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SafeTalk with SafeStart
SafeTalk with SafeStart
S15Ep11 Anchored in Safety: Boating Safely this Summer
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Now that summer is here, it's time to take our SafeStart skills on the water. Join Captain Danny and Captain Keith as they embark on ensuring safe passage this boating season.
Host: Danny Smith
Guest: Keith Carpenter
Resources:
http://www.americasboatingcourse.com/lawsbystate.cfm
https://canadaboatsafety.com/?msclkid=af56ab55deaf12e22c18cd0529d01f72
https://www.boaterexam.com/safety/safety-common-hand-signals/
Welcome And Why Boating Safety
SPEAKER_00Welcome back to Safe Talk with Safe Start. I'm Danny Smith. As many of you know, I live on the lake and here in central Alabama. And for my wife and I, uh, boating is a really big part of our lives. And uh already noticed as the weather's starting to warm up, well, the traffic is starting to increase already on the lake, and certainly uh with holidays coming up throughout the summer and just the summer in general, probably a good time to take a moment and just pause and talk a little bit about safety and boating. Uh, and to help me on this podcast, I've invited one of our fellow boat enthusiasts and also SafeStart consultant, Keith Carpenter. So, uh, first of all, Keith, welcome back to the podcast.
SPEAKER_01Hey, Danny, thanks for the invitation. I always enjoy catching up with you, and I'm really excited to talk about something that we're both really passionate about.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, good to have you back again. And uh, like you said, uh, you know, we're we are both really passionate about this, enjoy the water. And uh, like like me, you live at the water as well, live at the lake as well. And uh, you know, as we were kind of preparing for this, you you told me about something that was really interesting and thinking about some of the things that we've both seen at the lake, and we'll talk some about that as we go through this. Uh, but you were telling me something really interesting about a presentation that your daughter did uh at college uh recently about uh complacency and personal hobbies and just how that the complacency affects us with some of the things that we do, not as a part of work, but for fun. So
Complacency Creeps Into Fun
SPEAKER_00do you mind sharing a little bit about that?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, absolutely. This really caught me by surprise, to be honest with you. But uh my daughter called me a couple of months ago, but last semester she was doing a speech communications class, and she called me. She needed some help with the presentation she was doing. And of course, I thought she needed help with content, but uh no, lo and behold, she had the speech all written out. And the only challenge she had is she couldn't title it, she didn't know what the title of it was. So as I was going through and reading it, uh she was talking about uh ATV accidents, uh car accidents, and uh boating accidents, all which she has some personal experience with. And uh after I was reading the speech, I said, What do you need help with? She goes, I need the title for it. I said, Well, it's pretty simple. I think the title of it should just be Complacency in our personal hobbies. And she paused for a second. She goes, That's it. It was so obvious, right? But it was just, I was so proud that without any prompting or suggesting that a topic that she came up with all by herself was something that uh I talk about on a daily basis. So I was really, really proud of her, to be honest with you. That's great.
SPEAKER_00You know, and we have both seen, you know, some good things and unfortunately some bad things uh on the lakes as well, as we mentioned a moment ago. Um, so uh let's start real quickly if uh if it's okay.
Coast Guard Numbers And Common Causes
SPEAKER_00Let's let's just get some of the data stuff out of the way. We always like to refer to this as we start out. So uh for purposes of the podcast today, all the stats we're going to chat about come from the U.S. Coast Guard for the most part. Uh and in 2020, I'll get that right in a second there, the latest year we have data for, uh, there were almost 12 million watercraft registered in the United States. And in that year, there were a little over 5,200 accidents that involved, uh, almost 800 deaths, almost 3,200 injuries, and uh this number caught my eye. 62.5 million dollars of damage to property as a result of recreational boating accidents. You know, and it like we were talking about, uh, a lot of boat activity. I found uh I don't know how it was with where you are, Keith, but for for us, I saw that there was just an increase on activity in general at the lake uh over the past couple of years during the pandemic. And maybe it's one of those things where, hey, we can be on a boat with our family and and be safe there. Heard a lot of things about increased boat sales, uh, more insurance policies taken out, and well, unfortunately, like we said, you know, more insurance claims and calls for towing assistance and things like that. So yeah, I think there's been a lot of folks out on the water, uh, and and rightfully so. I mean, it's a great thing to do, period, but I think it's been a safe thing for everybody over the past couple of years.
