Starting off the season with a Vessel Safety Check is the best what to get started, offshore or otherwise. You can find Vessel Examiners near you with this link – https://wow.uscgaux.info/i_want_a_vsc/index.php Of course, government standards are really government minimums – you can always do more. More flares, extra radios, more life-jackets, EPIRB for the boat […]
COVID aside, nothing beats in-person training. You can use this link to find classes near you – http://cgaux.org/boatinged/class_finder/ Of course, infection rates in your area may still be sufficiently worrisome that online classes may be better. That same link can help you find such classes. Commodore Vin Pica BTW, if you are interested in being […]
There are a lot of coloring-book-based educational materials for children available through the US Coast Guard Auxiliary. Reach out to your local US Coast Guard Auxiliary flotilla or email us here with information we can use to connect you with the local unit. We’ll get you squared away. Commodore Vin Pica BTW, if you are […]
The short answer is when you feel threatened by conditions at hand and forecasted to continue to deteriorate. That isn’t necessarily a “may-day” situation, when you definitely will be needing the Coast Guard to get underway. How do you communicate a sense of impending disaster? Just say it. You: “this is the motor vessel ‘Charlie’ […]
The easy answer is a USCG-approved life-jacket that you’re comfortable in – so you’ll wear it. But let’s apply some science. First, 80% of a person’s weight is water, which has no weight in the water, and about 15% is fat, which is lighter than water. Consequently, by subtracting the weight of the body’s water […]
Everyone should be aware that government regulations in most forms do not set a ceiling – they set a floor. So, “must have’s” in my mind are, first, a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB). While I used to say that I never went on a boat without a light and a knife on my person (the […]
