 Our job as a boat builder is to make sure that we execute that engineering and design so the boat is as safe as possible. Most of the cleans we get in here are due to operator negligence or operator error. Most boaters do know the rules, however they just do tend to forget and it is a very hostile environment that they are operating in. Required safety equipment by federal law and some state laws is really only a minimum. And if you think that you go out there and you have this basic equipment that you're prepared to go out, then you're pulling yourself. If you have a life check on your boat and you're not wearing it, you effectively don't have a life check. I've in fact seen a few small boats that have had their port and starboard sidelines reversed. This kind of thing can only lead to trouble and really is ridiculous. Pleasure boating is in racing. It only takes a little common sense to make a safe boating trip. Over the past few years, the increase in boating traffic and the number of boating accidents has been significant. It's time for a little common sense, a little common courtesy. And it's important to remember that no matter how much safety is built into a boat, it's never going to be a safe boat unless the operator knows the laws, observes all the safety rules, and reads and understands the boat owner's manual. Listen to boat builder Joseph Evans. It's critical that the boat owner understand the limitations of a boat and educate himself on boat handling so that he doesn't try and exceed the safety factors of the boat. Just like a car, if you drive it too hard, if you mishandle it, you can end in disaster. Boats are constructed to withstand more than normal conditions. And in fact, oftentimes you're safer in deeper water than you are in shallow water. Shallow water, of course, is where you get more severe conditions. It's a misconception about transatlantic crossings that you're safest when you're on either coast. In fact, the safest part of the Atlantic Ocean is in the middle. As you approach the coast, that's where you would find more extreme conditions, plus that's where you find things to run into. Well, before you get on a boat, it's important, or before you go sailing on a boat, it's important to check and make sure that you're going to be safe while you're out there. And even as a guest or as an owner or just a rider, you should probably make a point to check on the boat that there are life jackets for everyone there. When supplying yourself with your safety equipment, it's critical not just to have it, but also to make sure it's accessible. It doesn't make any sense to mount your fire extinguisher such that you'd have to reach through the fire to get to it. You want to make sure you can get near it. Well, everyone likes to have a good time on the water, and it is a good opportunity for socializing and having a few drinks. But as the waters become more crowded, and you find that more abiding accidents are a result of, say, overactivity with alcohol, having a little too much fun. In addition to answering emergency calls, it's the Coast Guard's job to enforce federal laws on the water. And that includes inspecting safety equipment and monitoring safe boating practices. Here's Chief Bosen's mate, David English, with a few safety tips. Last fall, we had a quite severe mishap with a 25-foot high-performance vessel. They were out for a day of partying, enjoying themselves. They were jumping wakes. The vessel was launched off of a wake, landed on its side, and the cap actually separated from the hull when they hit. The impact was so great. This ejected all five persons into the water, and they subsequently had to be rescued. Alcohol was, we feel, a problem there, as they had been partying all day long. And perhaps this may have led to them exceeding the limitations of the craft and causing the mishap. Bowriding is extremely hazardous. Should the person on the bow fall over, the boat will run over them before the operator has a chance to stop. I've seen one person that was rescued alive. He was cut 109 times from his heels to the top of his head. A good share of our less severe cases could have very well been prevented, had the operator of the vessel chosen to use a couple of safe boating rules of thumb, one of which would be the one-third rule, where you use one-third of your fuel to go out and a third to come back. And if all goes well, you should have a third in reserve, should any emergency arise. Maneuvering a small boat in and around commercial shipping can be more of a problem than many boat operators think. 15-year veteran pilot Brian Hope has seen it all. During the summertime, I anticipate that every trip I make will involve at least one what I consider near-miss. That is where the small craft will completely disappear from my view under the bow of the ship. I don't want to give the impression that the pilots of commercial ships feel they have exclusive right to use a waterway. But common sense would dictate that the small craft should keep clear of the large ship. A ship making 20 knots will travel a mile in three minutes, and they can come up upon a small boat amazingly fast, particularly in hazy weather where the visibility is somewhat reduced. One of the important points to remember when approaching or crossing ahead of a large ship is that the pilot loses sight of a small craft a lot farther away than you might expect. The ship Pasternovas, the Atlantic Concert, is a little over 800 feet long, and the pilot is conning the ship from the bridge about 700 feet from the bow. Because of the height of the containers stacked forward, he loses sight of a small craft perhaps more than half a mile away. Now this view is a view that I hope not too many small boat operators get of