New Boat - New Skipper... Now What?
You are now the proud owner of your first boat and are about to become one of an ever increasing number of boaters on your local waters. It is a very wise novice "skipper" who, taking to the water for the first time, is aware of and prepared for the responsibility that goes with operating a boat safely. You not only owe it to yourself, family and other passengers, but to the rest of us boating enthusiasts who share the waters with you as well.
The prudent skipper first equips himself or herself with boat handling skills and knowledge by enrolling in a public boating course offered by the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary. Actual experience always is a good teacher, but a course in "Boating Skills and Seamanship" is invaluable to acquiring familiarity with boats, what to expect on the water, and how to deal with it. Too many of today's boating mishaps can be traced to faulty boat handling by the inexperienced , untrained "skipper". As the slogan, "Safe Boating is No Accident" indicates, accidents on the water can be minimized through education. Without proper training a thoughtless skipper not only may endanger the lives of himself or herself and their passengers, but also ruin the day for other boaters.
I encourage not only first time boaters to attend one of the USCG Auxiliary boating courses, but experienced boaters as well. "They too need to keep abreast of new techniques and changes in boating laws and regulations. These courses provide basic boating know-how such as rules of the road, navigational aids, government regulations, boat handling and the fundamentals of good seamanship. If you as a new boat owner would take advantage of this basic training and diligently try to fill the role of a seasoned skipper, your dreams of enjoying recreational boating are most likely to be filled. I might offer this observation as well: Skippers who have learned to operate their vessels only through the "trial-and-error method", without any boat handling instruction, would gain more pleasure and peace of mind by enrolling in a Coast Guard Auxiliary course. By the way, boating is a family affair so why not enroll the whole family? You never know when you might become incapacitated out on the water and it would certainly be to your advantage if others on you boat knew how to operate it as well.
Classes are scheduled regularly by your area Coast Guard Auxiliary flotilla and are conducted by experienced Auxiliarists. These courses are open to men, women, youths, inexperienced and experience boaters alike. Boat owners should be aware that some insurance companies offer a discount on premiums for boat insurance coverage, for those owners who take and pass this course. It is not a difficult course to take and pass and other than the minimal charge for materials, (which you get to keep), the course is free. Just one other thing though before I head out to go fishing, if I were a new skipper and/or a new boat owner, besides enrolling in a "Boating Skills and Seamanship" course, I would ask the Coast Guard Auxiliary to conduct a thorough and totally free "Vessel Safety Check" (VSC) on my new boat! Yup that's what I would do!
Remember folks, Safe Boating is No Accident!