SPEAKER_01Well, sadly, the fatality rate, and keep in mind these statistics are off of registered recreational vehicles. And if you live off of a lake like I do, not every uh vehicle is registered or specifically registered, but the fatality rate with the registered vehicles was 6.5 deaths per 100,000 registered recreational vehicles. And this rate represents a 25% increase from 2019, as you said, you know, from the the year prior. And the rate, the previous rate was 5.2 deaths per 100,000 registered recreational vehicles. You know, and where the cause of death was known, 75% of fatal boating accident victims drowned. I mean, that's pretty surprising, you know, and of those drowning victims reported, 86%. 86% were not wearing life jackets. Wow.
Life Jackets And The Wear It Mindset
SPEAKER_00You know, a life jacket and using a life jacket is is kind of a funny thing because to me, a part of that comes back to an individual's perception of risk. And we talk a lot about the perception of risk with Safe Start. Uh, and many of our listeners have probably heard my story about uh when I fell in the water and hit my side on on the edge of our floating dock uh here at home uh back a couple of years ago when I was docking our pontoon boat and a storm came up unexpectedly. Uh and I didn't have the the life jacket on at the time. Uh and very fortunate that I didn't hit my head when I went in because it could have been a really, really bad situation. Uh I didn't think that I needed that flotation device there, that life jacket, because I was already at the dock, you know. Uh, but yet I can tell you I always wear one when I'm out fishing, you know. Uh in fact, I've gone out and bought one now specifically for that. Uh another issue that uh relates as well for drownings, uh unfortunately, uh comes back to alcohol use. In fact, it's the leading known contributing factor in a lot of boating accidents as well, where the primary cause is known. It's listed as being a leading factor in 18% of deaths. Wow.
SPEAKER_01Well, where instruction was known, 77% of deaths occurred on boats where the operator did not receive boating safety instruction. You know, it's surprising that uh we can't even legally drive a 50cc moped legally on the road without a driver's license and proper instruction. But yet anybody can uh, for the most part, drive a boat. And only 12% of deaths occurred on vessels where the operator was known to have received basically a national approved boat boating safety um education certificate.
SPEAKER_00Sure. And, you know, operator inattention may play a part in this as well. Um, you know, sometimes that comes back to some of the human factors we talk about with safe start. You know, it may be operator inexperience as well. Uh perhaps uh, you know, not having a look at it, particularly if you're towing someone, uh, excessive speed could be an issue. Certainly there can be some things with mechanical failure as well, but those are those are some of the top things uh that are contributing factors in accidents. Um, you know, boating is so relaxing and and so much fun. I know uh I literally just last week uh cleaned up our pontoon boat and I'm getting ready to put it in the water this weekend. So I I'm I'm really looking forward to it because it's just one of those things that's just, you know, sometimes even if I'm working from home during the day, uh I may, you know, grab a sandwich and run out and just float on the lake for a few minutes just during the lunch hour and come back in quickly. Try not to take more than an hour, but you know, come back in. And sometimes it just kind of resets you a little bit. But boating can certainly be dangerous, uh, especially when you consider those human factors and how that affects us during those times.
