Don’t Roll Your Boat!

Capsizing is a leading cause of recreational boating deaths and injuries, and weather is often a contributing factor. But overloading and inexperience at the helm can also put a vessel in danger of overturning, especially in smaller craft that can be adversely affected by load, wind and water conditions.

• Don’t overload. Check your vessel’s capacity plate, or calculate the maximum number of passengers by multiplying the length times the width of the boat and dividing by 15.

• Keep gear and passengers evenly distributed, and secure gear so that it doesn’t shift.

• Turn at a safe speed and angle.

• Watch for waves and wakes from other boats. Reduce speed and take them head-on or at a slight angle off the bow.

• Avoid boating in bad weather. If caught in a storm, reduce your speed and head for the nearest shore. Keep passengers at midpoint and low in the boat, especially in high winds and rough seas.

• Never anchor from the stern of the boat. The pull of the anchor combined with less freeboard on the stern increases the risk of swamping.

Safe boating on any body of water means having the proper safety equipment and staying alert to changes in the weather. Make extra life jackets, signaling devices and other emergency equipment part of a ditch bag that you keep on board. Be sure that you and your passengers wear a life jacket at all times. If you boat far from shore, consider getting an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB). These devices – many of them equipped with automatic releases and an internal GPS – can alert rescue personnel to your emergency and provide your precise location.

The U.S. Coast Guard reminds all boaters to Boat Responsibly! For more information and tips on boating safety, visit www.uscgboating.org.