Sports & Utility
Boats (SUBs)
Important SUBs News
Coast Guard Launches Operation Paddle Smart
Posted: 01 May 2008 06:34 PM CDT
The district suffered the loss of 58 recreational boaters and paddlers in 2007;15 canoe and eight kayak fatalities accounted for 40 percent of the total. Since 1998 when the First Coast Guard District began tracking area-specific recreational fatalities, canoe and kayak fatalities have averaged 30 percent of yearly totals - more than double the national average.
Operation Paddle Smart, though it is an ongoing program, officially runs from May 1 to June 30. The operation is a multi-partnered endeavor developed by the First Coast Guard District, Coast Guard Auxiliary and U.S. Power Squadrons to generate greater safety awareness among paddlers and small boat operators. The primary goals are to promote the life-saving benefit of wearing a life jacket, to highlight the immediate danger of sudden cold water immersion, to encourage boater and paddler education, and to stress the importance of being a responsible and prudent mariner.
“We’ve designed Operation Paddle Smart to be a focal point for organizations and retailers to work together to promote paddlesport safety, and as an information source for all paddlers and small boaters,” said Cdr. Tom Miller, Deputy Chief of the First Coast Guard District Prevention Division.
Operation Paddle Smart members, over the next two months, will be distributing paddlesport safety packets throughout the Northeast. Data will also be collected to determine what efforts worked best and to solicit feedback from paddlers on how the operation can be improved or how it has benefited them.
“The waters of the Northeast are extremely inviting but they temperamental and can be mercilessly unforgiving to unsuspecting and ill-prepared boaters and paddlers,” said Al Johnson, First Coast Guard District recreational boating specialist. “Operation Paddle Smart is a multi-partnered effort to educate and remind new, casual, and experienced paddlers to assess the risks, envision the consequences, and use our waters safely and be properly prepared for what can go wrong. Remember, when you’re on the water, you’re in command, and your personal safety and that of your passengers or paddling partners is paramount and your responsibility.”
Paddlers on the waters of Massachusetts are required to wear a life jacket while underway through May 15, 2008; in Connecticut through May 30 and in Maine on the Saco River below the Hiram Dam through June 1.
Organizations, retailers and others interested in joining the Operation Paddle Smart partnership or paddlers seeking additional information may contact the Operation Paddle Smart hotline at 617-223-8619.
Olympic Silver
Medalist Rebecca Giddens Joins with USCG, ACA to Promote Paddlesport Boating Safety
(From "You're In Command" 13
FEB 05)
|
See Rebecca's TV PSA Listen to Rebecca's Radio PSA
Giddens' participation will
include appearances in television, radio and print public service
announcements, where she will stress the importance of always wearing a life
jacket and never boating under the influence. Recent statistics show 86
percent of all boaters who drowned were not wearing a life jacket and
one-third of fatal boating accidents involved alcohol.
Giddens, who recently won the silver medal in whitewater kayaking in Athens, Greece, filmed the public service announcements days before winning the Whitewater Slalom National Championships in Dickerson, Md. "I was involved in a boating incident when I was twelve," said Giddens, when asked about her motivation for supporting boating safety. "If I hadn't been wearing my life jacket I truly believe I would not be alive today."
Nearly 80 percent of all
reported fatalities occurred on boats where the operator had not received
boating safety instruction. Statistics also show fatalities for paddlers
have risen from last year and are ranked second for most fatalities among
all recreational boaters. "The American Canoe Association is a strong believer in safe paddling. The best way to be a safe boater is to be a smart boater," says Pamela Dillon, ACA executive director "There are thousands of ACA certified instructors across the U.S. offering courses in communities, schools, and on local waterways. There's lots to learn and lots of fun to be had paddling and we encourage everyone to take a class, wear your life jacket, and be responsible on the water." The U.S. Coast Guard and the American Canoe Association strongly believe that Rebecca Giddens’ support of this very important campaign will encourage people to realize that as a boat owner or operator, YOU are responsible for your safety and the safety of your passengers. Remember, You’re in Command. Boat Responsibly! To view Public Service Announcements starring Rebecca Giddens and to download additional Boating Safety Material, please visit the You're in Command Resource Center. The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary offers free Vessel Safety Checks for all vessels, including Sport Utility Boats (SUB), as well as a full range of Boating Safety Courses. Always remember to: Boat Smart From The Start, Wear Your Life-jacket. For more information on boating responsibly, go to:
www.USCGboating.org |
Peter Urgola,
Department Chief
- Vessel Examinations
Send email to DC-V
Richard
Myrick,
Division Chief - Vessel
Examinations
Send
email to DVC-VE
Alexander Cascione,
Branch Chief - Sports &
Utility Boats Program
Send
email to BC-VES
Pages prepared by: Robert Daraio, DVC-VE 2006
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WASHINGTON
The U.S. Coast Guard and the American Canoe Association have announced a
national public service campaign featuring Olympic silver medalist Rebecca
Giddens. The unified effort will focus on saving the lives of paddlesport
enthusiasts on the nation's waterways through the Coast Guard's most recent
national outreach endeavor, the "You're in Command. Be Responsible. Boat
Safely!" initiative. 
Rear
Adm. J.W. Underwood, Coast Guard director for operations policy and the
"You're in Command" initiative said, "We are proud to have a national
champion like Rebecca Giddens supporting our concern for the safety of
paddlesport enthusiasts. As paddling has grown in popularity, the need for
educating enthusiasts and beginners about the importance of boating safety
has grown as well."