SPEAKER_01You know, absolutely. And we talk about extreme joy, you know, in one of the flex units, and one of what's more enjoyable than being out on the water, enjoying yourself. But sure, you know, one of the biggest parts, Danny, that stands out to me is probably the most preventable. You know, remember in 86% of cases where people drowned, they weren't wearing life jackets. And I'm sure you've been told and I've been told many times, well, I'm a good swimmer. I don't I don't need a life jacket. You know, I don't want to look like that guy, you know. But sometimes you got to point out, you know, we may hit a submerged log or or hit a bank, you know, and we may come to a sudden stop. Well, you know, what if you slip, fall out of the boat? We uh saw, unfortunately, a fishing boat going around in circles right out front of Lighthouse Marina last year. Nobody was in the boat. Um, hit awake, the fisherman hit his head. And unfortunately, it doesn't matter if he could swim as good as Michael Phelps. You know, it's hard to swim when you're unconscious.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. You know, and I remember um some of our listeners may have heard stories from me before. I used to go on a canoe trip with a bunch of guys from our church, and uh, you know, it was one of those relaxed kind of float trip kind of things, and you know, it's very easy for folks to get complacent with that and think, okay, well, I don't need the the life jacket there. You know, it's just a low-speed canoe thing. But again, if you fall out and hit your head on something, well, you may not be such a good swimmer when you're unconscious, right? You know, and if you think about uh boating in general, you know, every state requires life jackets for everybody on board. And most states require them on all kids. I know here in Alabama where I live, I think it's six and under is required to have uh have a life jacket on at all times on the boat. Don't quote me on that, but check it out. I think it's six and uh and under. Uh, but you know, thinking about even as adults, uh just want to underscore the point that you made. I mean, it's an important one. Life jackets don't do you any good unless you're actually wearing them, you know. In fact, the uh National Safe Boating Council has a program that they promote called the Wear It Program, which, you know, kind of speaks for itself, you know, promotes people actually wearing the life jacket anytime that they're in a boat.
Getting The Right PFD To Fit
SPEAKER_01Well, wearing it's one thing, of course, right? But when it comes down to choosing the right jacket, don't pull one out of the bin based off of its color, you know. Sure. Yeah. A couple of things to keep in mind, you know, as you as as your kids grow and outlive their life jackets, keep those for future guests and neighbors that may be on your boat in the future.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Um, you know, but first, you know, make double check and make sure that the life jackets are U.S. Coast Guard approved. They're they're all if they're if it's not labeled U.S. Coast Guard approved, it's not U.S. Coast Guard approved. Um, you know, also make sure it properly fits your size and weight, you know, be honest with yourself. Yeah. Um, you are going to be floating in the water. You want to make sure it's the right, the right choice. And a good way of testing it, and you know, it may seem a little odd, but it's a good safe precaution. But uh put the life jacket on, you know, and and and buckle it. Hold your arms straight up over your head, you know, and ask a friend, you know, grab the grab the tops of the arms and you know, pull up a little bit on them and make sure there's no excessive moving around the openings and also that the uh it doesn't come over your face or your chin, because that's obviously going to be your your submerge point. But uh, you know, also make sure that they're properly fastened. Just if they have zippers and buckles, make sure you zipper them and buckle them, not one or the other. It's not an either or. And for the younger ones, they have the crotch strap that we also need to make sure is uh not just on there, but secure too, because that'll also prevent it from going over their head. And you know, if you're going fishing, you know, there's so many cool light tickets, as you know, that have pockets and all sorts of utility devices to carry tackle and supplies. And I know you and I have got some pretty neat ones, but uh they're not that they're not that expensive. No, there's very many types that are on the market. Yeah, I mean, especially when you consider your your life could depend on them. But uh make sure that you buy one that's appropriate for you and and you know, your the activity that you're doing on the water.
SPEAKER_00Sure. You know, I um after I had that fall at the dock, I've I've become, you know, pretty religious about wearing one at all times when I'm particularly when I'm out on a fishing boat, you know, and it's a little bit different than the pontoon. I know same thing, you can fall out of either one or fall off of either one, but particularly when I'm out fishing, uh, you mentioned that activity a minute ago. Uh I bought one of the inflatable life jackets. It's got the compressed air cylinder on it, uh, really small, really lightweight, and and you know, I just put it on all the time when I go out fishing. In fact, uh it's one of those things I almost forget that I have it on, kind of thing. And I've came back in the house numerous times after having fished and come back in and realize I still have it on, right? So it being too hot really isn't the challenge then? No, it's not. It's just uh, you know, it's literally it's just almost like uh, you know, a couple of straps, if you will, uh around the shoulders and and you know, back around the waist type thing. Uh, but it it does have enough capacity there to even get me out of the water, right? But and and it also uh has the other feature that is that if it gets wet, it automatically inflates. So even if I fall out of the boat, if I'm out fishing by myself and I were to hit my head or something, uh it's gonna automatically inflate when it hits the water, right? Very nice. The big thing there though is uh, you know, it's important to not get complacent with that too. I mean, you got to do the regular checks on it, make sure it's maintained, make sure the cylinder's still charged, all of those kind of things. Uh so anyway, I found that one to be real helpful for me. Uh, some other things, let's chat about that too, that you'll want to check uh with the boat and with the, you know, obviously the the life jackets and everything else. And you know, before we go there, you mentioned something a minute ago, you know, talking about the the ones for the kids. Uh, I think that's a really great point uh to think about that, particularly in terms of, you know, the size and the weight of the child, you know. Uh I know my grandkids are bride with us quite often. And that was one of the things we talked about just a couple of weeks ago. You know, hey, do their life jackets from last year still fit them or do we need to get new ones? Uh and I think we're okay for this year, but we've got uh my oldest grandson, he's probably about the time, probably getting close to having to graduate up to another one. So certainly something for everybody to think about, right?
