Skip to main content

7 Safe Boating Tips This Labor Day Weekend

7 Safe Boating Tips This Labor Day Weekend

A crowd of boaters gather at a sandbar near Ft. Walton Beach, Fla. (Tamara Melaniy/Unsplash photo)

It’s been a hot pandemic summer, and with Labor Day just around the corner boaters from coast to coast are preparing to send out the season in style.

All that boating fun will translate to crowded waters—especially this year, with more people than ever before enjoying America’s waterways thanks to a pandemic-fuelled boom that brought more than 415,000 new boat owners into the fold since 2020.

Here are seven things you can do to stay safe on crowded waters this season.

#1 – Wear Your Life Jacket

Seventy-nine percent of deaths of boating deaths last year were drownings, and 86 percent of drowning victims were not wearing life jackets—an alarming statistic that has remained remarkably consistent for more than a decade. The most effective way to keep yourself and your loved ones safe is for everyone to wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved life jacket at all times when they’re on the water.

#2 – Don’t Drink and Boat

In addition to affecting the operator’s coordination and judgment, alcohol also impairs the ability of passengers to respond in an emergency. Keep in mind that sun, wind, waves and a boat’s motion in the water can accentuate the effect of alcohol, which means that drink-for-drink, a boat operator may become impaired more quickly than someone driving a car. According to U.S. Coast Guard reports, alcohol use is the leading known contributing factor in fatal boating accidents; where the primary cause was known, it was listed as the leading factor in 23 percent of deaths.

#3 – Engage the Engine Cut-off Switch

Using a safety lanyard, formally called an engine cut-off switch (ECOS), has always been a good idea to avoid runaway boats and prop injuries. As of April this year, it’s also required by federal law for most vessels under 26 feet and all personal watercraft.

7-safe-boating-tips-labor-day-weekend
Consider dropping an anchor away from the crowds to enjoy some quiet family time. (PolarKraft/WSF photo)

#4 – Take a Course

In-person boating classes are back on, and taking an online course has never been easier. If you haven’t completed a boating course (or if it’s been awhile since you did), now’s the time. Many live, virtual and hybrid boating safety education classes are available through the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, America’s Boating Club and private boating schools.

#5 – File a Float Plan

Before any boating excursion, make sure to share your float plan with friends, family or your local marina. This should include the names of all aboard with contact information including cell phone numbers, your planned itinerary and when you expect to return. That way searchers will know when and where to begin a search if you don’t return as scheduled.

#6 – Watch the Weather

7-safe-boating-tips-labor-day-weekend
Take care in constricted waterways and heavy boat traffic. (Jens Peter Olesen/Unsplash photo)

Plan your boating activity according to weather forecasts and conditions. Check the weather in advance and monitor it continuously via radio, mobile weather apps and your own eyes. Stay vigilant for changing tides, currents, winds and other signs of inclement weather. Should you be on a boat when Mother Nature unleashes her fury, seek shelter as soon as possible and notify your shore contact of any changing plans.

Recommended


#7 – Avoid the Crowds

Boating in a crowd brings with it a host of challenges and potential hazards—something to keep in mind this year, with boating participation expected at record levels. If boat traffic is at holiday weekend levels all summer, just imagine what Memorial Day and the Fourth of July are going to look like. The best advice for days like that is to pay attention. You’d be surprised how many boating accidents come down to operator distraction or inattention. Brush up on the Rules of the Road, and keep your eyes peeled in crowded waterways. Better yet, consider avoiding them altogether on crowded holiday weekends and choose a less congested venue where you can relax. Because after 15 months of pandemic lockdown, you don’t need the stress.




GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Recommended Articles

Recent Videos

The Niagara is one of the most consistent producers of big trout and salmon across the entire country. In-Fisherman's Mi...
Destinations

In-Fisherman Storyline: Roadtrip Edition at Andy Myer's Lodge on Eagle Lake

The Niagara is one of the most consistent producers of big trout and salmon across the entire country. In-Fisherman's Mi...
Learn

In-Fisherman Classics: Ice Fishing for Lake Winnipeg Walleyes

The Niagara is one of the most consistent producers of big trout and salmon across the entire country. In-Fisherman's Mi...
Gear

In-Fisherman Classics: Ice Fishing for Whitefish in Door County, Wisconsin

The Niagara is one of the most consistent producers of big trout and salmon across the entire country. In-Fisherman's Mi...
Learn

In-Fisherman Classics: Giant Brown Trout in the Lower Niagara with Captain Frank

The Niagara is one of the most consistent producers of big trout and salmon across the entire country. In-Fisherman's Mi...
Learn

In-Fisherman Classics: Locating King Salmon during Summer and Fall

The Niagara is one of the most consistent producers of big trout and salmon across the entire country. In-Fisherman's Mi...
Learn

In-Fisherman Classics: Cutting Edge South Carolina Redfish

The Niagara is one of the most consistent producers of big trout and salmon across the entire country. In-Fisherman's Mi...
Gear

In-Fisherman Classics: Marsh Redfish with Doug Stange

The Niagara is one of the most consistent producers of big trout and salmon across the entire country. In-Fisherman's Mi...
Learn

In-Fisherman Classics: Wade Fishing for Big Redfish on Topwater in Texas

The Niagara is one of the most consistent producers of big trout and salmon across the entire country. In-Fisherman's Mi...
Learn

In-Fisherman Classics: Fast-Action Reds in Bayou Country with Doug Stange

The Niagara is one of the most consistent producers of big trout and salmon across the entire country. In-Fisherman's Mi...
Learn

In Fisherman Storyline Ep12 - After Hours Edition: State of the Industry

The Niagara is one of the most consistent producers of big trout and salmon across the entire country. In-Fisherman's Mi...
Gear

In-Fisherman Classics: Lake Trout on the Niagara Bar

The Niagara is one of the most consistent producers of big trout and salmon across the entire country. In-Fisherman's Mi...
Destinations

In-Fisherman Classics: Niagara River Steelhead with Mike Carney and Matt Straw

In-Fisherman Magazine Covers Print and Tablet Versions

GET THE MAGAZINE Subscribe & Save

Digital Now Included!

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Give a Gift   |   Subscriber Services

PREVIEW THIS MONTH'S ISSUE

Buy Digital Single Issues

Magazine App Logo

Don't miss an issue.
Buy single digital issue for your phone or tablet.

Get the In-Fisherman App apple store google play store

Other Magazines

See All Other Magazines

Special Interest Magazines

See All Special Interest Magazines

GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Get the top In-Fisherman stories delivered right to your inbox.

Phone Icon

Get Digital Access.

All In-Fisherman subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets.

To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow.com and learn how to access your digital magazine.

Get Digital Access

Not a Subscriber?
Subscribe Now

Enjoying What You're Reading?

Get a Full Year
of Guns & Ammo
& Digital Access.

Offer only for new subscribers.

Subscribe Now

Never Miss a Thing.

Get the Newsletter

Get the top In-Fisherman stories delivered right to your inbox.

By signing up, I acknowledge that my email address is valid, and have read and accept the Terms of Use