R ecently in Australia, a boating accident forced a father and his 11-year-old son to swim for three miles to reach safety after their boat capsized offshore. After 12 hours of clinging to the overturned hull, battling extreme fatigue and hypothermia, and then swimming in heavy surf, they were lucky to make it to shore alive (one person aboard drowned). The story is a fresh reminder of the importance of teaching safe boating techniques. When the boat was capsized by a wave, the life jackets were stowed down in the cabin - underwater and out of reach.

Unfortunately, boating safety - at least, the way it's typically taught - tends to be the most boring and academic component of boat ownership. For kids, memorizing the "Rules Of The Road" is like trying to remember algorithmic charts and graphs that have little real-world meaning, except for passing the test.

But teaching boating safety should also involve a practical element, in a hands-on way, so the subject can actually be engaging. It also prepares family members for the event of a real boating accident, so everyone can react instantly, rather than trying to remember what the handbook said about what to do when bad things occur. Accidents happen in a heartbeat, and kids could be key to getting home safely.


General Education

"Kids should really be part of the safety process," says Joseph Carro, Program and Operations Analyst, Office of Auxiliary and Boating Safety of the U.S. Coast Guard. "You should get them involved early by showing them how important they are to the safe boating process."

The "process," says Marine University President Susan Engle, should involve a combination of safety courses and practical instruction on how to use the boat's safety equipment. "There's no shortcut to learning how to use a boat," says Engle. "But just like learning to drive a car, you need to know the law - know both the 'Rules Of The Road' and how to handle your boat."

Marine University, a nonprofit boating safety organization, has taken a different approach to boater education through its Boater101 course. It's not only more engaging and kid-friendly than most other boating safety courses, but it's also taught both online and through local boat dealerships. "This allows students of almost any age, even entire families, to learn the rules and hands-on operation together," says Engle.

Carro also believes in taking a two-pronged approach by passing a certified course and gaining practical knowledge - in particular, a NASBLA-approved, boating safety course recognized by the U.S. Coast Guard. He's also a big proponent of having kids help with safety checks upon boarding the boat - putting on PFDs; checking fire extinguishers, flares and VHF-FM Radios; and turning on the engine blower. "You're giving them a purpose in making sure the boat's safe, rather than having them sit around bored and ready to leave," says Carro. "Plus, you're training them to be lifelong advocates of boating safety."


Life Jackets

PFDs are the primary safety equipment for kids. It's a federal law that children under 13 years old must wear a PFD while under way, unless below decks or in an enclosed cabin. States also have individual PFD regulations. (See www.nasbla.org for your state's specific regulations.) Make sure the life jacket fits comfortably on the child. The right-sized fit will go a long way in reducing complaints. Many new PFDs are stylish and offer a comfortable fit.

It's important for you to wear a PFD, too, so your child can see you're serious about boating safety. About 80 percent of boating fatalities in the United States involve people who weren't wearing a life jacket. Some states require constant PFD use not only for minors, but also for anyone who can't swim. Also note that inflatable PFDs are only for people who are at least 16 years of age or older. All PFDs, of course, must be Coast Guard-approved.

Signaling & Safety Devices
All boats, including personal watercraft, are required by the Coast Guard to carry a sound-producing device on board. Devices range from an electric horn to a whistle and must be capable of sustaining a four-second blast audible for at least a half-mile. Children should be taught to create a continuous sound on any device to signal for help.

 Depending on their age, children should also know where fire extinguishers and flares are stored, as well as how to use them. "The child's age and knowledge are genuine concerns," says Carro. "Obviously, you can't have a very young child with a flare gun, but there are non-pyrotechnic devices that are suitable for most children. It also depends on how knowledgeable about boating the child is. Are they sharp, and do they know everything about boats? A boating safety course is a good place to determine that. Some courses even take the students out to demonstrate various safety equipment, including flares and fire extinguishers." 

Barring that, says Carro, many flare kits contain a practice flare that can be used for demonstration purposes. Of course, children should give aerial flares the same respect as firearms - and the parent should make the final decision as to whether the child is mature enough to handle a flare in an emergency. The serviceable life of a pyrotechnic device is 42 months from its date of manufacture, so flares should always be inspected to make sure they're not out of date. (Make that another item on the safety checklist.)

Kids can also learn to deploy other visual distress signals like orange smoke signals, floating orange smoke signals, parachute flares and orange flags. "The bottom line is that they need to be mature enough to know this is for emergency situations only," says Carro.

While not as potentially hazardous as a flare, Carro says children also need to learn proper techniques for using fire extinguishers. "First of all, you need to make sure they're Coast Guard-approved and in serviceable condition," says Carro. "It might not be a bad idea to purchase an extra fire extinguisher so the children can learn to take it from the storage area, deploy it, and aim the spray at the base of a fire. You can set up a fake fire. The key is for them to practice."


VHF Radios
 
The final piece of the boating safety puzzle is knowing how to use the VHF-FM Radio. Everyone aboard should know how to send out a Mayday distress call. "They should know how to adjust the squelch, find Channel 16 and make a Mayday broadcast," Carro says. "They should know the basic procedures of a Mayday and how to answer the questions the Coast Guard will ask - the name and description of the boat, how many people are on board, what's wrong with it, location, etc."

Boats with VHF radios that are DSC-equipped can be identified by the Coast Guard within VHF range (provided you obtain an MMSI number), but it's just as well to teach your child how to use the GPS as both a navigational and emergency tool. "They should learn to read the current position. Kids are so good with electronics today, there's no reason why they shouldn't learn to use the GPS," says Carro. "Chances are, they'll teach you how to use it."