Sea Tow Foundation Blog 5 Reasons Why Boating is Good for Your Heart

February is American Heart Month and with Valentine's Day right around the corner, it’s time to give your heart a little extra love!

Luckily for you, boating is a great way to do just that! Don’t believe us? Check out the Sea Tow Foundation’s list below to see five reasons why boating is good for your heart:

1. It relieves stress – Even the most inexperienced boaters know that stepping onto a boat can make all your everyday stresses disappear. Heading out to your local waterway with friends and family is a great way to relieve stress, sit back, and relax. When we’re near water, our heart and breathing slows, which is a plus for our bodies.
2. It keeps you active – With so many of us spending most of the day sitting at a desk or in a vehicle commuting to and from work, boating is a great way to get outside and stay active. And you don’t have to be water skiing or wake boarding to stay active. Just getting out there and spending time in and around your boat is a great start to a healthier lifestyle!
3. It brings you closer to nature – Boating is the perfect way to enjoy the great outdoors and everything Mother Nature has to offer. It allows you to get a unique perspective on local wildlife and see birds and fish and other animals that you may never see back ashore. Plus, there are all sorts of unique little wilderness areas that are only accessible by boat.
4. It brings you closer to friends and family – Boating and family often go hand-in-hand. Getting out there and cruising the local waterways allows us to reconnect with loved ones and enjoy each other’s company. So, if you’ve been missing a close friend or family member, why not ask them to come out for a ride on the boat?
5. It puts your heart at ease – To sum it all up, boating puts your heart at ease. Not only does it relieve stress, but for many of us, it puts us in our happy place. If you’re anything like us, there’s no place you’d rather be. Stress and anxiety can have such a drastic effect on heart health, so there’s no doubt that getting out on your boat can help give make you heart healthy.

This February get back out there on your boat! Trust us, your heart will thank you.

Photo by Jude Beck

Sea Tow Foundation Life Jacket Use Hits Records at NMMA Boat Shows

Thanks to Life Jacket Loaner Stations set up by the Sea Tow Foundation, more than 34,000 attendees at the NMMA-hosted 2019 Tampa and Norwalk Boat Shows left with a better understanding of the importance of life jacket use.

Through partnerships with the National Marine Manufacturers Association and Onyx, the Sea Tow Foundation set up two Life Jacket Loaner Stations at each of the boat shows and loaned out more than 400 life jackets across the two events, which were held in late September and late October.

The stations are part of the Sea Tow Foundation’s Life Jacket Loaner Program – which features more than 575 locations nationwide where boaters can borrow life jackets for free and return them at the end of their boating trip.

The Life Jacket Loaner Stations at the Norwalk and Tampa Boat Shows helped to ensure that life jackets were made available for children and adults visiting the shows as they perused the docks and toured the various boats and other exhibits on display at the shows.

Each Life Jacket Loaner Station was staffed by volunteers from several local organizations, as well as local Sea Tow members and other community volunteers. By the time the shows concluded, more than 54 volunteers offered up their time to help spread awareness on the importance of life jackets.

“It’s so great to see so many different people using our life jackets at these shows,” said Gail R. Kulp, executive director of the Sea Tow Foundation. “With each person who borrows a life jacket or sees our life jacket loaner stations, we’re able to help spread a vital message on the importance of life jackets and always having them any time you are in or around the water. These shows are such a great opportunity to help further our cause to ensure boating is safe and fun for everyone involved.”

Kulp added that the Foundation’s presence at the shows was especially beneficial to children and their families, as it provided a valuable learning experience for boaters of all ages.

“Children are required by law to always wear life jackets, so getting them familiar with them at these shows is a great service to boaters,” Kulp said. “Having the opportunity to show these young children, in particular, that life jacket use can be simple, easy and, most of all, fun has a profound impact on the boating community as a whole. We’re so thankful to be able to team up with our friends at NMMA to help spread these important messages at their shows.”

To learn more about the Sea Tow Foundation and its programs, or to find a Life Jacket Loaner Station near you, visit www.boatingsafety.com.

Winter is a Great Time to Take a Boating Safety Course

As the days get colder, it seems like the summer will never get here. Although your boat and gear may be stored away safely for the winter, you shouldn’t let your skills and knowledge get put away, too. Many states make changes to boating laws and regulations over the winter months, so it is good to get a refresher now that the New Year is here. A boating safety course will make sure that you know everything you can about being a safe boater including the legal requirements before inviting friends and family out on your boat in a few months when it warms up again.

You can find classroom courses that are offered locally in your area in the evenings or on weekends or you can take a class online from your home or office.  Courses are offered by state boating agencies, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, America’s Boating Club and many companies and organizations, just make sure that the course meets the requirements for certification or to get a license in your state. The interactive, online course offered by our friends at iLearntoBoat.com meets the legal requirements in many states with many more being added daily. Regardless of how the course is presented, the test will include questions on life jackets, fire safety, anchoring procedures, the Navigation Rules, emergency situations, and state-specific information that boaters should know to be safe on the water in their state. If you boat in multiple states, it may be good to take a course in each of those states to be certified and up to speed on the rules in each state.

As an added incentive to get this training, boating insurance companies frequently offer discounts to boaters who successfully complete an approved boating safety course. Check with your insurance company for a list of courses or you can visit the U.S. Coast Guard’s website to find a list of approved courses that will allow you to get your boating certificate or boating license.