a merchant ship underway. It's a view that could prove fatal. Another important point to remember is to watch the ship's weight. Large merchant ships underway even at a moderate speed will generate a considerable weight, which can capsize a small boat very easily. We had an instance a few years ago where a small boat was tied up to the rip wraps surrounding a lighthouse outside the entrance to Baltimore Harbor, and a ship went by and capsized the boat, causing the death of one of the occupants. This is world champion racing driver Bill Sebal doing 140 miles per hour, turning in a 50-foot radius, pulling six Gs. When he builds a boat, you can be sure he builds in safety. I've been racing boats for 33 years. I have two sons actively racing now. My father raced before I started, and I kind of grew up around racing, went to all the races with him. He started in the boat building business in 1936. We were present in building pleasure boats and race boats. In pleasure boating, just as in racing, it's not very difficult to have a safe boating trip. It's just common sense. When you get in the boat, you should put on your personal floatation device. If you get in the boat and you smell a gasoline fume, do not touch anything. Just get out of the boat, get your passengers out of the boat, and check things out before you fire up the engine. If you're going to buy a new recreational boat, I feel one thing you should do for sure is, number one, read the operator's manual. And the second thing I strongly encourage you to do is take a safe boating class. There's probably no one more aware of the number of boating accidents than insurance claims adjuster Ron Scott. We caught up with him on a day when he was helping a customer check over a possible boat purchase. There are several different kinds of claims. Property claims usually occur with sailboats that will run aground. Sailboats involved in a fender bender type collision. We feel that these are operator error. Most of the time a sailboater will not see another boat because the boat is behind his sail. There's a lot of blind spots when you're operating a sailboat. And frankly, we believe that it's so relaxing being on a quiet boat with no motor running that you can sit back and relax and enjoy the ride and not be as aware as you would be at the helm of a powerboat. That's not to say that powerboaters don't have claims also. Most of the claims from powerboaters are for the same reason, not paying attention, operator error. A powerboater can run aground just as easily as a sailboater. He has to have shallow water, but if he's not familiar with the area and has not looked at the charts before he goes into an area, he can run aground just as easily and do five times as much damage as a sailboater. Every morning Tim Paragoy and his first mate go to work at Tim's boating salvage company. Tim picks up other people's mistakes. We talked to him about two of boating's most serious dangers. First fire at sea is one of the most dangerous things to negotiate. Most fiberglass boats, once they get started, you have the slimmed mill chances of putting the fire out yourself. The properties of the material turn into such a heat-producing fuel that it's almost impossible to extinguish. Another occurrence probably almost as common as fires or explosions. Fumes developed in the village are not ventilated after fueling, or just after the boat's been sitting for a while there might be a small seepage of fuel somewhere in the fuel lines. I've seen boats actually blow up completely without any fire even starting. It's like a concussion. Take somebody on a sailboat like that and throw them 20 feet up in the air. These men are on their way to participate in a unique U.S. Coast Guard experiment. One that could help to save lives. This is Dr. Al Steinman. He's trying to determine what kind of gear is needed to survive heavy seas and cold water. Commander Steinman helps wire up his men so vital signs could be monitored. Heart rate, core body temperature, brain function. A companion Coast Guard boat's wake simulates heavy seas. The problems that people face when they fall in the water basically boil down to flotation and protection against hypothermia. Your first problem when you fall into water is avoiding drowning. A lot of people fall overboard and if their head's under water when they hit the water, they may drown because there's a reflex called the gasp reflex, particularly in cold water. Cold water makes you go gasp, hyperventilate. If your head's under water, while that's happening, you're going to drown. If you survive a sudden immersion in cold water, then you have to worry about keeping your head up for a longer period of time. And for that you need a life jacket. The more buoyancy you have in your life jacket or personal flotation device, the better off you are. If you fall into cold water and have a life jacket and can keep your head afloat, then you need to worry about hypothermia. Your best defense against hypothermic is to have protective clothing on, insulated clothing like a wetsuit or protective insulated coverall. If you have that kind of insulated clothing, you can increase your survival time by curling up a little ball and holding very still in the cold water because movement in cold water increases your rate of heat loss. If you're in the water, no matter what type of protective clothing you have on, your best defense against hypothermia is to get out of the water. What that means for a boater is if he's hanging on to an overturned boat, best defense is to climb on top of the boat. The more you get your body out of the water, the better off you are. Safe boating. At first it sounds so easy, and it can be, providing you pay attention, think about what you're doing, and