, because you can get in trouble out there as well on a paddle craft. So, you know, just in the lock box, in the drive box, put a flare. Just so you have it, do you have to have it no, make sure you have a whistle. All of my life jackets have a whistle on them.

Speaker1: [00:09:25] That's a good idea. I never thought about that.

Speaker2: [00:09:26] Next time, I'll bring you a whistle. So you have a whistle on your life [00:09:30] jacket?

Speaker1: [00:09:30] That would be great.

Speaker2: [00:09:30] So, again, if you get in trouble, you've got the whistle.

Speaker1: [00:09:34] Be like Rose at the Titanic, you know, tweet, tweet. Come save me.

Speaker2: [00:09:38] Absolutely. Absolutely.

Speaker1: [00:09:39] Great idea.

Speaker2: [00:09:40] Though.

Speaker1: [00:09:40] What's that.

Speaker2: [00:09:41] I'm getting on that door.

Speaker1: [00:09:42] With, you know, there's no room. You can't it? No. Great idea. I'm one I never really thought of. So so it is National Safe Boating Week next week, but also the Lake Ontario Water Festival is coming up next week.

Speaker2: [00:09:56] It is it's a brand new event. We've partnered with our friends at the H. Lee White [00:10:00] Maritime Museum, and it will be rain or shine down on the Oswego waterfront at the museum, which is on the West Pier. And it's really taken their open house and really built it into a festival for the overall community throughout central New York. We didn't have another boat show this year down in Syracuse. They had a great show up in Clayton. But it's really a boating lifestyle event. There are going to be some dealers there showing the latest boating products that are there. We're going to have our friends from the Coast Guard, Fire Department, Coast Guard Auxiliary talking about safety issues. [00:10:30] We'll have the Clean and Safe Boat there. There's going to be some pirates doing some presentations.

Speaker1: [00:10:35] Ooo so something for everybody.

Speaker2: [00:10:37] Some Girl Scouts making some food for folks. We're going to have cupcakes celebrating the 50th anniversary of Sea Grant in the 40th anniversary of the museum. Just some really fun stuff. There's going to be a concert on Saturday night that the city of Oswego is supporting. So a lot of partners coming together just to say it is the kickoff to summer. Come on down. Talk with the Coast Guard Auxiliary. You talk with the Coast Guard about some of the safety gear that you need. We're [00:11:00] going to do some in-water demos with those folks. So just a really cool weekend to help the boating community have a great lifestyle event to get things kicked off. It's going to be Saturday and Sunday from 10 to 5 right there on the West Pier in Oswego at the H. Lee White Maritime Museum.

Speaker1: [00:11:16] You know what a better way.

Speaker2: [00:11:17] I can tell you a whole story about who H. Lee White is and how I'm not related. You were waiting for it, weren't you?

Speaker1: [00:11:24] Well, I was kind of I was starting to think that like any relation, there is the boating run in the family.

Speaker2: [00:11:29] Yeah, well, [00:11:30] a lot of times, depending on, I just make up a whole story. And then I do have to remind them it’s just it's just a Dave story. Don't don't repeat that.

Speaker1: [00:11:37] Well, listen, I was my maiden name is Brown and I grew up in Brownsville and I went to General Brown. So great.

Speaker2: [00:11:42] Great.

Speaker1: [00:11:42] I loved it.

Speaker2: [00:11:43] It was absolutely.

Speaker1: [00:11:44] Fabulous. Just my childhood was amazing. So, no, this sounds like a really fun event and kind of a great way to to officially unofficially kick off boating season for boating lovers or anybody who is interested in boating, informational, educational, lots of fun for the kids.

Speaker2: [00:11:58] So absolutely. We're also going to have folks there [00:12:00] from the National Marine Sanctuary that is going through the designation process and to really cool guys, Tim Cobbs and Dennis Gerber, who do a lot of the shipwreck identification on Lake Ontario and other bodies of water across upstate New York. They're actually doing some work this year in Canada. They're going to have all of their gear. The ROVs are going to put the ROVs in the water. We actually have an ROV that people can come and use on their own. So you can actually get your hands on an ROV.

Speaker1: [00:12:25] Nice.

Speaker2: [00:12:26] Just to get the whole feel for a remotely operated vehicle and how [00:12:30] they search for shipwrecks. And that's cool. Find them. And so yeah, I'm really excited about that. These guys are really, really interesting. They got some great information about wrecks that they found right here off Jefferson County.

Speaker1: [00:12:41] Yeah, we have them right in our backyard.

Speaker2: [00:12:43] Right in the backyard. They've got some great information about 3D imagery they're now doing. Wow. So what does this thing look like in 200 feet down? 

Speaker1: [00:12:51] Yeah.

Speaker2: [00:12:52] Just some real a lot of fun for folks. But a really great lifestyle event to kick off the season to have boating fun.

Speaker1: [00:12:58] Well, there you go. No better way to start off [00:13:00] our official entry into spring slash summer boating season and always making sure that awareness is there to keep safe and make sure you've got your safety equipment and, you know, an extra 10 minutes to prepare ahead of time just makes it that much easier for you to enjoy the boating season with your family and friends.

Speaker2: [00:13:15] Absolutely. And that is what it's all about in the north country.

Speaker1: [00:13:17] Great. Well, thanks so much, Dave, for coming in. Always a pleasure to have you in. And I don't say that to many people, but with you, I mean, it is 7:23, about 51 degrees. You're listening to 790 WTNYA on 95.9 FM [00:13:30] Watertown.


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.