My phone rang late on a Monday (my “weekend’). Crystal put me on speaker so she and her husband could discuss the new neighbors down the dock, planning to sail their new boat off into the ocean and nether lands without prior training or experience. My students were desperately concerned, and begged my help to persuade these people to train before they go. This sort of call/email/text is common for me. Most people don’t realize the magnitude of skill and knowledge development required to safely operate a boat anywhere, least of all on the Salish Sea, or offshore.
I’ve been sailing, powerboating and kayaking since a wee child in 1968, largely on the the Salish Sea, Inside Passage and SE Alaska. I’m still alive, and here to tell you how I’ve managed to not die or get badly injured in the most challenging cruising grounds in the world. While graphs and statistics are not very sexy, they are the best source of truth. Therefore I’ll provide them as an underpinning for this article, along with true stories to illustrate common scenarios. All quotes below are taken from the USCG 2019 Recreational Boating Statistics.
TOP 7 WAYS TO NOT DIE ON A BOAT
1. Always wear a life jacket. “79% of fatal boating accident victims drowned. Of those… 86% were not wearing a life jacket.” I often hear boaters say “I have life jackets on board. I’ll put one on if I need it.” Then I try to envision a person mid-fall, digging out a life jacket to don before hitting the water. I’ve personally rescued a man from the water in the middle of a marina, clinging to a docking line while the boat drifted, a life jacket floating next to him. After drying him out and warming him up he said “I couldn’t have held on for another minute”. We occasionally hear of a dead kayaker at one end of a lake, their kayak floating at the other end, a life jacket strapped to its back deck.
2. Don’t Drink and Drive Your Boat. It’s not just illegal; it’s deadly. “Alcohol use is the leading contributing factor in fatal boating accidents… listed in 23% of deaths.” I once lost a dear friend, anchored in his large fishing boat. After some beers, he fell off the narrow side deck. His friend was unable to get him back on board before he perished.
3. Pay Attention. Operator inattention and improper lookout were the 3rd & 4th leading contributing factors in boating deaths. I’m always grateful (while busily focused coaching a student on winch handling) when another student says “Ahem, Captain Wooly, should we do something before we hit that island/boat/tanker/log?” And autopilot is no excuse not to keep a careful watch.
4. Get Quality Boating Education. “70% of deaths occurred on boats where the operator did not receive boating safety instruction.” It’s the common denominator: In good maritime education, you literally learn how not to die on a boat – in addition to gaining skills, confidence and joy in boating.
5. Practice and Experience are Essential. Operator Inexperience was the second leading contributing factor in boating deaths. Training without practice simply falls flat. Many students come to me saying “I got lessons X years ago, but didn’t use it, so I need to start over”. To become a skilled boater, advantage the synergistic effect of training and experience. Consider any other skill, like playing an instrument. You don’t take a week of lessons, then go play the symphony. Even casual performance requires hours and days practicing scales. Dedicating time to practicing the learned skills of docking/paddling/piloting/line-handling etc; and getting out there to grow your experience – these are the path to boating mastery. I advise every graduate as they leave my sailing, powerboating, kayaking, and navigation classes: “Now go expand your skill challenges and horizons incrementally”. This means you have to know what you know and don’t know before you go. If you go out into conditions you aren’t prepared for, you just might not come back.
6. Size Matters. Don’t assume because it’s a small, “easy” boat, you don’t need skills. “The vessel types with the highest percentage of deaths were open motorboats (48%), kayaks (14%), and personal watercraft (8%).” The boats that seem easiest to use – kayaks and paddle boards – can take you from delighted freedom to harrowing experience in a few short paddle strokes.
7. Study the Chart! Most boating deaths occur while cruising or paddle touring (as opposed to launching, docking, anchoring, paddling about the bay, etc). All boaters need navigation skills. My top navigation rule for boaters – which has kept me out of trouble all these years – is “study the chart”, BEFORE you cast off the lies or launch the kayak. Identify the hazards along your route, and how you’re going to evade them, before you get there. There are rocks, swift currents, mud flats, steep waves, and boat/ship traffic out there. If you know how to mitigate them before you leave, you will likely arrive safely and happily at your destination.