National Safe Boating Week is a week-long, focused event that brings awareness to safe boating before the Memorial Day weekend and the kick-off to the summer boating season. This year, National Safe Boating Week is celebrated from May 20-26, 2023. The Sea Tow Foundation connected with some of the nationwide Sea Tow captains to share 7 boating safety tips that boaters may not think about, but should consider before enjoying a day on the water.
Make a float plan. A float plan explains where a boater is headed and when he or she plans to return, and it should be given to a trusted friend or family member staying on land. This is important in case an emergency happens, or the boater does not arrive back on time, because authorities will know where to focus their search efforts.
– Capt. Christian Orfanello, Sea Tow New Orleans (LA)
Carry communications devices. A cell phone won’t work in many places out on the water, even when you can still see land. That’s why it is important to carry a VHF radio that you can use to call for help. A Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) or a larger Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) can also be used in an emergency to help rescuers find you.
– Capt. Mike DeGenero, Sea Tow Charlotte Harbor (FL)
Rule of thirds. Always make sure you have enough fuel for the ride home by following the rule of thirds. Use 1/3 of your gas to head out to your destination and 1/3 to come back, but then you have another 1/3 for any unplanned events.
– Capt. Ann Merritt, Sea Tow Southern Maryland (MD)
Use navigation lights. Even if you don’t think you’ll be out after dark, it is important to have the proper navigation lights for your boat and ensure that they are working before you leave the boat ramp or dock. Lights let other boats see you in the dark and can also help you find your way back.
– Capt. Greg Dreischmeyer, Sea Tow San Diego (CA)
Always have an anchor ready. When things go wrong on a boat, it can happen quickly and being able to anchor your boat is an important way to stay safe. But your anchor is no good to you if it is tangled up at the bottom of a storage compartment: always have the anchor ready to drop swiftly. Keep the end of the anchor line secured to your boat, so you don’t lose the whole length. Anchor from the bow of your boat, as opposed to the stern, to help keep any waves from swamping the boat.
– Capt. Ethan Maass, Sea Tow South Shore (MA)
Slow down. You don’t need to race to get out to the water. It is always there, and the fish will be there, too. Take your time, slow down and enjoy the boating experience. Plus, you’re less likely to hit something submerged in the water, run aground or have other issues if you are proceeding at a slower pace.
– Capt. Jim Pulley, Sea Tow Table Rock Lake (MO)
7. Wear a Life Jacket. The Sea Tow Foundation recently launched the Life Jacket Challenge to raise awareness about the critical need to wear a life jacket at all times while on the water. By simulating the rapid onset of on-water emergencies, the challenge encourages boaters of all ages to try and don a life jacket in under 30 seconds. You wouldn’t think of trying to put on a seatbelt in the middle of a car accident, so why should you think you have the time to put on a life jacket in a boating emergency? Try the challenge and post your video whether you succeed or not for a chance to win prizes all summer long!
-Gail R. Kulp, Sea Tow Foundation Executive Director
Can you find and put on a life jacket in 30 seconds? Try the Sea Tow Foundation Life Jacket Challenge and be eligible for prizes all summer long. Find out more at: https://www.boatingsafety.com/lifejacketchallenge
Posted By Gail Kulp,
Wednesday, June 3, 2020
Updated: Monday, June 1, 2020
PRESS RELEASE
Sea Tow Foundation’s Summer of Boating Safely Contest
The Sea Tow Foundation – a national nonprofit dedicated to the education and awareness of safe boating practices – is announcing their “Summer of Boating Safely,” a new contest designed to further its mission.
The Sea Tow Foundation’s mission is to promote safe boating practices that directly reduce accidents, deaths, and property damage related to recreational boating. The Summer of Boating Safely contest will encourage boaters to raise awareness of their safe boating habits and share their selfie video entries via social media. The contest provides a unique opportunity to win prizes by letting boaters show off their own boating safety habits. Some of the prizes include: inflatable life jackets from Onyx outdoor, a Cobra floating VHF radio, a WASP Action Sports Camera and more!
“We know that boating can be a wonderful way to relax and take advantage of the beautiful weather around you, but we want everyone to experience it safely,” said Gail Kulp, executive director of the Sea Tow Foundation. “This contest was put in place to educate boaters everywhere. The best part is that everyone can help us in our mission with just a simple post on their social media account and they may even win a prize.”
Participants can enter by taking a selfie video answering the question of the month and posting it to Facebook or Instagram with a tag to @SeaTowFoundation and the hashtag #summerofboatingsafely. And because this summer is different from all previous summers, entries can be recorded on a boat or in a backyard. On the 15th of each month, one random winner will be chosen from the entries received during the previous month. For a full list of rules, click here.
·Memorial Day: Contest runs from May 25-June 30, winner chosen on July 15
oQuestion to answer: What is something you do to boat safely that you wish everyone would do on the water?
·Independence Day: Contest runs from July 1-31, winner chosen on August 15
oQuestion to answer: What do you tell guests on your boat so that everyone on board is boating safely?
·Labor Day: Contest runs from August 1-September 7, winner chosen on September 15
oQuestion to answer: What three items are on your checklist for boating safely?
