New York Sea Grant Coastal Recreation and Tourism Specialist Dave White with the 10th anniversary edition of the New York Sea Grant Discover Clean and Safe Boating educational vessel. The program adds a Great Lakes Buoys for Boaters introduction in 2017. Photo: Brian P. Whattam

National Safe Boating Week is May 20-26, 2017

Contacts:

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

Barb Caster, BIA of Upstate NY, P: 315-447-9286

Kara Lynn Dunn, Publicist, E: karalynn@gisco.net, P: 315.465.7578

Oswego, NY, May 16, 2017 - A Great Lakes Buoys for Boaters introduction is a new addition to the 10th anniversary edition of the New York Sea Grant Discover Clean and Safe Boating campaign. The award-winning educational program has engaged more than 750,000 in how to be legal, safe, and environmentally-friendly on NY waters since 2008.

The Buoys for Boaters introduction to the Great Lakes Observing System buoys will provide boaters with information on how to access data on current air temperature, wind and wave speed and direction, and water temperature. A bonus for scuba divers is access to the water temperature on and below the surface.


A Great Lakes Observing System buoy: a Buoys for Boaters introduction is a new component of the New York Sea Grant Discover Clean and Safe Boating educational campaign in 2017. Photo: GLOS

“The Discover Clean and Safe Boating campaign is focused on saving lives and increasing safety on the waters statewide. Highlighting resources such as Buoys for Boaters enhances the boating experience on New York state’s tremendous waters that are a critical economic engine for our coastal communities,” says New York Sea Grant Coastal Recreation and Tourism Specialist Dave White, the New York State 2015 Boating Educator of the Year.

“It’s great to see New York Sea Grant amplify the value of the Great Lakes Observing System to increase boater safety. The information on our data portal is the result of a true network of providers, and supports environmental, ecological and economic interests as well as community resiliency in New York and throughout the Great Lakes region,” says Great Lakes Observing System Executive Director Kelli Paige.

Visitors to the Discover Clean and Safe Boating vessel in 2017 will board an 18-foot pontoon boat made especially for the program by Marathon Boat Group, Marathon, NY. The boat is equipped with an electric Torqeedo motor provided by The Sailboat Shop, Skaneateles, NY, and is transported on a trailer provided by Morgan Marine, Penn Yan, NY.

New York Sea Grant partners with U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and New York State Parks Marine Services Bureau personnel to teach best boating safety practices for motorized and non-motorized boaters, including kayakers and standup paddleboarders. A primary component of the training is a life jacket drill with the different types of approved floatation devices for use year-round and instruction on when they must be worn on NY waters.

“The Boating Industries Association has supported the educational mission of Discover Clean and Safe Boating from the start. This 10th anniversary teaching vessel will engage the boating public on site at participating marinas in a dynamic way to increase their safety and enjoyment,” says Boating Industries Association of Upstate New York Executive Secretary Barb Caster.

To address the 63 percent of boating emergencies that occur while cruising or drifting on the water, per the 2013 New York State Recreational Boating Report, New York Sea Grant added a Suddenly-In-Command introduction to basic boating terminology and equipment in 2015. The training helps passengers handle an unexpected emergency on the water should the boat captain be incapacitated.

The discussion of environmentally-friendly practices includes applying Clean, Drain, Dry to all boats to slow the spread of aquatic invasive species.


The 2017 New York Sea Grant Discover Clean and Safe Boating educational vessel is an 18-foot pontoon boat made in NY by Marathon Boat Group. Photo: Brian P. Whattam

The Boating Industries Association of Upstate New York, U.S. Coast Guard, marine industry partners, boat show managers, Empire Farm Days and media are among the Discover Clean and Safe Boating partners. The campaign has received awards from New York State, the National Association of Boating Law Administrators, and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.

In 2016, the U.S. National Marine Sanctuaries Program requested a Discover Clean and Safe Boating training for representatives of the dive charter industry, emergency management sector, first responders, marine patrols, and National Parks Service in American Samoa.

More Information:

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.

New York Sea Grant maintains Great Lakes offices at SUNY Buffalo, the Wayne County Cooperative Extension office in Newark and at SUNY Oswego. In the State's marine waters, NYSG has offices at Stony Brook University and Stony Brook Manhattan, in the Hudson Valley through Cooperative Extension in Kingston and at Brooklyn College. 

For updates on Sea Grant activities: www.nyseagrant.org has RSS, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube links. NYSG produces a monthly e-newsletter, "NOAA Sea Grant's Social Media Review," via its blog, www.nyseagrant.org/blog. Our program also offers a free e-list sign up via www.nyseagrant.org/coastlines for its flagship publication, NY Coastlines/Currents, which is published 1-2 times a year.