Pre-Departure Checks Training And Rules
SPEAKER_00So uh a few things here, uh, you know, you know, and not just the life jackets, but also just check and make sure all your equipment's in good working order. Um, you know, it's one of those you don't always think about uh, you know, getting in somebody else to inspect your vehicle, but your boat in this case, but it's probably a good idea, right? And most of your U.S. Coast Guard Guard auxiliar will do that. Um, I like doing uh kind of a pre-departure checklist, you know, just kind of going through everything, uh just looking around the boat, making sure everything's where it's at and everything. Um about fire extinguishers, you you it's one of those things you don't think about checking all the time. Um but uh fire extinguishers on the marine vessels are generally good for 12 years. Is that what I read? Does that sound right to you?
SPEAKER_01About 12 years, yeah. I mean, if you forget about your fire extinguisher, who's gonna remind you to get rolled over?
SPEAKER_00Exactly. First thing they look for, right? Yeah, exactly. And uh, you know, uh most marine fire extinguishers have the the year that they were manufactured stamped on the bottom. Uh, so you can look at that pretty quick and just do the calculations. Uh I actually looked at mine just the other day and it was stamped with 11. So I've got one more year and it's still fully charged and everything, but I'll have to replace that next year since they're good for 12 years, right? So um also uh always a good idea, particularly if you're going out by yourself, to file a float plan with somebody that you know. Um, I know if I go out fishing by myself, I always let my wife know where I'm going. And uh if I deviate from that plan, I'll usually send her a text or give her a quick call and just let her know what uh what I'm doing and where I'm going, right? Um make sure you dress properly for bringing extra set of clothes just in case you get wet. Um storms do happen on the water, right? Uh don't forget the sunscreen. Uh, watch for things with heat-related illnesses. Uh, we have a podcast that we did just a few weeks back about heat strokes, so you may want to check that out. And uh well, Keith, I don't know how it is where you are, but I know here uh probably a good idea to invest in some bug spray to keep on the boat as well. Some of the mosquitoes around here have numbers on their side, there's a big. So yeah, it's like State Bird down south, isn't it? It is indeed.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, those are those are really, really good points. And and it's also important to realize that uh each state and province may have different regulations. You know, if you're traveling or if you're like me and you live in a lake that has uh bodies two different states, Texas and Oklahoma. And uh if you're you know, if you're live, even if your river goes through multiple states, be aware of that. And obviously it's up to you to know what's required in your region. Some require a boating safety certificate. And regardless, even if they don't, it's always a good idea to take one. It it really is.
SPEAKER_00You know, when uh when we moved to the lake back, uh, I guess it's been three almost four years ago now. Um I I had operated boats before, uh, but I guess it was one of those where I had uh had done that before uh the requirement for the boating safety certificate and uh and to have that designation on your driver's license, which we have to have here now in Alabama. Uh it's been the law now for a number of years. Uh, but you know, I I went through and took one of the online courses and I found it really helpful, you know, just kind of getting some of those things that maybe maybe a few things you didn't know, but some of the things that you did know, but maybe you just kind of forgot as you got a little older for sure, you know. So it helped me a lot just thinking about what to do and what not to do uh here on the lake. So, you know, and like I said, even if you're experienced or not, taking the courses is probably a good idea. Uh, a lot of different rules in places uh all over the place. Uh in Canada, for example, if you operate a pleasure craft there, you've got to have proof of competency on board uh if it has a motor, including a trolling motor. So uh really important is to do that. They they have there what they call the PCOC, the pleasure craft operator card, which uh one has to have uh to keep from getting fined for that. So again, the idea here, whether you're looking for a class in Canada or the US, it's a great idea to do that. I'll we'll put some links in the show notes here to help everybody find some things in their area too.
