MARATHON SAIL and POWER SQUADRON Women Making Waves www.marathonpowersquadron.org Gregory Absten, Cdr, Marathon Sail & Power Squadron Fleet Captain, Marathon Yacht Club
MARATHON SAIL and POWER SQUADRON BOATING SAFETY MARATHON BOATYARD Women Making Waves program: SAFETY Rules & Regulations Let s Talk Gadgets All About Trailers Docking & Florida Keys Waters
Avoiding Unnecessary Adventure. and Still Get to Where You re Going! Take a Safe Boating Course (Starting Here) Practice Good Seamanship SAFETY & ADVERSE CONDITIONS Weather Awareness! Develop a Float Plan Charts & Waters Familiarity Channels, Markers & Navigation (intro) Backups Skipper/Batts/Comm All Required Safety Gear including Life Jackets (More in Rules) EPIRB Options VHF Radio, incl DSC BUI Alcohol Polarized Sunglasses to see Passengers On / Off boat COMMON SENSE!
Safe Boating Courses United States Power Squadrons: Marathon Sail & Power Squadron www.marathonpowersquadron.org Public Boating Course Advanced Member Courses Seamanship / Piloting / Advanced Piloting Navigation (Celestial) / Elective Courses United States Coast Guard Auxiliary: www.cgaux.org
Practice Good Seamanship What is good seamanship? Seamanship is the art of operating a ship or boat. Know your Boat and it s operation Know the LIMITATIONS of both You AND your Boat. And of course stay within those limits COMMON SENSE ranks way up there! Backup Plans always good! (skipper, equipment, schedules) Courtesy to Others (i.e. Wakes, Noise, Exhaust Fumes)
Weather Awareness Don't be the crew on the SS Minnow whose crew was "brave and tough". It's much smarter to check the weather in advance and plan accordingly. Check the day to day weather before going out, or longer term forecasts and severe weather such as Hurricanes and Tropical Storms. WIND & WAVES - Primarily Internet Weather VHF Wx Channels Mobile bl Phone Apps Look Out the Window http://bootkeyharbor.com/weather.html
Boat Running into Waves or Wakes Slow down and take the waves at an angle to the bow, not head-on
Handling in Rough Weather Running before the waves (timing) Broaching Stopping or Anchoring stern to Wake striking stern
FLOAT PLAN It surely would be nice if someone knew your plans in case something happened out there! I.E. SS Minnow ONLINE Float Plans are also available from different groups, including USPS and USCG Aux. OR just let family/friends know or try this free service --- http://floatplanregistry.com
CHARTS & WATERS FAMILIARITY USE CHARTS! Paper Electronic GPS Chartplotters Phone Apps www.mxmariner.com about a $10 program for your phone
CHANNELS, MARKERS & NAVIGATION BUOYS Floating marks anchored at specific locations DAYMARKS Fixed marks permanently set in bottom. RED On your RIGHT When RETURNING to shore. Except the Keys can get quite confusing with this READ YOUR CHARTS! MORE in the RULES section.
BACKUPS SKIPPPER? who can take over if something happens to you? Give them the basics, incl Radio & GPS BATTERIES? Maybe 2 Batts with selector switch is a good idea especially if you go way out to fish. COMMUNICATIONS? VHF & Handheld? Cell Ph?
SAFETY EQUIPMENT http://myfwc.com/boating/safety education/equipment/ LIFE JACKETS / FLOTATION FIRE EXTINGUISHERS includes flame arrestors on gasoline inboards SIGNALING DEVICES Day & Night NAVIGATIONAL LIGHTS DIVER DOWN FLAG MORE COVERED UNDER RULES & REGULATIONS
WHEN TO WEAR YOUR LIFE JACKETS Use your INFORMED JUDGEMENT For Adults they are NOT necessary all of the time but you decide when. MORE COVERED UNDER RULES & REGULATIONS
CHILDREN S LIFE JACKETS 6 yo and younger in Florida Size by Weight: under 30 lb., 30 to 50, 50 to 90 and over 90 lbs. Should fit properly lift child by shoulders of jacket. Crotch strap recommended. Yellow jacket is highly visible in water. (Reflectors great for night) Test it in shallow water. Let them swim some in it to get used to it.
FIRE EXTINGUISHERS Requirements, Type, Size Required on all boats with: Inboards Permanently installed fuel tanks Closed compartments or living space Fuel tanks in enclosed compartments 16/38 MORE COVERED UNDER RULES & REGULATIONS
Gasoline vapors are heavier than air: Sniff Ventilate Start Not the same issue with Diesel
SAFETY SIGNALING DEVICES Visual Distress Signal Required on the high sea and coastal waters only Must carry visual distress signals for both day and nighttime use. Sound-producing Device Bell, horn, whistle etc. MORE COVERED UNDER RULES & REGULATIONS
VESSEL SAFETY CHECK USCG Aux conduct free checks of boats VSC decal assures that your boat is properly equipped and meets minimum Federal and State equipment requirements Properly equipped vessel is a safer p y q pp boat
EPIRB E.P.I.R.B. Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon Used to alert search and rescue services in the event of an emergency. It does this by transmitting a coded message on the 406 MHz distress frequency via satellite and earth stations to the nearest rescue co-ordination centre. Some EPIRBs also have built-in GPS which enables the rescue services to accurately locate you to +/- 50 meters.
