Boating Safety And Accident News

News Item Of the Day:

 Mission Bay boat fire traced to electrical problem
U-T San Diego Thu, 22 Mar 2012 12:00 PM PDT
An electrical problem below the deck of a cabin cruiser appears to have ignited the inferno that destroyed four boats and damaged others at the Mission Bay Yacht Club Monday night, fire officials said Thursday.

 The majority of boat fires are electrical in origin.  As part of your spring fitting out you should do a thorough check of your boats electrical system.  Check for loose wires and connections and blown fuses or circuit breakers. Most of these fires are caused by heat from high resistance connections due to corrosion. Check all connections and switches for corrosion.  Also check fuse panels for corrosion to the fuse holder.  If you have an electrical problem you can't solve, hire an ABYC certified marine electrician to sort it out.

Boating Safety News:

Mass. urges boater caution to avoid right whales
Boston.com
BOSTON—Massachusetts officials are warning boaters to slow down to avoid endangered North Atlantic right whales that have been spotted around Provincetown on Cape Cod. The state Division of Marine Fisheries said Wednesday that about 30 of the whales ...

Coast Guard announces change to fog signals
Port Clinton News Herald Wed, 21 Mar 2012 05:42 AM PDT
CLEVELAND -- The Coast Guard announced a change to the marine radio frequency mariners must use to activate fog signals on waterways of the Great Lakes.  

Is your boat safe? The Coast Guard will inspect for free and let you know
The Muskegon Chronicle Wed, 21 Mar 2012 04:16 AM PDT
The Coast Guard is offering free checks of boats to ensure their safety, without risk of penalty. 

 Weather Service warns Vt. of cold water boating
WPTZ Burlington Wed, 21 Mar 2012 08:59 AM PDT
The National Weather Service is urging boaters enticed by record high temperatures to beware of the dangers of cold water. 

Utah governor signs boating hit-and-run law amid others
The Salt Lake Tribune Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:04 PM PDT
Utah governor signs boating hit-and-run law amid others By Lee Davidson The Salt Lake Tribune Published Mar 20, 2012 06:46PM MDT Bills to reduce fireworks hours, keep Utah gambling-free, make hit-and-run boating accidents a crime and declare skiing and snowboarding as the official state winter sports are among those that Gov. Gary Herbert has signed into law in recent days. Herbert on Tuesday


Sandbar concerns boaters
Delmarva Now
CHUCK SNYDER/ DELAWARE COAST PRESS LONG NECK -- Boaters are concerned about a sandbar near Massey's Landing that, because of excessive shoaling, is large enough to stop traffic and could damage their vessels. The sandbar extends from the marina near ..

 National Safe Boating Council plans close-quarters training
Trade Only Today
The National Safe Boating Council is offering an instructor's course in close-quarters boat control that is designed to address growing needs among professionals, volunteer groups and those who teach programs to the recreational boating public.

How To Ensure a Safe and Trouble-free Boating Season
Kansas City InfoZine Thu, 22 Mar 2012 06:16 AM PDT
March of 2012 has been a mild month, and anglers and recreational boaters are eager to get on the water. This means itâs time to prepare boats and trailers for a trouble-free boating season.


Florida Boating Accident Lawyer Urges Safety as Spring Draws Boaters ...
PR Web (press release)
When someone is seriously injured or killed in a boating accident that is someone else's fault, they have a right to seek compensation for their losses. Florida boating accident lawyer Philip DeBerard, III, today urged fishermen headed out for bass .

Boater Education:

  Get on board: Boating safety courses scheduled
The Daily Sentinel Wed, 21 Mar 2012 09:19 AM PDT
With spring in the air and many of the regions lakes and reservoirs either open or nearly open for boating, itâs time to remember boating safety.

Get on board: Boating safety courses scheduled
Grand Junction Sentinel
Boating season is here, and Colorado law says prospective motorboat operators ages 14 and 15 must complete a state-approved boat safety course. Courses are being offered monthly during the spring and summer at Highline Lake State Park. 