SPEAKER_01Well, you know, Danny Case in point, I'm a pretty uh experienced uh lake boater, but when we went and uh visited with uh Michael Blandford down in Tampa a few years ago, getting out on the ocean is a completely different world. So uh to your point, you know, make sure that you're uh you're trained in the area that you're going in, because I would never attempt to go uh in the ocean without the proper uh at least research and training to do so. Sure.
Alcohol Fatigue And Boater's Hypnosis
SPEAKER_01But you know, we we touched a little bit earlier on on alcohol, and uh let's go back to that for a little bit of a moment because obviously it affects balance reaction and judgment. And uh this was one of my daughter's passionate points in her college speech last year. And uh voting under the influence or BWI is illegal. Um you know, drugs and alcohol affect balance, you know, and balance is obviously crucial when it comes to voting. Simply falling overboard and drowning accounts for at least 25% or one in four voting fatalities. Um it also impairs judgment. And you know, we all we all know this alcohol reduces our inhibitions, causing normal, you know, cautious people to try something that might be a little bit you know more risky. You know, it diminishes our ability to react to several different signals at once. You know, it takes longer to uh receive information from your eyes, so it definitely slows reactions as well. And uh remember the importance of reflexes from our training, you know, especially at night. As you know, on night's a different world, and you pepper a little bit of alcohol in a combination of that, it's just uh, you know, you're just even increasing your chances of misery.
SPEAKER_00Sure. And you know, there's a lot of other stressors out there as well that go along with boating as well, uh, that people may not think about, just you know, exposure to noise, vibration, uh being out in the sun, uh the glare of the wind, the motion of the water, uh, all of that affects not only the operator of the boat, but also the passengers. So uh drinking while boating uh really, as you said, it just becomes even more dangerous, right? Uh so research shows that hours of exposure to those boating stressors produce uh a really a different kind of fatigue. It's uh some people call it boater's hypnosis, uh, where it slows the reaction time almost as much as if you were legally drunk. So certainly adding alcohol or drugs to boating stress uh factors, it really intensifies the effects and and really each drink then multiplies your accident risk. Yeah, for sure.
Towing Sports Safely With Spotters
SPEAKER_01You know, and the fun thing about doing we are fun thing about getting out of the boat is actually the activities, right? You know, you're able to ski too, you know, wakeboarding. They do a lot of uh surfing or scurfing on our lake with us, these uh these newer boats. And you know, they they're all could be dangerous, you know, especially with traveling at high speeds. And you know, obviously we try to go faster and faster each time, but you know, remember to take the following steps to minimize the risk, you know. First off, always make sure that there's two people in the boat. And in some states, even a jet ski, uh, there's a spotter required. You know, one must be the driver, and the other person should serve as a spotter, you know, looking out for the skier or the wake quarter. The driver should be focused on actually what they're doing, you know, without having to glance back and look for the person that he or she is pulling. And uh also, you know, just you know, like rigging, check the tow line before, make sure that it's you know in proper condition, it's not gonna snap, but also make sure that it's not gonna get caught in the propeller of uh I'm sure. That I'm not the only person who has uh ruined a weekend or at least a good part of a day from uh things getting caught in impellers or propellers.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Also make sure that the line's not wrapped around the skier. You know, that's that's really important. The drivers definitely don't accelerate until the line's clear of the wake border or anybody else, and make sure proper hand signals are are learned and communicated. Um, you know, thumbs up doesn't always mean I'm good, does it? You know?
SPEAKER_02No, exactly.