EPIRB E.P.I.R.B. vs PL P.L.B. Personal Locater Beacons work in exactly the same way as EPIRBs PLBs are designed to be carried on the person so they are much smaller, some not much larger than the size of a mobile phone. PLBs are designed to be used anywhere in the world, on the sea and also on land. Some don't float but may come with an additional flotation ti sleeve which they should be carried in.
EPIRB E.P.I.R.B. vs PL P.L.B. PLBs, once activated, will transmit for a minimum of 24 hours; while the battery life on an EPIRB is at least double (a minimum of 48 hours). An EPIRB is registered to a vessel, whereas a PLB is registered to a person. This means that if you are crewing a yacht and you switch to a new yacht the PLB is still correctly registered; however, if you have an EPIRB and buy a new yacht you will need dto re-register it it when installing tlli in your new boat. PLBs are also used by private pilots & hikers.
SPOT SATELLITE TRACKER Track your assets, notify friends and family of your GPS position and status, mark waypoints, track your progress on Google Maps or notify rescue officials i in an emergency. www.findmespot.com Unlike PLB s, requires an annual subscription fee, but allows for short txt messaging g and tracking of position.
BUI B.U.I. Boating & Drinking Di What do you say to a Drunken Sailor.?.. You have the right to remain silent. FLORIDA: Illegal l to operate a vessel with a blood or breath alcohol level of.08 or above For a Tongue-In-Cheek look at historical Alcohol consumption by sailors aboard the Naval Vessel USS Constitution in 1798, go to: http://www.marathonpowersquadron.org/navalhistory.html
VHF Radio VHF = Very High Frequency A vital piece of safety equipment Clear, static free messages 20 30 miles 24 hour contact with Coast Guard Contact other boats and shore stations 24 hour source of weather information Cell Phones DO NOT replace VHF Radios
Licensing Requirements No license needed to operate VHF radio on recreational boat in U. S. waters Must have a ship s station license issued by FCC: Boat is over 65 ft Travel to foreign ports or talk to foreign stations Use SSB radio or Inmarsat equipment Restricted radiotelephone operator s permit may p p p y be needed if you visit a foreign country
USE YOUR VHF RADIO LEGALLY Distress Calls Danger to life and property Safety Calls Avoiding od gcollision, o safety bulletins Operational Calls Obtaining navigational information, supplies, accommodations, repairs; arranging to meet other boats. Public Correspondence with shore public telephones (not so common anymore) 27/38
CHANNEL 16 DISTRESS, SS, SAFETY AND CALLING You must monitor channel 16 if your radio is on while underway Insures that a large number of boaters will hear an emergency call Channel 09 designated as the recreational boating calling channel in some CG districts check locally. Channel 09 also the Bridge Tenders channel throughout h t Florida.
Distress Signal Mayday Distress call to ask for assistance when there is immediate danger to lf life and property Examples Life threatening medical emergencies Boat sinking Boat on fire
INFORMATION VITAL FOR OBTAINING ASSISTANCE Accurate location of your boat GPS Best, Range & Bearing next best Good G d description i of your boat Number of people on board Description p of the problem
Urgency Signal Pan Pan (Pahn Pahn) Pahn) Used when there is a threat to the safety of a person or boat Examples: Loss of person overboard Running out of fuel Lost in fog Being unable to control or operate your boat
Safety Signal Security Used for navigation safety messages Pronounced say cure it tay Examples: Weather alerts Reports of navigational hazards Partially sunken object in a busy channel Buoy moved or missing Coming in to a restrictive channel Coming in with compromised maneuvering (1 engine) 32/38
Responding to an Emergency Call Do not use radio unless you can help or hear an all clear (Silence Fini) If you do not hear the CG reply and you are close to the vessel in distress Call the distressed vessel Give your vessel name 3 times and say Received Mayday Wait for receipt of message then explain what help you can offer Make every effort to contact the Coast Guard
Polarized Sunglasses It would be nice to see things in the water like shoals or coral heads (and fish!), before you run over them! Polarized sunglasses are a significant help, plus keeping the sun to your back.
PASSENGERS Safety Briefing before leaving dock. (Safety Equip, Behavior, etc) No jumping on/off boat while docking stay on boat unless directed. No hands/feet between boat and pilings or dock let it crash! Location of fire extinguishers and life jackets VHF Emergency Radio Use & How to read GPS position One hand for the boat, and the other for yourself When snorkeling/diving/swimming ALWAYS do body count onboard Have Fun! Just take your cues from the captain COMMON SENSE RULES!!!!
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