Boating course April 14
The Post and Courier Wed, 21 Mar 2012 21:16 PM PDT
The Charleston Sail and Power Squadron will conduct America's Boating course 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. April 14 at 1376 Orange Grove Road. 

  Boating Safety Classes to be Held
Oswego County Today Wed, 21 Mar 2012 17:54 PM PDT
There is no charge for the training. A parent or guardian must accompany any youths ages 10 through 17 to the classroom on the first day of the course to sign a parental permission form. Continue reading

 Boater safety class is Saturday
Morris Daily Herald
YORKVILLE — Kendall County Forest Preserve will host a boater safety class on Saturday, March 24 from 8:30 am to 5 pm at the historic courthouse, 110 West Madison Street in Yorkville. Intended for those 12 years old and older, the class costs $40, ...

Boater safety courses starting
Ithaca Journal
Boater safety courses required for legal operation of personal watercraft will be held in Ithaca throughout the spring and summer. The two-day course goes from 9 am to 2 pm and will be offered on the following weekends: April 14-15; May 19-20; ... 

 U.S. Coast Guard to offer required boating certificates with safety course
Fairfield Sun Thu, 22 Mar 2012 11:32 AM PDT
The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 77 will be conducting a one-day course on boating safely at the South Benson Marina on April 1. The combined course meets the requirements for a Connecticut Safe Boating and PWC certificate, which is required of all Connecticut boaters. The permit allows boaters to operate power boats and personal watercraft in Connecticut. 

 Singing River Sail & Power Squadron offers safe boating class in Gautier
The Mississippi Press Thu, 22 Mar 2012 10:36 AM PDT
GAUTIER, Mississippi - Singing River Sail & Power Squadron will conduct its annual public boating class from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 24 ]at Coldwell Banker/Smith Homes on U.S. 90 in Gautier.

Fatalities:

 Missing Elderly Man and Two Boaters Found in Wakulla County
Wakulla.com
The Wakulla County Sheriff's Office participated in two searches on Monday, March 19 that resulted in locating a missing elderly man and a second search that located two missing boaters, according to Sheriff Donnie Crum. Joicelyn Powers, wife of Walter ..

Boating Accidents:

Firefighters battle huge yacht blaze at Docklands
Yahoo!7 News
Four people were evacuated from the yacht, which was moored near the River Esplanade in Victoria Harbour. It is not yet clear whether they were on board when it caught alight. A thick plume of black smoke drifted across Southbank and parts of ...

 VIDEO: Multimillion-dollar boat explodes in flames
Soundings Wed, 21 Mar 2012 17:15 PM PDT
A new $4 million yacht delivered to the new owner at an Australian marina, went up in flames this week. The 79-foot 2010 model Horizon Skylounge , built in Taiwan, was a total loss as firefighters battle the dockside blaze for hours before extinguishing it.

 2 rescued after small boat capsizes
7 News Miami Tue, 20 Mar 2012 13:04 PM PDT
MIAMI (WSVN) -- Two men survived a harrowing day at sea after their small boat capsized on the intercoastal waterway. The two men went out boating on the 9-foot vessel from Morningside Park, it capsized sometime about 11:30 in the morning, Tuesday. 

 Boat Crashes Into Tree; Boater Airlifted
WESH Orlando
Rescuers in Volusia County rushed to the scene of a boat accident after a boater slammed into a tree on the St. Johns River, not far from the Highsprings Marina. Deputies responded after receiving several 911 calls where other boaters were concerned ...

 Court Report: Connecticut man pleads guilty to boating accident charges
The Inquirer and Mirror Thu, 22 Mar 2012 09:03 AM PDT
(March 22 , 2012) A young Greenwich, Conn. man was sentenced in Nantucket District Court Monday to a year of probation after pleading guilty to charges stemming from a hit-and-run boating collision off Madaket that sent two people to the hospital in August 2010.