SPEAKER_01So uh and also as as a skier awake boarder, make sure that a couple of things when you do fall, or maybe you don't fall, maybe you're like me and you decide to quit, right? Now you're bragging, right? Yeah. So when I do fall, you know, you know, immediately make sure that you're away from the tow rope when you do fall. Let go of it. First thing, don't don't try to, you know, don't try to pull out of it. You know, don't ingest half the lake, right? Yeah. Yeah. Your nose is meant to go one way. And also, um I I also, when I uh have fallen, I'd like to make sure that if I am in the water, I get my ski up above the water just as an additional, you know, reference point. If other boaters don't see me um as I'm in the water, things are hard to see when you're at high speeds. And then you get back in the boat, right? Um, where there's always a rule, has been a rule, doesn't mean that it's everybody's rule, but uh nobody's to be on the swim platform or around the back of the boat while it's running, so it's turned off before anybody is getting back in the boat or even exiting the boat for that matter. Good. Um also, you know, only skiing the whiteboard during the daytime. Not only is that a law, but that's obviously uh from a visibility standpoint, um, it's harder to see things at at night. Uh sunsets, people are driving, they're probably looking at the sunset, not looking at the water. So just make sure that uh you know you are visible and it can be difficult to see hazards when it starts to get dark out. And like I said, it's a different world on the lady at night. It is, it really is, which makes it fun, but it also brings additional risk. Um, also weather conditions, it's not just down south where they change at the blink of an eye, it's everywhere. Um always pay attention to the conditions. Hearing thunder, you know, lightning, stop you know, the activities and you know, head back immediately. But the uh restricted areas sometimes aren't always um very visible, so make sure that you know where the restricted where you can and can't uh ski. It looks like you can ski right behind the back of our house, but it's about three feet of of water, and uh you you won't know that until you find it out too late. So make sure that you know the area that you're going to be skiing at. And you know, we'll place a couple of uh signals. Like I said, those hand signals are really important. So there are universal hand signals we'll put in the uh show notes so that uh if you don't aren't aware of them, you can learn them as well.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, very good. Yeah, you mentioned the weather a minute ago, and we we kind of joked about it a little bit earlier as well. Um, I just want to pick up on that. You know, warm sunny days are really ideal for boating, but uh, I think one of the things that struck me that I I guess I knew, but I just didn't think about when we moved to the lake was just how how quickly storms seem to roll in here. Uh, you know, the wind picks up suddenly and you start to see the choppy water just a little bit, and you know something's about to happen. Uh, and even if it's just a warm spring day, I mean, the water can easily, you know, change, change in just a few moments, right? So a couple of things there. I know uh back last year uh we had gone up to kind of the north end of our lake, uh, probably a good 15, 20 minute ride away from home. And uh, I say the north end, the north end of the main body where we're at. The lake goes over, I don't know, another 30 miles north, I think. But uh, we're on the north end of our part of the lake, I guess you'd say. Anyway, uh out of the clear blue sky, as you, if you will, uh a storm came in. It was supposed to be nice and sunny that day, but we had a storm that blew in. And I I remember uh it it got us. It was me, my wife, my my daughter and son-in-law, and two of my grandkids. And I don't think any of us had a dry stitch of clothing on us when we got back to the dock. Fortunately, it was just rain, really heavy rain, uh, but no lightning or or thunderstorms, anything like that. It was just a really, really heavy rainstorm. Uh, but I remember after that we decided, hey, there's a few other things we need to add to the pontoon boat, including a few uh emergency ponchos just to try to stay somewhat dry for sure. Oh wow.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and thank goodness you didn't have an emergency during that time, too. You know, because you know, equipment,
Communication Navigation And Storm Prep
SPEAKER_01let's talk about equipment, as a matter of fact. That's that's a good segue into this because uh your cell phones are great, they are, but uh you don't always have self-service out on the lake. So uh the best thing to have on board is uh VHF marine radio, it's the single most important piece of equipment that you could buy if you're a boater. And uh they're not that big these days. They actually they make handheld ones and they have some that you could actually mount into your boat and uh either or. Um we had a boat that had both of those uh many years ago. But uh do not rely on your cell service on the water uh because it is going to get spotty. And even if you do have your cell or your your uh cell phone on you, you gotta make sure that you have a way of charging it. Those days get long out there, don't they, Danny?
SPEAKER_00Right, for sure. Yeah. Especially if you're using that to power a Bluetooth speaker or something like that with some music or whatever, uh, really easy to let run that battery down and not even realize it, right? Absolutely, absolutely.
