Contact:

Dave White, New York Sea Grant, Recreation/Tourism Specialist, P: 315.312.3042, E: dgw9@cornell.edu

It's almost the 'official' start of the summer boating season.  Ensure that you're ready for a safe and environmentally clean season

Syracuse, NY, May 20, 2014 - As seen in this clip from the Syracuse, NY-based NBC, CBS and CW-affiliate station CNY Central News, if you're a boater, you should be ready to go before you actually launch.

New York Sea Grant's Recreation/Tourism Specialist Dave White, who spoke with news anchor Laura Hand on the station's Sunday broadcast of "Weekend Today in Central NY," says there are some easy steps to a safe and clean season, including:

1. Wear It! Make sure all passengers are wearing a US Coast-Guard approved life jacket. A throwable floatation device is also required for boats more than 16 feet long.

2.  Conduct a Clean, Drain, Dry inspection of your watercraft, trailer and gear to remove aquatic invasive species and debris each time you enter and leave new water.

3.  Check that the safety features of your boat trailer are in proper working order before use in the spring and throughout the boating season.

4.  Depending upon your age, be sure you have the proper boating safety certification. New regulations took effect in New York State May 1, 2014.
 
5.  Check expiration date/s of onboard fire extinguisher/s and flares. Be sure you have the correct number of extinguishers aboard per US Coast Guard regulations. Store flares and distress signals in dry compartment.

6.  Use a fuel nozzle bib and bilge sock to keep fuel from spilling into the water.

7.  Make sure all vessel lights are working and flashlights have fresh batteries.

8. Have a proper device onboard to receive weather alerts.

9. Check to be sure you have the proper navigational charts onboard.

10. Check that the boat horn, whistles, and other means of sounding distress are in working order.


For more on this topic, check out the video clip of Dave White with CNY Central Weekend Today in CNY Anchor Producer Laura Hand.




And there's more "NYSG Great Lakes Boating & Marine Trades" News available via the "News/Topics" link in the left-hand sidebar at www.nyseagrant.org/marina.


More Info: New York Sea Grant

New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York, is one of 33 university-based programs under the National Sea Grant College Program (NSGCP) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The NSGCP engages this network of the nation’s top universities in conducting scientific research, education, training and extension projects designed to foster science-based decisions about the use and conservation of our aquatic resources. Through its statewide network of integrated services, NYSG has been promoting coastal vitality, environmental sustainability, and citizen awareness about the State’s marine and Great Lakes resources since 1971.

For updates on Sea Grant activities: www.nyseagrant.org has RSS, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube links. NYSG also offers a free e-list sign up via www.nyseagrant.org/coastlines for NY Coastlines, its flagship publication, which, in 2014, merges with the program's e-newsletter, Currents. NY Coastlines is published several times a year.