News Release
Date: July 2, 2013
Enjoy the 4th -- Safely
NEW YORK – The only thing better than enjoying the 4th of July holidays is living to tell the tales.
If your plans include going on the water, make your trip a safe one and you'll be able to tell those tales.
The two biggest dangers to you, your family and friends are: an overloaded vessel and over indulgence in alcohol.
An overloaded pleasure craft is a classic case of the more the merrier turning into a decidedly un-merry tragedy. Nothing spoils a trip faster than having your vessel swamp or sink because you have too many people aboard. Pleasure craft have a rated maximum capacity, established by the manufacturer. Many of these vessels have a rating plate attached to the transom, near the helm or cabin. It's there for a reason. For information that will save lives go tohttp://www.yourboatconnection.com/ybc-extras-1/when-is-a-vessel-overloaded.
An overloaded vessel is in even greater danger on a crowded waterway. Throughout the harbor and on both the Hudson and East Rivers, you can enjoy any of a number of fireworks shows from the comfort of your boat. If that's your plan, you'll be joined by other boaters with the same idea.
You'll also be under the scrutiny of law enforcement. Local and state agencies and the Coast Guard will be on the water throughout the holidays. An overloaded boat = an unsafe voyage. It can and will be terminated. Your vessel will be inspected for other violations of the law and appropriate action taken – citations, summons, fines and apprehension. None are good ways to end what should have been a pleasure trip.
The Macy's 4th of July fireworks show on the Hudson River Thursday will feature 25 minutes of spectacular fireworks, arcing up from four barges on the river. The show will also feature more than 1,000 pleasure boats congregating in the Hudson both north and south of where the barges are anchored.
In a crowded waterway, an overloaded and underpowered boat is especially at hazard, in danger of being swamped by the wake from another vessel. When your vessel has more people aboard than is safe – people for whom you are responsible as the vessel owner – that vessel responds sluggishly to the controls and sits lower in the water than it should. After the sun sets, the dangers increase with low visibility. A collision with another vessel is not how you want to punctuate your voyage.
You should always carry a U.S. Coast Guard approved life jacket for each person on board; it's the law and it will be enforced. If stowed, these life savers should be readily accessible. Children should always wear a proper fitted life jacket while underway in a boat. Just like seatbelts in cars, life jackets save lives.
Drinking responsibly also saves lives. You don't want your voyage to end with you under arrest for BUI (Boating Under the Influence), which is just as hazardous and just as much of a killer as Driving Under the Influence. In 2012, 651 people died in the U.S. in boating accidents; 3,000 were injured and boaters suffered $38 million in property damage.
Alcohol was the leading factor in boating fatalities.
Every one of those 651 deaths – men, women and children – represents a tragedy that need not have occurred. Each was preventable. Each represents a day of fun and sun that ended in death.
Act responsibly; enjoy your holidays; don't turn your pleasure trip into a nightmare.
For more information on planning and executing safe voyages go tohttp://www.uscgboating.org/safety/default.aspx.
You may also contact the local Coast Guard Auxiliary for additional information or a complimentary Vessel Safety Check. To schedule a Vessel Safety Check, go to http://cgaux.org/vsc/ or contact your local Flotilla. You can find more information about the Coast Guard Auxiliary in the New York City area by visitinghttp://division5nyc.org/about.html.
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