SPEAKER_01And what happens if your battery does run out if you're on that trip? Um, those emergency little battery packs that uh are very powerful and and small are good to invest in. And even as well, having an onboard battery charger, we even when our boat's out of the water, it's it's plugged up to a trickle charger. And I'm sure yours at the boat dock is probably the same. And they're very light and smaller than ever nowadays. Um, but the other thing is uh similar to uh auto GPS devices, there's chart plotters. Um chart plotters basically look like fish finders and can also be dual-purposed as a fish finder and can be a very good map of your location and your destination. Um, they're easy to install, but even if you don't want to install them, there are also apps that are available on your phone that do not rely on cell service. And I have a few, I'm not going to mention the names, but go to your uh Apple or your Google store and they'll they'll probably be at the top of the list. But uh there's a couple of them that you don't necessarily have to rely on uh cell service for, but chart plotters are especially important for boaters on new bodies of water and even especially at night.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, oh, for sure. Yeah, and it's interesting to me. Uh we've had uh over the past few years, it seems like there's been a lot of construction around the lake. And uh one of the things I watch for at night, I've got certain lights. I know this sounds kind of goofy, but I've got certain lights at certain houses that I watch for if we've gone upstream or or or off, you know, past our normal spots. But I watch for those particular lights, you know, and I've noticed over the past few years how those have changed with some of the new construction. So it's one of those I have to kind of adjust that in my mind, but certainly a chop chart plotter. Well, that's tough to say, isn't it? A chart plotter, have to be careful with that one too. Uh, it's something that certainly could help with that as well. Yeah.
Anchoring Insurance And Docking Under Pressure
SPEAKER_00You know, another thing that uh we probably should talk about here, and this one may seem kind of like a no-brainer, but uh making sure you got a good anchor uh in place and that your anchor is in good shape, uh, that the the chain or the rope that you have is in good condition as well. Uh it's the right uh shape of anchor as well, and the right size for your boat and for the the floor conditions of your body of water. Uh all of those are important things. Uh you know, one of the things that I found really interesting, and I guess this is one of those, again, just hadn't really stopped and thought about it, was uh how long does your anchor chain or rope need to be? And uh, you know, I've read some places that suggest that it, you know, probably seven times the depth of the water that you're anchoring in. So that's actually quite quite a lot of anchor rope or anchor chain there. And we don't seem to think about that, right? Um, another thing that I would suggest for everybody is uh check and uh see what insurance you have for your vessel as well. I know I actually got the invoice for uh from mine uh for one of our boats just uh uh a few minutes ago. Uh came in the mail yesterday and just was looking at it a few minutes ago. Uh and so great idea to look at that and make sure you've got the right insurance. Uh, in addition to the liability and collision, comprehensive coverage you got, you might want to check into what some carriers call an umbrella policy or a general liability policy uh that you can get a personal liability policy, different names, different carriers. Uh, but you may want to check on that. It just kind of covers additional liability beyond your basic policies, if you will. Uh, may also want to look at things like on-water towing, labor medical coverage in the event of an accident, things like that. Uh, I guess we should give the disclaimer here, shouldn't we? We're not insurance agents. Uh, been a while since I even stayed at a holiday and express. I don't know about you, but uh, you know, check your insurance carrier, just make sure you got adequate coverage and that you're, you know, you don't have any any gaps in your coverages or policies there.
SPEAKER_01Well, I may not have stayed at a holiday and express last night, but I did renew my towing insurance last week. So uh I'm there with you. But hey, let's let's shift gears a little bit here and talk about the uh the the never you never stop learning about docking, do you? And uh I've I've lived on this lake for 24 years and uh you never stop learning about docking. So uh depending on the wind, you got the current to take into consideration, the type of boat, you know, single drive, dual drive, docking can be a very, very big challenge. Um, it's an exciting challenge, but it's a challenge nevertheless. And you know, as you approach the dock or the shore, um now as you're approaching the shore, obviously can be concerned of your trim, but I'm gonna talk specifically about docking at a dock. You know, make sure that your bumpers are out prior to even getting in there. Um, this just causes any, you know, rushing while you're approaching the dock and uh also having them out beforehand, you know, prevents damage to your vessel, obviously. You know, reducing the speed, you know, remember no brakes. You know, reverse is the only brake that you have on a boat. And uh if you're like me, you feel like a pride shot if you have to throw it into reverse, especially at the dock where everybody is watching and judging you. Um but uh you know, reduce your speed, make sure the dock lines are secured. Um, you know, if the wind's blowing towards the shore, you know, bring the boat about you know two feet from the dock, and the wind will gently you know push you in or pull you in, depending on where you're at. Um, you can also secure it with lines, you know, if if the wind's blowing away from the shore, you know, approach the dock at a little bit of an angle, you know, 20, 30 degrees, depending on you know how much you need to compensate for the wind, and uh secure the bow line. Sure. Right. The first thing you die do is usually secure the bow line depending on the direction and then the sterns next.