follow a few safety precautions. As we've just heard, according to the experts, you must be on guard every minute while you're on the water. The open waters of yesterday are the crowded waters of today, just like today's highways. So it's important to know the rules of the road, and important to have a checklist that you use before you leave the dock. Are there enough PFDs aboard? Are they in good condition? Are they readily accessible? Are there the right number of fire extinguishers, and are they checked and tagged? Has a float plan been filed? Have all passengers been briefed on safety features? Do they know where emergency equipment is located? Can they use distress signals or the radio? Does anyone else on board know how to run the boat? Does your boat need a flame arrester? If it does, is yours Coast Guard approved? Does your boat have the proper system to ventilate bilges and fuel tank compartment? Is it clear and working properly? Are all parts and equipment rated for marine use? Automobile parts are just not safe. A safe boating trip. That's what everyone wants, and that's what you'll have if you work at it. Follow the advice of the experts. Read your manual. Take a boating course from your state boating authority, or a volunteer group, like the Coast Guard auxiliary. Get a courtesy marine examination from the Coast Guard auxiliary. And get this booklet on federal boating rules and regulations from your marina, the Coast Guard auxiliary, or by writing to the Coast Guard, Washington D.C. 20593. Enjoy your next boating trip. Make it a safe one. And take some advice from Bill Sebald. Twenty years ago, the waterways were not as crowd as they are now. Now you cannot just get in your boat and start it and talk to your passengers and drive down the lake and look around. You have to pay attention to what you're doing, just like driving an automobile. You cannot start your automobile and just point it in one direction and talk to your passenger and glance at the road once in a while. So it's just using common sense. Make safe boating. If you pay attention to what you're doing and you pay attention to what the other fellow is doing and pay attention to the rules of the road and have a little common courtesy, I think you'll have a safe boating trip. The sun is coming up. The water is quiet. But world champion race driver Bill Sebald is about to break that silence. Racing at 140 miles per hour, turning and pulling six Gs. It's all in the day's work for Bill Sebald and it's a safe work event. Safe because all aspects of boat racing are controlled and none of the drivers has been drinking. Two things you can't say about pleasure boating. Today over half the boating accidents are alcohol related. That's why it's against the law to operate a boat while intoxicated. So take some sobering advice from Bill Sebald. Next time you're on the water, thank before you drink and don't forget to put on one of these. Let's go. Smart skippers stay sober. A boating safety message from the United States Coast Guard. It shouldn't take much to convince you to wear a life vest in a dangerous situation like this. But would you wear a life vest here or here? Or what about here? These fishermen do have a life vest on board. After all, the law requires them to have an appropriate Coast Guard approved life vest or preserver on board for each person. But they won't wear them. Neither swims, they're drinking, and the water is really cold, 50 degrees. None of that bothers them. After all, they came out to fish, not to swim. Y'all had a good time. Hey, did you catch any fish? And Fred says, well, I forgot my rod. No. But I got the important stuff. What was it? I brought the beer. You ready for another beer, Mitch? Yeah, I'm ready. We can do that. Uh-oh, I think I got me one now. When you hit cold water, it's a great shock to your body, and drinking alcoholic beverages doesn't help. Charlie's fall happened so fast, there was no time to put on a life vest. He never knew what hit him. If he had just made the simple decision to put on his life vest at darkside, it would have saved his life. Drunk or sober, good swimmer or bad, cold water or warm, Charlie would be alive. The choice is yours. I wear a PFD because if I trip and fall overboard, I'm dead. I can't swim. It doesn't matter, you know, even if you're a strong swimmer, you get knocked unconscious and it's too late. I wear this PFD because I'm a mom, you know, and I had to set a good example. I can't expect my little ones to wear one if I don't. The PFD is perhaps the most important item that you have aboard your vessel. It can take care of you, whether you're conscious or unconscious. It's something that you can depend and rely on, and you should never be without one. People wear life vests for different reasons, but life itself is the best reason. Most people who die in water accidents are not wearing life vests. Eighty percent of boating accidents are caused by people falling overboard or boats colliding or capsizing. These are sudden, unexpected events that don't give people time to put on their life vests. Life vests, life jackets, life preservers, they're all personal flotation devices or PFDs. They enable people to float in water. There are lots of different PFDs. Choose the right one for your situation. First of all, be sure that any personal flotation device you select is approved by the United States Coast Guard. Check the packaging and the label. The Coast Guard classifies PFDs in five categories. Type 1s are large offshore life vests that are usually found on commercial vessels, cruise ships, or chartered boats. Type 1s are designed for large bodies of water and will turn most unconscious victims upright. They have good performance, but are bulky. Type 2s are near