Here's something I read this morning that I thought was worthy of passing along. We all should keep our eyes out for anything unusual on the water.

As boating season approaches, the Bush Administration wants to enlist the country's 80 million recreational boaters to help reduce the chances that a small boat could deliver a nuclear or radiological bomb somewhere along the country's 95,000 miles of coastline and inland waterways. According to an April 23 intelligence assessment obtained by The Associated Press, "The use of a small boat as a weapon is likely to remain al Qaeda's weapon of choice in the maritime environment, given its ease in arming and deploying, low cost, and record of success."

While the United States has so far been spared this type of strike in its own waters, terrorists have used small boats to attack in other countries. The millions of humble dinghies, fishing boats and smaller cargo ships that ply America's waterways are not nationally regulated as they buzz around ports, oil tankers, power plants and other potential terrorist targets.

This could allow terrorists in small boats to carry out an attack similar to the USS Cole bombing, says Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thad Allen. That 2000 attack killed 17 American sailors in Yemen when terrorists rammed a dinghy packed with explosives into the destroyer. "There is no intelligence right now that there's a credible risk" of this type of attack, Allen says. "But the vulnerability is there." To reduce the potential for such an attack in the United States, the Department of Homeland Security has developed a new strategy intended to increase security by enhancing safety standards.

Learn more about the plan and read the full article on CNN.com in which Major John Fetterman of the Maine Marine Patrol (A RIBCRAFT customer with a fleet of RIBCRAFT 4.8s) was quoted.

Posted by ribcraftusa at 10:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

When Choosing A Life Jacket, that is.

There’s no doubt that life jackets save lives. In the United States an average of nine people a day die as a result of drowning - deaths that could have been prevented. But a life jacket that does not fit properly can put a person at risk of drowning. Proper fit is imperative for safety on the water. The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary has a few tips to follow when choosing a life jacket.

Choose only a U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) approved life jacket, and the correct size for the weight of the person. The USCG stamp of approval, size, whether it is for a child or an adult, and appropriate weight of the wearer should be listed inside the jacket. A person’s chest size and stomach size may come into play when selecting the right life jacket. Here are some helpful tips in "sizing" a life jacket:

- Use the “touchdown” test to see if your life jacket fits properly; Lift your arms above your head as if calling a touchdown. The chest portion of the jacket should not touch your chin when you look left, right or over your shoulder. If the jacket passes this test, it most likely fits. If possible try it out in shallow water. The life jacket should not ride up on your body. However, ride-up may happen if your stomach is larger than your chest.

- Weigh a child and measure for chest size under the arms before shopping for a child’s life jacket. A properly fitting jacket should be snug but not tight.

- Check for proper fit of a life jacket on a child. Wearing the jacket, the child should stand normally with arms at his or her sides. Grab the jacket at the shoulders and firmly lift up. The jacket does not fit if it moves more than three inches up and down the child’s body during the test.

- Ensure a life jacket for an infant or child has a crotch strap to help keep the life jacket on, an oversized float collar to help keep the head out of the water and a grab loop for easier water rescue. All straps should be intact and fastened at all times.

So what is the safest life jacket? In terms of risk of drowning, the safest life jacket is the one you’re willing to wear! There are many good choices to keep safe on the water. Some of the choices are a better for certain situations than others, and therefore the choices are explained in the "Think Safe" life jacket pamphlet that is sold with every US Coast Guard approved life jacket. By reading the pamphlet, you can understand how to safely have fun on the water.

For more information about life jacket types visit http://www.safeboatingcampaign.net/types.htm or my February PFD Posting

Posted by ribcraftusa at 10:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Part of safe boating, regardless if you're the marine patrol, fire department, or even a recreational boater, is to always be careful on the water and take the necessary steps to be ready for anything that may happen. Today, I want to talk about things to think about should someone fall overboard and how to get a person back in the boat.

Obviously, the easiest and best way to deal with a Man Overboard (MOB) situation is to never have someone fall into the water in the first place. As skipper, to prevent a MOB you must be sure that everyone onboard is seated and knows how important it is to always hold on even at slow speeds, you must drive the RIB in such a way that minimizes sudden unexpected movements and accidents, and that you never venture out in conditions that aren't appropriate for your boat or those on board. Surprisingly, most MOBs occur at slow speeds when crew or skipper isn't paying attention.

So, if after taking all of these precautions you still have a MOB situation – what do you do? As I mentioned, most likely it will happen when you're moving slow, so if that's the case immediately shout "man overboard" so everyone is aware and turn the boat towards the person so that the engine is away from them. If you're moving fast, then immediately and safely slow down.

It's important once you begin maneuvering towards the victim to go as slowly as possible to minimize the chances of any additional accidents. Have someone onboard continuously point at the person in the water until you have moved the boat alongside the victim.

As you gain control of the vessel and begin the MOB procedure it's a good idea to issue a Mayday Call to the Coast Guard. They are there to respond and won't mind the precaution – they can always downgrade or cancel the call if you recover the person safely. What wouldn't be good is to call the Coast Guard after several minutes of unsuccessfully trying to retrieve the victim. Doing so would only increase the seriousness of the incident. Additionally, even if you've safely recovered the victim it's possible they may need medical attention, so having the Coast Guard on their way is a very good thing.

As you begin to approach the victim, you have two options to consider based on the conditions; Into the Wind or Beam On.

Into the Wind
Approach from about 4-5 boat lengths immediately downwind from the victim, carefully adjusting your throttle between neutral and forward so that your forward momentum is minimal. With this method, your goal is to bring the victim onboard over the windward bow. Once close, put the boat in neutral and drift alongside the victim, grab hold of them, and move the person along the boat to where you will be able to recover them. This approach works well for vessels with the operator's position forward, with good visibility at the bow, and in large seas so that waves to be taken head on. The only challenge with this is that it is easy to "lose" the victim under the bow.

Beam On
Approach from upwind, stopping the boat side to the waves which will allow the boat to drift sideways onto the victim. Once alongside, grab hold of them and move the person along the boat to where you will be able to recover them. This method works well for boats where the victim could be "lost" under the bow. There is also less of a chance of driving over the victim and it provides some shelter to them as well. The downside is the boat may roll quite a bit in rough conditions and there is a risk that the boat will be blown over the person.

Recovery
Once you have possession of the victim, how do you get them back on board? It can be much more challenging than you think, especially if the victim has been in the water for a long time or is unresponsive. The beauty of a RIB is that you most likely will be able to simply drag them over the side – especially if there are a couple of people onboard to help. I recommend pulling them in so that they are facing away from your. This keeps their feet away from the boat and if they have an inflatable lifejacket it keeps it out of the way. If you're alone and unable to pull them up and over the tube, you could deflate a section of the tube and then roll them in. There are also items like cradle systems that can assist in recovery. It's always good to think about how you will actually recover someone before heading out so that you can have the proper equipment on board to assist you.

When you get the victim on board, the danger may not be over. They may be hypothermic or need other medical attention. It is a good idea to get to shore ASAP to have the individual checked out.

Having someone go overboard is one of the most serious situations you can face on the water. First and foremost, prevent it, but if you make sure you have a plan in place to insure you can respond.

The information in this posting is intended only as a guide. It is strongly recommended that you attain professional boat operator's training. Some of the information for this posting was gathered from RIB International and Paul Glatzel.

Posted by ribcraftusa at 01:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)