Keep lifejackets on when you’re out on the water

MIKE WHITEHEAD

Ahoy.

“Boat Smart. Boat Safe. Wear It.”

Wear It? You are probably wondering about this year’s National

Safe Boating Week slogan, “Boat Smart. Boat Safe. Wear It.” The “it”

can refer to many things, but in this instance, “it” is a lifejacket,

a personal flotation device.

The National Safe Boating Council, in partnership with the Coast

Guard and the National Assn. of State Boating Law Administrators,

will launch this year’s North American Safe Boating Campaign during

National Safe Boating Week -- May 21 to 27. The campaign is designed

to reach the more than 70 million boaters who go boating, fishing and

participate in a number of different water activities.

Boating participation is increasing, yet boating fatalities are

decreasing. This can be directly related to the increase in

boater-safety education, along with more people wearing lifejackets.

I remember when I started boating that only a girlie-man would ask

about lifejackets aboard a vessel, and only the landlubber would wear

a life jacket while on a boat. That attitude is changing among

boaters. Wearing a lifejacket is common, and demonstrating the use of

a personal flotation device to your guests is becoming standard

procedure before you leave the dock.

Most states have enacted lifejacket regulations for children and

certain activities. Almost every sailing class requires students to

wear lifejackets, and many races, both sail and power, require

lifejackets to be worn by all onboard.

As the new style of lifejackets becomes more comfortable, and with

the new inflatable models, I expect to see most boaters wearing their

personal flotation devices. I have seen one company that is now

incorporating flotation features into their regular jackets.

I am very excited to see the innovative designs that will be

introduced in BoatUS’s Life Jacket Design Competition

(https://www.boatus.com /foundation/lifejacketdesign).

The tip of the week is to update your charts and check the version

of your chart plotter’s electronic chart cartridge. I board many

vessels only to find the paper charts are so out of date, the charts

are covered with Loran lines, even though the Loran has been replaced

by a GPS unit.

Electronic chart manu- facturers like C-Map have vastly reduced

the number of paper chart inaccuracies that were discovered with the

advent of GPS.

Other details such harbor amenities, actual slip locations and

aerial photos are also being included in the chips. How nice is it to

visit a harbor that is unfamiliar to you and be able to look at a

photo to find landmarks or locate the fuel dock?

Electronic charts have dropped dramatically in price, so there is

no excuse for you not to update a vintage chipset. I am amazed at the

vast number of charts now included in electronic chart sets within a

region or zone.

Just keep in mind that if you cruise out of your electronic

chart’s range, then you will need to get your hands on the charts for

that area too. However, when your electronics fail, you will still

need to find your way home with your backup paper charts.

A special thanks to everyone who showed up at my radio show’s live

remote broadcast at Lido Village last Saturday. The audience was

larger than we expected, and everyone seemed to enjoy the Boathouse

band, the Mojitos. I will keep you informed for the next live remote

broadcast.

A few of you have e-mailed, asking why I say “live remote,”

because, after all, I have to be alive to do the broadcast. “Live”

means we are broadcasting live over the airwaves and not recording

the show for a future broadcast.

For you jokesters, keep in mind that we do have a 10-second delay

to keep peace with the FCC.

Tune in to the No. 1 boating talk radio show in the nation, Capt.

Mike Whitehead’s Boathouse Radio Show. It airs every Saturday from

noon to 1 p.m. on KCBQ-AM (1170). You can join me, Chandler Bell and

Eric Hovland by calling the listener line at (888) 344-1170.

Safe voyages.

* MIKE WHITEHEAD is the Pilot’s boating and harbor columnist. Send

him your harbor and marine-related thoughts and story suggestions by

e-mail to [email protected] or visit https://www.boathousetv.com.