May 16-22, 2015 is National Safe Boating Week.
Contacts:
Dave White, New York Sea Grant, P: 315-312-3042, E: dgw9@cornell.edu
Kara Lynn Dunn, Publicist, P: 315-465-7578, E: karalynn@gisco.net
This 10-foot inflatable boat with a propane engine is the New York Sea Grant Discover Clean and Safe Boating campaign educational vessel for 2015.
Oswego, NY, April 23, 2015 - The 10-foot inflatable boat that is the New York Sea Grant Discover Clean & Safe Boating educational vessel for 2015 may be a small boat, but it carries a big message. The 10-foot inflatable boat is equipped with a propane engine and traveling to boat shows, events, and venues throughout Upstate New York with an exhibit educating the public about the gear needed and mandated for safe, environmentally-friendly, and legal boating on New York’s recreational waters.
New York Sea Grant offers the following top 10 tips for boaters in 2015:
- Learn about Suddenly In Command training so everyone aboard can be prepared to act calmly and properly in the event of an emergency on the water.
- Make sure all passengers are wearing a proper life jacket. A throwable floatation device is required onboard boats more than 16 feet long.
- Learn how to conduct an easy-to-do 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.
- Check that all the safety features of your boat trailer are in proper working order.
- Check the number and expiration date/s of onboard fire extinguisher/s and flares. Store flares and distress signals in dry compartment. The Suddenly In Command intro with New York Sea Grant and the US Coast Guard Auxiliary shows how to properly ignite and handle a flare.
- Use a fuel nozzle bib when fueling your boat and a bilge sock to keep marine fuel from spilling into the water.
- Make sure all vessel lights are working and flashlights have fresh batteries.
- Have a proper device onboard to receive weather alerts.
- Check to be sure you have the proper navigational charts onboard.
- Check that the boat horn, whistles, distress flag and other means of signaling an emergency distress are in working order.
From left to right, US Coast Guard Auxiliarymen Dale Currier and Gene Little hold a marine distress flag as part of education programming at the 2015 CNY Boat Show with New York Sea Grant Recreation and Tourism Specialist Dave White. Photo: Brian P. Whattam
A new component for the campaign in 2015 is a fun, but serious introduction to Suddenly In Command training for people who enjoy boating but do not know how to operate a boat or properly signal for help. New York Sea Grant and the US Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 21 are partnering to instruct people on the boating basics they need to know in the event of an emergency on the water. Several marinas have requested the program for their sites once the 2015 boating season gets underway.
The campaign has educated more than half-a-million boaters, anglers, duck hunters, pontoon boat and paddle sports enthusiasts, deaf boaters, and, in 2014, New York first responders who handle water-related emergencies.
Since 2008, when New York Sea Grant developed the Discover Clean and Safe Boating campaign in partnership with the Boating Industries Association of Upstate New York, the outreach effort has been recognized internationally as a model for partnering with the marine industry to educate the boating public. The Boating Industries Association of Upstate New York, Pirate’s Cove Marina in Clay, NY, Lehr Engines, and BoatersAdvantage.com are sponsoring the 2015 campaign.
For more information, contact New York Sea Grant Coastal Recreation and Tourism Specialist Dave White at 315-312-3042. New York Sea Grant offers additional boating safety resources at www.nyseagrant.org/marina.
Why is the "Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers!" educational campaign so important? "The clean, drain and dry campaign continues to move forward to ensure that boaters and others are not moving an invasive species from one body of water to an additional one they might be enjoying throughout the course of the day," says NYSG's Recreation/Tourism Specialist Dave White. "One thing people should be aware of is that several new local and state regulations have been put in place requiring folks to remove all plant and animal products from their boats," which White reminds includes kayaks and other recreational vehicles. "So in addition to clean, drain and dry there are now body of water specific regulations that boaters and other users should be aware of."
The National Safe Boating Council's "Wear It!" campaign is a partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, and the National Association of State Boating Law Administrations. "'Wear It!' is the national campaign that New York State has embraced to encourage folks to wear their life jackets while out on the water," says NYSG's Recreation/Tourism Specialist Dave White.
More Info: Additional Resources
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 its flagship publication, NY Coastlines/Currents, which is published several times a year.