shore life vests and they're designed to be more comfortable, lighter and less bulky than type 1s. Like the type 1s, they'll turn most people face up. Type 3 flotation aids can be more comfortable to wear and are probably the most popular PFDs. A type 3 is not designed to turn an unconscious person face up like the type 2. It does, however, have the same amount of buoyancy or lift as a type 2 to keep a person's head out of the water. Type 3s are designed for many different water sports. Water ski vests will provide protection from impact if you fall. This fisherman's vest has all the pockets you need to carry your fishing gear. A hunter's float coat will keep you warm on chilly mornings. But the best feature life jackets offer is flotation. Type 4 PFDs are designed to be thrown to someone who's fallen overboard. They're bad choices for poor or non-swimmers because they have to be grasped to be used. If you choose the type 4 throwable, be sure you know how to use it. Always clutch the type 4 to your chest so you can keep your head above water. Don't wear it on your back or it'll push your head under the water. Oh, a type 4 PFD is okay to throw to someone in the water, but I wouldn't trust my life to it, not for an extended period of time. It just doesn't go. 5 PFDs are designed for special use. The type 5 is usually not considered an approved PFD unless it's worn during the activity as approved for. There's a new kind of type 5, a vest which is called a hybrid. I wear this hybrid because I'm more likely to wear it. It's cool, it's comfortable, it's easy to wear, it's safe. The hybrid is light and comfortable to wear, but it's a legal PFD only if you wear it. When the hybrid is not inflated, there's just enough buoyancy or lift to keep your head above water. If you're average size that is, some hybrids can be inflated by blowing into a tube, others by pulling a cord to activate an inflation cartridge. And once the hybrid is inflated, it has even more buoyancy than most other PFDs. Keep in mind that the best PFD for you is not the best PFD for your kids. Some type 2s and 3s are designed specifically for children. This type 2 is best for kids who weigh less than 40 pounds, while this type 3 is approved for children over 30 pounds. That reminds me of my first boat trip with my grandson. As we were approaching our vessel, I was explaining the necessary things that we must do aboard a vessel. The first thing was that we must put on our life jackets, our PFDs. He didn't want it, he rejected it, so I said if we don't wear it, back we go. So we started towards the car, got into the car, and his first action once in the car was to take and fasten his seatbelt. And this gave me the opportunity to compare the seatbelt with the wearing of a PFD. And I explained it to him in that sense, he accepted it, he said okay Gramps, let's go for a boat ride, put on his PFD, we've been using it, and enjoying them ever since. And remember, the best PFD in the world won't do you any good if it doesn't fit. Try this simple test to see if you have the right size. This one's fine, way too big. Sometimes what feels like a good fit when you're on dry land doesn't work so well in the water. The best way to be sure your PFD fits is to put it on and walk into shallow water. This PFD is too big. And this PFD is too small, too big, too small. Ah, just right. You know how your PFD fits and how you wear it is very important. Be sure you pull the side strings until they're tight. Or snap all the buckles. People of different sizes and shapes may require different PFDs. Because of less body fat, a thin person will generally need a more buoyant vest than a heavier person. To find out how much buoyancy your body needs, test your PFD in shallow water. Storing your PFDs is also very important. When you're not wearing them, stow them in a cool dry place. And don't pile anything on top of them. The weight might puncture or tear the vests. Something else you need to know, PFDs don't last forever. Check your PFDs. Make sure there aren't any rips or tears or any openings at the seams. Don't sit on them. And don't use them as a fender to protect your boat. They aren't made for that kind of abuse. If you have a K-Pok filled PFD, you can check its condition by giving it the squeeze test. If it collapses, like this, there's a leak. That means when the vest gets wet, water will seep inside. The water will cause the K-Pok material to decompose, which will cause the PFD to lose its buoyancy. The vest will become an anchor instead of a PFD. Remember, you can have the proper PFD, and it may fit just right. And it may be in mint condition. But if you aren't wearing it, it won't do much good. Even strong swimmers should wear PFDs. I wear a life vest now, but I didn't used to. I'm a lifeguard. I'm a strong swimmer, and I didn't think I had to. One day, I was out on a sale on a date with my girlfriend. We had a big lunch packed, and we stopped out in the bay for a little lunch. After lunch, the winds picked up, and off we went. We were sailing along, and this little gust comes up, and we get knocked over. I just didn't plan on my girlfriend getting hit in the head with a boom, and going half unconscious. So the next thing you know, a strong me is putting her in a cross-chest carry, and off we go. And I think all my training is coming in handy and everything. I'm going to be the hero. Well, about five minutes into the crawl, I developed these cramps. Man, I'm telling you, it was unbelievable. So I kind of panicked, and I started swimming stronger, and it got worse. I got cramps in my legs, and, well, you know, needless to say, I just don't think I would have made it if a boat hadn't come by. And, you know, that taught me my lesson, so now I wear a life vest