Boat Repair MN | National Safe Boating Week 2012
With Memorial Day Weekend coming up, a lot of folks will be out on area lakes driving boats. This past Saturday marked the start of National Safe Boating Week 2012. It is no coincidence that this week takes place in the days leading up to Memorial Day weekend, the traditional start of the recreational boating season.
Minnesota has over 4,000 square miles of water, an area larger than the states of Rhode Island and Delaware combined. We have 12,000 lakes, innumerable ponds and marshes, and 25,000 miles of streams and rivers which, if linked together, would circle the globe. Some of these more inaccessible waters are used by a few hardy souls, while others, such as Lake Minnetonka near Minneapolis, are used by thousands for many recreational purposes.
You are the Key to Water Safety
Your water fun depends on you, your equipment and other people who, like you, enjoy spending leisure time on, in, or near the water.
As a boat operator, you are the “captain of the ship.” You are legally obligated to know the federal, state and local regulations that apply to your watercraft and the waters where you go boating. Just like driving on the road, when you are on the water things can change in a split second. Here’s what happened to a one boater who took his eyes off the water.
It is also your obligation to have the safety equipment required by law, to keep it in good condition and on board, and know how to properly use these devices.
You must have a complete knowledge of your boat, its handling and the boating rules of the road.
Another responsibility of the boat operator is the boat’s passengers. You are responsible for your actions, and those of your passengers from the time you leave the dock to the time you return.
The boater who ignores the rules is risking his safety. Coast Guard data show that “collision with another vessel” is the number one type of recreational boating accident; “collision with a fixed object” is second.
Boating – Rules Of The Road
You learned the “Rules of the Road” before you sat behind the wheel of a car — and you should do the same before taking the helm.
If you are out on the water this weekend, please boat responsibly. Please boat safe and wear your life jacket!
Have A Great Memorial Weekend!
