Susan Warner and her family had just gotten back to the floating dock after a great day of boating. The weather was beautiful, the boat had run smoothly all day, and her kids — a 5-year-old and a 22-month-old — had thoroughly enjoyed themselves. As the adults began to unload the boat, Susan’s 7-year-old nephew came up to her and tugged repeatedly on her bathing suit. Susan was busy tending to the gear, but when she turned around she was in for a shock — her toddler son Stephen had fallen into the water and was floating with the current up the Intracoastal Waterway.

Fortunately, Susan had made sure both her sons were wearing life jackets, so her family was able to pull Stephen from the water without injury. Others, though, aren’t always so fortunate, which is why Boating World’s May issue is overflowing with safety content to coincide with the annual National Safety Boating Week, a Congressionally-chartered event that occurs May 17-23 this year and focuses on life jacket wear, boater education, avoidance of Boating Under the Influence (BUI), regular Vessel Safety Checks, and other safety-related issues.

As any veteran boater knows, boating is a generally safe recreational activity with plenty of fun to be had in a comfortable environment. With just a few simple precautions — the 15 safety tips in Randy Scott’s “Smart Boater” article are the perfect primer — you’ll be on your way to a great day on the water. This issue also includes advice on making your boat safer (“ Safe And Sound”) and properly towing your kids in inflatables (“ Totally Tubular”), as well as the Coast Guard’s viewpoint on which personal flotation devices (PFDs) are the best (" Letters,").

“Boating is one of the safest forms of recreation available,” says Virgil Chambers, executive director of the National Safe Boating Council. “By taking personal responsibility — including making sure that everyone on board knows to ‘Wear It!’ — boaters can help make sure everyone has fun and stays safe on the water.”

These days, there are dozens of colors and styles of PFDs for boaters to choose from.

As part of National Safe Boating Week, the North American Safe Boating Campaign is holding a “Be A Survivor: Wear It” contest, inviting boaters to win prizes donated by West Marine by entering essays or videos describing how they or their loved ones have been saved by wearing a life jacket. Two $1,000 shopping sprees will be awarded. For more information about the contest and National Safe Boating Week, visit www.SafeBoatingCampaign.com.

 In the meantime, read through this month’s issue, brush up on boating safety, and consider the words of Susan Warner: “Anytime children are near water, they should be wearing some type of personal flotation, as I have learned with my child. You never know what could happen in a split second.”