SPEAKER_00That's kind of the way I like to do as well. And we uh for our pontoon boat, we actually bought one of the little extension poles that you can use to kind of pull that in, and that tends to really be helpful, particularly when it's windy. Uh, you can even kind of grab it to stabilize it a bit too, just to get in, right? Sure. Yeah, we're really fortunate here. We've got uh a couple of fairly nice restaurants here on the water that we like to go to, uh, particularly during summertime, right over on the on the boat for dinner and things like that. And like you said, you know, get to see the sunset and all of that on the way back, that kind of thing. Uh, one of those restaurants is really, really busy. And uh particularly, you know, during those peak times, it's it's almost like you're jousting for position just to get into the dock. And uh they also, by the way, sell a lot of fuel there because our lake borders two counties. Uh the taxes are cheaper on that side of the lake or so I've heard. But boat fuel is so expensive right now. I don't know that maybe cheaper is just a relative term, right? Uh anyway, really easy to get frustrated when the docks are really busy there and uh, you know, everybody's moving in and out, you're kind of waiting your turn. And uh, you know, I talk a lot about how frustration gets me a lot while I'm driving. And certainly I have to kind of self-trigger on that when I'm trying to dock the boat there. It's really easy to get frustrated when you're waiting on your turn just to get to the dock or to get up to the pump, right? Um, you know, I think that's when I really get uh, I think what gets me there is the indecision, you know, people that just can't decide which parking spot they want there, which docking spot spot, I guess I should say. Um, you know, in my mind, I'm kind of like, come on, make up your mind, do something, pick a spot kind of deal, you know. But yeah, like I said, I just got to learn that hey, self-trigger on that, relax. It's okay. You are going to get fried catfish and shrimp. You know, you're not going to get there any sooner, right? So yeah, yeah, and it's funny. Sometimes we got to remember we're all out there for the same reason. Exactly, exactly. And you know, the other restaurant, uh, it actually is back up in a cove that has a lot of traffic on it. Uh, it actually feeds back into a larger area that opens up beyond the restaurant. So as you're docking there, uh, you know, obviously a lot of traffic on the water means a lot of waves, right? And so you're getting out there and it's a floating dock. So really have to keep your mind on task there and not get get too complacent. You know, it'd be really easy to lose your balance and get flipped right into the water there if you're not thinking about it as well. You know, soaking wet's probably not the best way to go into the restaurant for sure.
SPEAKER_01Well, I know we used to talk about pre-states, and uh, when we go out on the boat, it is always an expectation that I know I'm gonna get a little bit rushed and frustrated putting in, and more than likely even coming out. So uh just knowing that helps us self-trigger on those a little bit quicker and easier.
SPEAKER_00That's it, exactly. Yeah, and uh, you know, it's it's meant to be a relaxing, enjoyable time out on the water. So just thinking about some of the things that we talked about is is really just key to kind of you know making sure that it does continue to be something enjoyable and not something where there's uh an incident or you know, maybe even a tragic accident, right?
Key Takeaways And Closing
SPEAKER_00So right. Well, folks, that that's our time for today. I I really appreciate you, Keith, being here with us. Uh great to talk with you again. Um, and uh don't forget, folks, to check out the show notes as well. Uh, and on behalf of Keith and the entire Safe Talk with Safe Start team, thanks for listening. Uh, remember to share this podcast. Uh, I'm Danny Smith reminding you that your Safe Start skills really travel with you, especially on the water, right? So have a safe and great summer, and we'll talk soon.