After receiving an overwhelming number of applications for our nationwide Life Jacket Loaner Program, we called on the boating industry to donate life jackets to help fulfill all of the requests and save boaters’ lives across the country. Brunswick Corporation, a global leader in the marine industry, answered the call and has generously donated 868 life jackets to be repurposed in the Sea Tow Foundation’sLife Jacket Loaner Program.
Brunswick’s donated life jackets came specifically from Land ‘N’ Sea warehouses located in Pompano Beach, Florida; Houston, Texas; Detroit, Michigan and Eagan, Minnesota. Land ‘N’ Sea is one of over 60 of Brunswick’s brands and is a full-service, wholesale distributor servicing the boating and recreational vehicle industry. All 868 of the life jackets are from their brand,Seachoice, which is a private label exclusive to Land ‘N’ Sea.
“Safety is our number one priority both on and off the water,” said Mike Conners, Land ‘N’ Sea President. “We are thrilled to participate in the Sea Tow Foundation’s mission to make the water safer for everyone and the donation of Seachoice life jackets to aid in their mission was a perfect way for us to continue to support our great friends at the Sea Tow Foundation.”
The 868 Land ‘N’ Sea life jackets are being distributed for immediate use in Florida and Texas and will be ready to use during the upcoming boating season in Michigan and Minnesota.
If you have brand new or gently used life jackets that you would like to donate to a life jacket loaner station near you, use the Sea Tow Foundation’s Life Jacket Drive online formand we’ll be in touch about a local life jacket loaner station that is in need of more life jackets. You can also find out more in this video blog about how to inspect your gently used life jacket to know if it is in good shape to donate.
Photo Captions:
Top left: Bart Shanks from Hub’s Yacht Club and Marina in Minnesota with donated SeaChoice life jackets.
Top right: Willard Franklin III form Four W's Fishing Team in Houston, TX with a LandNSea employee.
Bottom left: Four W's participants wearing the donated life jackets in Houston, TX
Bottom right: The City of Algonac, MI showing their donated life jackets.
Sea Tow Foundation Adds New Life Jacket Loaner Stations
SOUTHOLD, N.Y. – The Sea Tow Foundation – a national nonprofit dedicated to the education and awareness of safe boating practices – announced today that it has partnered with an additional 87 organizations and agencies to add new or restock existing Life Jacket Loaner Stations for the 2020 Summer boating season.
With more than 650 Life Jacket Loaner Stations already located throughout the United States, the Sea Tow Foundation is also offering tips and guidelines for boaters using life jackets from a loaner station, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Many agencies and organizations depend on our experience and knowledge in boating safety and our expertise in life jacket loaner programs,” said Gail Kulp, executive director of the Sea Tow Foundation. “Since the virus has impacted all of us in one way or another, we know it is important to provide guidance to boaters that want to borrow life jackets from our loaner stands. We want to continue to ensure that drownings can be prevented through loaner life jackets that are available to be borrowed at no cost.”
With the health and safety of boaters and life jacket loaner station hosts in mind, the Sea Tow Foundation is providing the following tips and guidelines for consideration:
1. Follow local and state guidelines regarding closures of beaches, boat ramps, marinas, and other locations that have traditionally provided life jacket loaner stations. If one of these locations is closed, a loaner station previously located there will not be available.
2. Do not go boating or spend time in public if you have a fever or are feeling sick.
3. Wear your life jacket if you go boating and ensure that children under age 13 are wearing their life jackets while the boat is in motion as required by the U.S. Coast Guard.
4. Be sure to also follow the other Sea Tow Foundation social distancing tips while boating.
The Sea Tow Foundation has also provided some general cleaning and disinfecting guidelines for cleaning life jackets.
“We consulted Onyx Outdoor, the manufacturer we purchase our loaner life jackets from, as well as representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard, who oversee our grant for the life jacket loaner program, to help develop signage and language to include on every loaner station,” Kulp noted. “Stickers are being provided to each loaner station host in the coming weeks and new loaner station signage will be printed with the wording already on it.”
All Sea Tow Foundation life jacket loaner stations will contain the following language:
“Life jackets are provided for the community. Each user who borrows a life jacket is obligated to inspect the life jacket prior to use and to return it clean and in good working order for the next user. These life jackets are not inspected or maintained after each use. Life jackets are borrowed at your own risk.”
Through its Life Jacket Loaner program, the Sea Tow Foundation has distributed more than 65,000 life jackets to local businesses, agencies and organizations across the country since 2008 to develop life jacket loaner programs in their local areas.
The more than 650 life jacket loaner stations currently in operation are placed in locations where boaters will have easy access to the life jackets, such as boat ramps, marinas, and parks. Boaters may borrow the life jackets at no cost and are asked to return them when they are finished so that they are available for others to use.
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