Now that boating season is officially here, take a moment to showcase your own boating safely skills to the world and try to win some cool prizes at the same time!
Thousands Learn Life Jacket Safety Lessons at Miami Boat Show
The Sea Tow Foundation has announced that more than 86,000 individuals visited this year’s Progressive Insurance Miami International Boat Show to see the new boats and boating gear and the Sea Tow Foundation made sure that the attendees received a quick course in the importance of wearing life jackets when on or around the water.
As a result of the show’s captive audience, tens of thousands of boating enthusiasts interacted with staff and volunteers from the Sea Tow Foundation, and nearly 500 of those decided to spend extra time learning more about life jackets. Additionally, 365 children borrowed life jackets for the day while they perused the docks and took part in the sea trials that were available.
For the 5th straight year, the Sea Tow Foundation hosted Life Jacket Loaner Stations at the show, which became the organization’s epicenter for education. All of the Foundation’s life jackets were made available from a generous donation from Onyx and the space for the life jacket loaner stations was provided by the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA). Volunteers from local schools, businesses and other organizations staffed the Life Jacket Loaner Stations and assisted the Sea Tow Foundation staff in fitting children with life jackets before they ventured onto the docks with their families.
In order to further promote the importance of life jacket use, the Sea Tow Foundation launched its first-ever Life Jacket Selfie Giveaway Contest at this year’s show. Through partnerships with NMMA, Onyx, FELL Marine, FishGillz, Navionics, Source4 and Formula Boats, the Sea Tow Foundation gave away five prize packs valued at $3,600 to participants who took a selfie while wearing one of the Sea Tow Foundation life jackets at the boat show and posting that photo to social media using the hashtag #LifeJackets4theWin and tagging the Sea Tow Foundation. The contest saw more than 100 people participate in the five days that the contest was open and winners of the prize packs were randomly selected from the social media posts.
“Overall, this year’s Miami International Boat Show was our most successful yet,” said Gail R. Kulp, the Sea Tow Foundation’s executive director. “Not only were we able to interact with 100,000 attendees and teach nearly 500 individuals about life jacket use, we also engaged with countless numbers of boaters, both at the show and watching at home, through our inaugural life jacket selfie contest. We couldn’t be more thrilled with the way things turned out.”
The Life Jacket Loaner Stations at this year’s boat show are part of the Sea Tow Foundation’s nationwide Life Jacket Loaner Program, which hosts more than 600 loaner stations across 43 states. The Sea Tow Foundation also offers other pop-up life jacket loaner stations at the Tampa, FL Boat Show and the Norwalk, CT Boat Show in addition to the stations featured at the Miami International Boat Show.
Through partnerships with the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), Onyx Outdoor, FELL Marine, FishGillz, Navionics, Source4 and Formula Boats, the Sea Tow Foundation will be giving away five prize packages valued at $3,600 to Miami International Boat Show attendees and boaters watching from home.
To participate in the contest, the Sea Tow Foundation is asking Miami International Boat Show attendees to stop by its Life Jacket Loaner Stations located at piers 2 and 5 to try on an Onyx life jacket and take a selfie while wearing it in front of the station. Attendees are also welcome to borrow the life jackets to walk the docks and take them out on the water during the sea trails.
Those who are unable to attend the Miami International Boat Show can still enter to win by downloading and printing a graphic from the Sea Tow Foundation’s online store and taking a selfie with this print-out.
Contestants must then upload their photos to Facebook or Instagram, tag the Sea Tow Foundation @SeaTowFoundation, and use the hashtag #LifeJackets4theWin. One winner will be chosen at random each day of the show – February 14-17 – to win a prize pack with one additional winner being chosen from the at-home audience at the end of the week.
Each prize pack is valued at over $700 and includes:
An Impulse A-24 In-Sight Automatic Inflatable life jacket from Onyx Outdoor
FELL Marine’s MOB+ Wireless Man Overboard engine cutoff system
4 Tickets to next year’s Miami International Boat Show, courtesy of NMMA
A pair of floating, polarized FishGillz Sunglasses
The Sea Tow Foundation extends special thanks to Formula Boats for its generous donation that will be used to offset shipping costs of the prize packs to each of the winners.
Gail R. Kulp, the Sea Tow Foundation’s executive director, said it’s great to see so many within the boating industry rally behind the Sea Tow Foundation.
“We’re thrilled to have received so much support from our partners within the boating industry,” Kulp said. “Our giveaway contest will be a great way to get boaters’ attention and help continue to educate the public that boating can be safe and fun.”
The Sea Tow Foundation’s Life Jacket Loaner Stations available to Miami International Boat Show attendees are part of the Foundation’s nationwide Life Jacket Loaner Program, which hosts more than 600 stations on waterways throughout the country where boaters can borrow and return life jackets at no charge. In addition, the Sea Tow Foundation also operates the Sober Skipper Program, which encourages boaters to make the decision to be or to designate a drug and alcohol-free operator for their boats before every trip.
For a full list of contest rules and to see photos of the prizes, click here.