By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
Coast Guard Auxiliary instructor Bruce Takayama (left),
Coast Guard Deputy Commander Andrew Liske and Marie
Ann DiGennaro of the Coast Guard Auxiliary display a
variety of floatation devices.The auxiliary uses the "half
boat" pictured here to illustrate on-board safety equipment.
Safe boating
By Treena Shapiro
saves lives
Star-BulletinA cellular phone could not help a man who drowned off Kaena Point, though a life jacket, a radio on his boat and other safety precautions could have saved his life.
Another boater took a boating safety course and hit the water armed with an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB), a VHF radio and life jackets. He knew to use empty fish coolers as flotation devices and to call for "mayday" in a clear voice.
"Within 15 minutes we had him plucked out of the water," said U. S. Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer Jim Stoffer.
The Coast Guard Auxiliary Boating Skills and Seamanship class provides instruction in the precautions boaters should take before leaving land. Personal flotation devices, visual distress signals, ventilation, a sound producing device, a backfire flame control, and fire extinguishers are required on each boat by federal and state law.
However, the law does not state where the safety equipment needs to be stored. A life jacket still wrapped in plastic and stored under the seats complies with the law, but is of little use if the boat sinks suddenly, or if a boater is swept into the water.
Similarly, using impractical equipment to meet the requirements is imprudent. Stoffer said one man called to see if a tin pot and a mallet on his boat would serve as a sound-producing device. Though they technically adhere to the law, if the boat flips over, finding the pot and mallet and banging them together is much harder than hitting the button on an air horn, Stoffer said.
Besides the required equipment, there are a variety of other useful safety devices.
The Coast Guard is required to monitor VHF radio at all times. For that reason, having a VHF radio increases a boater's chance for rescue in an emergency. Stoffer said many boats in Hawaii carry CB radios, which the Coast Guard generally does not monitor.
While a cellular phone may be helpful, its short battery life makes it less effective than a VHF radio, Stoffer said.
An EPIRB is another valuable piece of equipment. While its price is high, between $800 and $1100, the device's effectiveness in transmitting distress signals to rescue units makes it worth the investment. Another advantage to an EPIRB is that in addition to being operated manually, the EPIRB also activates automatically when submerged in water.
Another way boaters can increase their chances for survival in case of an emergency is to fill out a float plan. The form asks for information about the boat, the passengers, the lifesaving equipment on board and the planned route and purpose of the trip. Leaving this form with family or friends can help the Coast Guard locate a missing or overdue boat. The form, as well as some other safety information, is available on the Coast Guard Group Honolulu's website at http://www.uscg.mil/d14/units/group/gruhono.htm
Marine stores offer several options in gear that will further enhance a boater's safety. Products that increase a person's visibility in the water are helpful. "When a person's in the water and we're searching for them (in a helicopter), it's like looking for a soccer-ball," Stoffer said.
One way to learn about boating safety is to take a class offered by the Coast Guard Auxiliary.
The Boating Skills and Seamanship Class offers lessons to beginning and experienced boaters in boat handling, trailering, legal requirements, rules of navigation and aids-to-navigation.
Wayne Bowers, an Auxiliary member who will teach one of the lessons, said when an accident happens these days, the people involved are asked if they have taken a boating course. "Ninety-nine percent of the ones that don't take the course are the ones involved in the accident because they don't know the rules," Bower said.
Coast Guard Auxiliary classes
The current Coast Guard Auxiliary Boating Skills and Seamanship class began yesterday and runs through July 7. Classes are Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at McKinley High School Shop 4. The class is free but a $25 text with workbook is required.
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