Posted By Gail Kulp,
Wednesday, May 5, 2021
Updated: Thursday, April 29, 2021
The Sea Tow Foundation Prepares to Celebrate National Safe Boating Week
National Safe Boating Week is a focused, week-long event that brings awareness to the importance of boating safety prior to the start of the summer boating season. This year, National Safe Boating Week will be celebrated from May 22-28.
A complete Resource Kit is available to download containing all of the images, social media posts and blog posts and the custom images are available to download from Dropbox. A preview of the resource kit and the Sea Tow Foundation plans can be found in the video below.
The Sea Tow Foundation hopes our friends and partners will join us in sharing the boating safety message during National Safe Boating Week!
Posted By Gail Kulp,
Friday, May 22, 2020
Updated: Thursday, April 9, 2020
May 22- Get a Sea Tow Membership
Thank you for staying safe and following along during all of National Safe Boating Week. Did you guess our secret phrase?
The secret phrase was SEA TOW.
That’s right! We want to encourage everyone to renew or secure a Sea Tow membership before the start of the summer boating season. Sea Tow Captains are standing by 24/7/365 to answer your call and provide peace of mind to boaters.
As the non-profit side of the Sea Tow family, the Sea Tow Foundation focuses on safe boating practices that result in fun on the water in the hopes of preventing recreational boating accidents and fatalities. We hope you learned some new boating safety tips this week
Posted By Gail Kulp,
Thursday, May 21, 2020
Updated: Thursday, April 9, 2020
May 21 - Wearing Life Jackets is Important
Life jackets save lives, but only if they are worn. The U.S. Coast Guard requires children under age 13 to wear them, but anyone older is just required to carry life jackets on board, although a few activities like water skiing require that they be worn. It is best to always wear a life jacket, regardless of this requirement, because you never know when you’ll need one and finding one and putting it on takes too long in an emergency.
It’s also just as important that your life jacket fits properly. Having the wrong size life jacket can prove fatal if you needed it because the life jackets are sized for a certain amount of foam to float a person based on their weight. And, the life jacket fits based on the chest size measurement of the person as well. Click here to learn more about how to properly fit a life jacket on yourself and your children.
If you don’t have enough life jackets for everyone on board or they aren’t the correct sizes for everyone on board, you can stop by a Sea Tow Foundation Life Jacket Loaner Station and borrow one for free! Our life jacket loaner stations are stocked with Onyx brand life jackets in sizes to fit every member of your family from babies to adults. Simply return the borrowed life jacket at the end of your boating trip so that the next person can use it.
Posted By Gail Kulp,
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
Updated: Thursday, April 9, 2020
May 20 - Open a Book and Learn About Boating Safety
How long has it been since you opened a book or a web browser to brush up on your boating safety skills? Today, we challenge you to do just that. Learn a new boating safety fact, take a boating safety class, read your boat or engine’s manual, or learn about general boat maintenance. You never know when you’ll have to put the tips into practice, so it is a good idea to learn about them when it isn’t an emergency. You can even log onto our website at BoatingSafety.com where we provide lots of tips and boating safety information.
There are so many resources that we can’t share all of them, but our partners at America’s Boating Club offer online courses on power boating, sailing, fishing and paddling, plus the chance to get together with other boat lovers on a regular basis. Whatever your boating lifestyle, they have you covered.
Once you’ve completed the course – Open your email and share with us what you’ve learned!
Posted By Gail Kulp,
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
Updated: Thursday, April 9, 2020
May 19 - Text Someone Where you are Going
Texting or telling someone your float plan
for the day ensures that if your boat excursion extends longer than
planned or if you run into trouble, someone will know where you were
headed and have an idea of where to send rescuers to look for you.
Thousands of hours
and dollars are spent searching for missing boaters each year. While
many of these searches are for a good reason, a number of them are due
to the fact that no one knew when the boaters were supposed to be back
or where they were going in the first place.
Taking five
minutes to fill out a float plan would have prevented many of these
needless searches or allowed rescuers to narrow down the area in which
they are searching. The purpose of a float plan is to explain where you
plan to boat, how long you will be gone, and when you plan to return. In
addition, you should provide a number to call if you fail to return by
the appointed time. You should give your float plan to a trusted friend
or family member staying on the store. And, at the end of your boating
trip, don't forget to call your friend or family member to let him/her
know that you made it home safely. Click this link to the US Coast Guard
Auxiliary's Float Plan Form.
Please note that this is not filed with the Coast Guard and will still
need to be printed and given to a friend or family member.
Posted By Gail Kulp,
Monday, May 18, 2020
Updated: Thursday, April 9, 2020
May 18 - Attach an Engine Cut Off Device
When you get in a car, you buckle up your seatbelt before you drive anywhere. Similarly, before driving a boat, the operator needs to attach an engine cutoff device before turning on the boat’s engine. The reason why an engine cut-off device is so important is that it will stop the propeller from moving if someone were to fall in the water.
In most boats, a lanyard is available at the helm and it is supposed to be attached to the boat operator’s wrist or life jacket. Many find this restrictive and it only works if the operator is thrown overboard, so wireless options have been created to allow protection for the operator and all of the passengers.
