As I sat here today trying to think what I should write about for this week, I read a posting on the site about a missing boater and his Mitzi Skiff being found floating upside down some 16 miles offshore. Many of us have been boating our entire lives and weve made so many trips over the years, we become complacent when it comes to boating safety. I will say that I am in no way insinuating that this missing boater was not operating safely, as I do not have any details. I am referring to myself and plenty of other guys I grew up fishing with. Rarely do I see anyone hook the kill switch to them when operating a boat. Life jackets are stowed away nicely under the deck or console. The float plan section of our site is probably the most underutilized resource we offer to boaters and many people think that float plans are for offshore fishing only.
When I was younger I witnessed a girl in a 13 Boston Whaler hit a wave at a funny angle and was thrown from the boat. When she went over the motor immediately turned to the side and the boat began to circle her running wide open. The boat was very erratic and came close to her many times until another boat threw an anchor line into the boat motor and stalled it out. This was before kill switch leashes were on boats, but illustrates just how quickly something can go wrong especially when you are boating alone.
National Boating Safety Week is coming up from May 19th-25th. Learning safe boating practices is required if you plan to take to the water. For those of us who have spent our entire lives on the water this is a time to remind ourselves that tragedy can strike quickly while you are on the water and if you are not prepared, the consequences can be fatal. We hope that everyone will take an opportunity to review their safety gear and plans before hitting the water this year. We also pray for the missing boater and his family and friends.
I made mention of the Float Plan section on our site earlier. This a form that you can fill our and can be found under the