July 25, 2006

Children & Boating

Introducing children to boating is one of the coolest things a parent can do. Boating is such a great family activity. Just think, you can be alone with your family for hours on the water with no television, phones, or other distractions.

But being safe and smart must come first. Too often children are put in dangerous situations by parents who lack knowledge, are short on common sense, or simply are not thinking. The results are often catastrophic. Dealing with safety professionals such as the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, we regularly hear of awful stories involving children. More often than not, the incidents could have easily been avoided by the parent or adult onboard.

For example, wearing a PFD (a.k.a. lifejacket), is the simplest preventative measure. Wearing one should be obvious, yet this past weekend in Massachusetts, a five year old boy and his father drowned after their 14’ skiff overturned. Sadly, neither was wearing a PFD.

There are also some less obvious things we all could and need to do to keep our children safe onboard. One of my pet peeves is when children are allowed to sit on the bow with their feet dangling over - being held onboard only by a bow pulpit (often times less when on a RIB!). Talk about a recipe for an awful disaster . . . .

Posted by ribcraftusa at July 25, 2006 02:19 PM