If you are like me you are starting to get a little bit of cabin fever. Between the wind, the cold, and the rain it has been a little tough to get on the water over the last several weeks. Sure there has been some nice days mixed in, but none of them have fallen on the weekend to speak of and it is tough to judge a good day amongst the bad to schedule a day off of work. Regardless to help ward off the cabin fever I like to concentrate my time on fishing related activities this time of year even though I may not actually be on the water actively fishing. In another eight weeks or so many of us will find ourselves 50-miles east of the lowcountry in search of the ever elusive yellowfin tuna; therefore, there is no better time than the present to a take an hour or so and go thought your safety gear and make sure everything is up to par. A solid safety inspection may save you from having to turn around and come home in the case of a minor incident, it may save you from having to pay a big ticket, or it may even save your life!
First Aid Kit – Did you use anything out of it that needs to be restocked? Is everything in it in date? Is it stocked with the essentials you will need to take care of reasonable injuries? Do you have a small set of bolt cutters for cutting hooks should someone get impaled? Do you have some Aspirin for those bad hangovers, or more importantly to assist a heart attack victim?
Flares – Are they within date? Are they sufficient enough for true offshore use, i.e. meteor type, or did you just buy a few hand helds to meet the Coast Guard requirements?
Life vests and throwables – Are they in good condition? Any dry rot? Again did you buy offshore vests or did you just buy $6 dollar life preservers to meet the requirement? Do you have signaling devises attached to your vests? A $3 whistle, $5 mirror, and a $10 light or small strobe may make the difference between being lost or found.
Strobes, Life Vest Lights, Glow Sticks – Are they in good working order? Still Waterproof? Fresh batteries?