USCG Advice for Safe Holiday Boating
The Coast Guard reminds boaters to stay safe during New Year’s Day weekend
TAMPA, Fla. — The Coast Guard reminds Florida boaters Friday to exercise caution and to boat safe while enjoying New Year’s Day weekend.
The Coast Guard urges boaters not to launch or use fireworks aboard a boat as they can be mistaken as a sign of distress and needlessly attracting Coast Guard and other rescue resources.
“Every New Year’s Eve, Coast Guard personnel receive and respond to numerous reports of boaters firing emergency flares from their vessels,” said Lt. Jason Holstead, a Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg command duty officer. “To appropriately search an area where a flare was reported requires a significant number of resources. If the report was an unintended false report it places our emergency crews in areas where they aren’t needed.”
Red or orange flares are internationally recognized as a signal of distress. It is a federal felony for anyone to knowingly and willfully communicate a false distress message to the Coast Guard or cause the Coast Guard to attempt to save lives and property when no help is needed. This includes, but is not limited to, firing flares or saying ‘Mayday, Mayday, Mayday’ on a VHF radio in a non-distress situation.
“The Coast Guard stresses that flares should only be fired to indicate distress when a boater feels they are in an emergency situation,” said Holstead.
Boaters are also reminded to stay well clear of fireworks displays staged from barges or shore side facilities. In an effort to increase the safety of boaters on the water this holiday weekend, the Coast Guard recommends the following:
Boaters watching fireworks from the water should ensure they are not impeding navigable channels and displaying the correct navigational lighting associated with their activity.
Stay informed. Be sure to check the local weather prior to departing the dock. Weather can change very rapidly and boaters should keep a watchful eye on the forecasted conditions. The public should monitor the National Weather Service, local television and radio reports. Boaters can monitor weather patterns, fog and developing storms on channel on VHF-FM marine-band radio. Small craft advisories are also available on channel 16.
Always wear a life jacket. Since there is little time to reach for stowed vests when accidents occur, wearing one at all times reduces your risk of drowning. Federal law requires you to have a personal floatation device on board for each passenger.
File a float plan. A float plan is simply letting family and friends know where you are going and your expected time of return. File a float plan with someone who is not getting underway with you and stick to the plan. If you change plans, contact the person. A float plan assists responders in the search of an overdue boater who may be in distress.
Never boat under the influence. It is recommended that boaters have a designated sober operator, as it is illegal to operate a boat while under the influence of alcohol or drugs in every state. There are stringent penalties for violating BUI/BWI laws, which can include large fines, suspension or revocation of boat operator privileges and jail terms.
Comments from Cruisers (12)
I was at Thunderbolt Dec 21 and 22. i asked about an unusual or increased enforcement. The marina staff was not aware of ay such activity whatsoever.
I am a safe and courteous boater and yes I come from the north, but still south of the Mason/Dixon line.
I got stopped just passing Thunderbolt with a sog ( that’s speed over ground for you locals) of 3 kts and a good current against. I was told by GDNR sargent that I had to do idle speed! I asked him what idle speed means and he answered 1000 rpm?? I told him if I did 1000 rpm I would be doing 6 kts. and as others have said no solid object can go through a fluid without making a wave. I got a warning, but the Sabre behind me got $1000…. I must not be looking like the 1%ers!
Did you actually mean to say $1,000.00 (one thousand dollar) fine??
I try my best to abide by any no-wake or speed regulations but there are two problems:
1) Many, many waterfront homeowners have posted their own “no-wake” signs making it hard to distinguish the real ones from the fake ones. I realize that some homeowners are concerned with excessive wakes, but they have no more right to post these signs than I have to post fake speed limit signs in front of my property.
2) Wakes are subjective, rather than objective. As someone else mentioned, you can’t move a boat through the water at any speed without making some sort of wake. So when does a ripple become a wake? And in whose opinion? How do you defend yourself in court if you get a ticket? We can’t measure a wake height and neither can a LEO.
Someone mentioned boating into a current. If you’re boating into a two knot current, you have to make two knots just to stay in place and four knots to make two knots over ground.
Yes, we should do our best to boat safely and obey boating laws. Sometimes, it’s not as easy as it might seem to people other than boaters.
I agree with Tracy. They are breaking the law, increasing erosion and sometimes creating hazardous wakes. There are reasons for No Wake and speed limits.
I absolutely don’t think your publicizing the locations is a good idea.
We call it the Parade. All the boats coming from up north going to Florida. There are a lot of them and it looks like a long parade of boats. We love Yankees the talk fast drive fast have fast women and money. The drive fast thru no-wake-zones and bridges. In Georgia it is against the law to make a wake going under a bridge like the one in Thunderbolt. “No wake Idle speed only” means no bow wake you know the little bitty six inch wake your bow is making; It is a wake. When Yankees slow down from 35 knots to 25 knots that doesn’t count. Thanks for the money. It is only money go as fast as you want. Don’t worry about respecting your fellow boaters tied to the docks in those no- wake-zones
Just conjecture here: went by there in early November and someone chastised me about my wake over the VHF. I have a sail cat and was doing less than 6 kts. My wake was quite minimal. I wonder if soneone’s complaints is causing a crackdown. Let’s keep the wakes down but not get crazy unreasonable.
Why should we warn them? If they are speeding they need to learn a lesson. #noradardetectors
I couldn’t agree more. How about just a general reminder. If you are caught violating any speed or wake law, you are subject to a fine.
Because No Wake is ambiguous at best. You cannot move a solid thru a liquid without creating a wake. Add to that a full flood tide on the nose and the Slow Speed – No Wake issue is subjective. That’s how I talked my way out of a citation near Vernon View.
Congratulations, you got lucky. Keep pushing the limits and your luck will run out.
That’s total nonsense! You need to slow down, period!