FELL Marine is a close partner to the Sea Tow Foundation and they provide a vast array of wireless man overboard systems. In fact, Sea Tow captains use FELL Marine’s MOB+ system because they are often away from the helm as they are drawing tow lines or providing a jump start, and yet they are protected from an accidental propeller strike because they are wearing a FOB attached to their life jackets.
Today’s letter is A. Are you any closer to guessing the mystery phrase?
Posted By Gail Kulp,
Sunday, May 17, 2020
Updated: Thursday, April 9, 2020
May 17 - Emergency Signaling Devices are Required
If there is an emergency on your boat, it is time to signal for help! This may mean using a flag, a whistle, a horn, or a mirror, but the most commonly carried piece of emergency signaling equipment is a set of flares. However, there are two issues with flares. 1) Where to store them to keep them dry and yet easily accessible and 2) They expire after 3 years and need to be replaced.
First, you need a kit that will be resourceful in the toughest of situations – that’s where Life Cell Marinecomes in with its variety of floating boxes. These boxes are designed to hold all of your safety equipment in one place so it’s easily accessible and all equipment remains operational in the event that your boat sinks because the boxes float!
Sirius Signal Distress Signalsreplace the one-time use of your typical pyrotechnic flares with a single U.S. Coast Guard approved SOS distress device. This electronic flare is easy to spot and operate and it never expires. Sirius Signal also features an alert app – which helps communicate float plans, provides instant communication of location and the graphic indication of an SOS distress call.
Now that you’re ready in case of an emergency with your Emergency Signaling Device – are you ready to guess our mystery phrase too? Today’s letter is E.
Posted By Gail Kulp,
Saturday, May 16, 2020
Updated: Thursday, April 9, 2020
May 16 - Sober Skippers Belong on Every Boating Trip
A full day in the sun enjoying the open water is on the agenda. Your friends are invited and everything is ready to go, but first, before the day gets started, you need to know who is your sober skipper? Let’s make that plan now!
Launched in 2015, the Sober Skipper program encourages boaters to be or to designate a sober skipper before every boating trip in an effort to eliminate accidents and deaths related to Boating Under the Influence (BUI). Sober Skippers are identified by wearing a yellow wristband indicating that the person has accepted the responsibility before the boat leaves the dock and that the Sober Skipper is a qualified, non-alcohol drinking operator in charge of the boat.
Sober Skipper wristbands are free and can be requested online at www.soberskipper.com.
One of the biggest supporters of the Sea Tow Foundation’s Sober Skipper program has been Freedom Boat Club. Designed for folks who want to access a versatile fleet of boats on a regular basis, at an affordable cost of entry, Freedom Boat Club is part of 150 groups in 145 cities across 29 states. They collaborate with the Sea Tow Foundation to promote the Sober Skipper Program in each of their local communities.
The wind, vibration, noise, and the sun that you experience while boating can impair balance, coordination and concentration all on their own. Adding alcohol or drugs intensifies these effects. And since alcohol use is the leading contributing factor in boating accidents every year, it is critical to ensure that every boat has a Sober Skipper at the helm.
Posted By Gail Kulp,
Friday, May 15, 2020
Updated: Thursday, April 9, 2020
May 15 - Wear Your Life Jacket to Work Day
Today is the annual Wear Your Life Jacket to Work Day and the unofficial kick-off to National Safe Boating Week. Life jackets save lives and this fun day helps remind everyone to ensure their life jacket is ready for the summer season. Since we’re all practicing social distancing and many of us are working from home these days, we’re asking you and the people living with you to put on your life jacket and take a group photo! Then, head over to our Facebook page and share your life jacket photo!
National Safe Boating Week is a focused, week-long event that brings safety awareness to boaters prior to the start of the summer boating season. This year, National Safe Boating Week will be celebrated from May 16-22, 2020 and the Sea Tow Foundation has created a fun daily activity for you and your family. Starting tomorrow, we’ll be talking more about how to keep boating fun and safe each day during National Safe Boating Week, but each day provides a clue that you will use to guess what the mystery phrase will be at the end of the week.
Posted By Gail Kulp,
Thursday, April 30, 2020
Updated: Thursday, April 23, 2020
Get Ready for National Safe Boating Week with BoatingSafety.com
National Safe Boating Week is less than 2 weeks away and the Sea Tow Foundation wants to use this week to remind boaters everywhere about the importance of keeping boating safe and fun all year round.
National Safe Boating Week is a focused, week-long event that brings awareness to the importance of safety prior to the start of the summer boating season. This year, National Safe Boating Week will be celebrated from May 16-22.
The Sea Tow Foundation is celebrating National Safe Boating Week with BoatingSafety.com and we have compiled an entire media kit that contains images, social media posts, blog posts and daily boating safety tips to help boaters have a safe and fun time on the water. Plus, clues will be given out every day to lead to a mystery phrase at the end of the week.
And the Sea Tow Foundation is starting to celebrate National Safe Boating Week a day early with “Wear Your Life Jacket to Work Day” on Friday, May 15. With many people working at home or in different circumstances than they normally would, we want to celebrate our new normal and are asking people to take photos of themselves and the people they are living with while wearing life jackets and then post them to social media on May 15 and tag @SeaTowFoundation and use the hashtags #NSBW20 #BoatingSafety
To get a copy of the Sea Tow Foundation’s media kit, visit our website to download it for free. Or you can follow the Sea Tow Foundation on Facebook and Instagram and share their posts each day during National Safe Boating Week.
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