Boat Smart

Spring-Time Surge finds boaters overlooking safety

By Senior Chief Tom Rau, Coast Guard Group Grand Haven, Mi

Lake Michigan’s limited window of opportunity in which to comfortably enjoy the marine environment creates a sense of urgency that finds boaters and beach goers itching to hit the water when the warm weather arrives. Boaters paying winter storage fees and monthly boat payments jump at the opportunity to launch as soon as the first spring flowers bloom.

This springtime exuberance often finds anxious boaters overlooking important details, which can lead to mishaps and vessel breakdowns. During the 2003 season 51-percent of the Coast Guard’s case load around the Great Lakes involved disabled boats. Many were the result of simple maintenance oversights, resulting in needless breakdowns. Coast Guard boarding officers at Station Muskegon report that one third of the vessels they have inspected so far this spring failed to carry the appropriate number of life jackets or flares. Why take such unnecessary risks?

My Coast Guard cohorts at the Group Grand Haven and Milwaukee Rescue Coordination Centers advise me that, usually in mid- to late-spring, they witness a surge in boat breakdowns and requests for assistance. Most of these calls for assistance result from boaters failing to properly prepare their boats after winter storage. Some, however, can’t even wait until winter ends. Chief Jim Ellison, Officer In Charge, Coast Guard Station Kenosha told me about a canoeist in mid March 2003, struggling to work his canoe through the ice in the harbor while outbound to the lake. “He was jabbing at the ice with a pole and rocking back and forth to make headway. People at standing in the parking lot at a nearby Holiday Inn were hollering at him to turn back.” What perplexed the chief was that their rescue boat wasn’t in the water and this ice-breaking buffoon’s only destination, should he have capsized, would have been a frozen grave.

I recall several years ago talking with the coxswain of a 47-foot motor lifeboat about a rescue he performed in mid-May off Grand Haven involving a 37-foot power boat. According to the coxswain, the captain had run out of fuel and couldn’t understand why, since he had fuel in the tanks when he stowed the boat in fall. That he failed to check fuel levels in spring before launching did not surprise us.

His story brought to mind a rescue I performed on Lake Michigan off Muskegon harbor a year earlier in the spring. A thirty-nine foot sloop went aground just north of Muskegon Harbor in fog. I located the boat with my radar. Mild seas allowed me to approach the sailboat in shallow water and hook up. I towed it to its moorings in Muskegon Harbor. My crewman and I conducted a boat inspection for safety gear, which is routine procedure after a search and rescue case. There were nine people aboard, including an infant, but not one life jacket. The owner had sailed over from Wisconsin and in his haste had failed to re-stow lifejackets that he removed from the boat in fall. Needless to say he was abashed, and I don’t know whether it was the early morning sun’s rays or embarrassment that tinted his face bright red.

I cited him for failure to carry lifejackets and in the comments section of the boarding form noted his cross lake trip without lifejackets. What the Coast Guard hearing officer did with that information, or how much he fined the skipper I have no idea. I do know this, however, that too many boaters, when the spring-time boating urge strikes, strike OUT when it comes to boat preparation.

Coast Guardsman Mitch Muehlhausen, a veteran search and rescue coordinator at Group Grand Haven, who has processed hundreds of search and rescue cases, offers the following advice to boaters. Incidentally, Muehlhausen was aboard Coast Guard cutter Tamaroa during the “Perfect Storm” when its crew snatched four Air National Guard airmen from 90-foot seas after the their Jayhawk helicopter ditched off the Massachusetts’s coast, 70 miles south of Long Island, New York. This ole seadog’s advice is certainly seaworthy.

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Pre-departure Checklist

Before departure, assure your vessel is in good working condition and properly equipped for emergencies. Avoid inconvenience and potential danger by taking a few minutes to do the following:

Check weather forecast and sea conditions.

Prepare a float plan and share it with friends/family.

Install drain plugs and close sea cocks.

VHF marine radio (tested prior to departure).

Carry fully charged fire extinguishers and keep them readily available and secured.

Check familiar GPS waypoints to assure system is properly tracking.

Carry lifejackets for each person (properly fitted, worn and fastened).

Carry a throwable floatation device with flotation line.

Carry a sound producing device (air horn, whistle, bell)

Carry currently dated visual distress signals (flares, orange flag, signal light).

Carry sufficient fuel & oil for trip (1/3 out, 1/3 return, 1/3 reserve).

Ensure the battery is fully charged (terminals covered & battery secured).

Check the bilge pump and manual pump, carry a portable bailing device.

Check power exhaust blower air port for air discharge.

Occasionally check engine spaces while underway.

Carry tools and spare parts (battery, fuses, spark plugs, belts)

Ensure navigation lights function properly (carry extra bulbs).

Ensure vessel is loaded properly and gear secured to prevent shifting.

Ensure original vessel registration certificate is onboard.

Ensure anchor system is in intact and properly stowed with sufficient line.

Carry Paddle/oars.

Pack food, drinking water, and spare clothing (to keep dry).

Pack a first Aid Kit.

Review emergency procedures and equipment locations with passengers.

At night, carry a night illumination device & whistle on life jackets.

Don a life jacket at the first hint of trouble or bad weather

Call the Coast Guard at the first sign of trouble- don’t hesitate.

Distress Calls: Use VHF Channel 16

Coast Guard Emergency (Great Lakes): (800) 321-4400.

National Boating Safety Hotline: (800) 368-5647.

National Boating Course Line: (800) 336-2628.

NRC: Report Oil & Chemical Spills: (800) 424-8802.

Terrorist Hotline: (800) 424-8802

Note. New website addition. The Boat Smart web site now offers Boat Smart Advisories. These are short safety messages addressing recent rescue cases with valuable lessons learned.

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