all the time. It comes to your life vest. You have lots of choices. Make sure you have the right one for what you're doing, and that it fits. The most important decision you have to make is to wear your PFD. Always wear your PFD. It's your friend for life. You've got to wear your PFD. It's not for yourself. Do it for your family. Don't take chances. Be prepared. No one plans on an emergency. You've got to wear a PFD because you'll never know when it will save your life. Choice is yours. Make the right one. A group of fun seekers have to spend a day on the water. Good idea. Leave the booze on shore. You don't suppose they've taken a safe boating course, do you? Not them. They're experienced sailors. Oh, well, back to the drawing board. What luck. They found a spare boat, and off they go. What a life. Relaxing. Letting the other folks watch out. Watch out. Oh, no. I can't look. What's this? A storm? And what a storm? And our hero's out of fuel. Ah, but there's the radio. And there goes the radio. Too bad. He should have filed a float plan. Time to abandon ship. Wait a minute. These personal flotation devices don't seem very personal at all. They should have taken Popeye's advice. He's smart. Takes a boating course. Oh, 1-800-336-Boat. Passage is not only important for the professional captain engaged in day-to-day commerce, but for the pleasure boater, hunter, and fisherman as well. One facet of safe boating is knowing the road signs of the waterways, the aids to navigation. They not only mark waterways like street signs, but direct marine traffic to deeper water or act as caution signs to mark dangerous waters or areas where boat traffic is not permitted. In the early years of our nation's history, mariners had to rely on experience and luck. In 1789, the United States Congress passed a law giving over to the young federal government 12 lighthouses, originally built by the colonies, and charging the new government with the maintaining and building lighthouses as aids to navigation. As time passed, the need was seen to mark more waterways with different devices. No matter what the size, shape, color, or construction, they all have the single mission, show the mariner the safe passage. 200 years since the original 12 lighthouses, the number of federally controlled aids to navigation have increased to a total of nearly 50,000. Most of them unattended buoys and beacons. All of them under the maintenance and jurisdiction of the United States Coast Guard. Let's take a look at how the aids to navigation system used with nautical charts can make any voyage easier and safer. We'll be discussing the most common aids to the navigation system being used in the Americas, known as the U.S. Aids to Navigation System. But there are other systems. Your chart will tell you exactly which system is in use on the waters you will be cruising. Many of the aids to navigation you will see today may be quite familiar to you. Using them is almost as easy as saying, red right returning. Unless otherwise marked on a chart, the red buoys should be kept on the right when returning from the sea. In other words, the red buoy will be on the right side of the channel as you travel toward the head of navigation or beginning of the navigation system. Traveling in this direction, the green buoys will be on the left side across the channel. Here's how they look on the chart. The numbers on the chart correspond to the reflective numbers on the buoys. Odd numbers are on the green buoys on the left side. Even numbers on the red buoys on the right side. As you travel toward the head of navigation, the numbers get larger. Please note that there may still be a few of the older black painted buoys in use. By 1989, all of these will be repainted green to identify the left side of the inward bound channel. Often buoys can be identified by their shapes as well as contrasting colors. This channel has canned shaped buoys that are green and none shaped buoys that are red. For easier use at night, some channel markers are lighted. As you travel toward the head of navigation, the flashing green light marks the left side of the channel. And the flashing red, the right. Not all channels are marked by buoys on both sides. Here we see a safe watermark, a red and white vertically striped buoy which flashes the Morse Alpha characteristic, a short flash followed by a longer flash. It means that the buoy can be passed on either side. Above the light is a spherical top mark. It also has a letter designation. On a chart the safe watermark looks like this. Corresponding unlighted buoys look like this on the chart and appear as spherical red and white buoys on the water. They also carry a letter identification. Here we see a preferred channel buoy. These buoys are horizontally banded with red and green and mark junctions in a channel or hazards that you may pass on either side. If the top most band is red, the preferred channel is to port or to the left side of the marker. This particular buoy has a red light which flashes a pattern known as a composite group flash. A composite group flash means that there will be two flashes of equal length followed by a short period of darkness, followed by another flash. All is repeated after another longer period of darkness. If the preferred channel is on the left and the buoy is unlighted, it will be shaped like a non-buoy. This green top preferred channel buoy flashes a green composite group flash and indicates that the preferred channel is to the right. The unlighted buoy would look like this. And on a chart, these preferred channel aids to navigation show a red top for preferred channel to the left and a green top for preferred channel to the right. If the top band is red and it is lighted, this magenta dot is added. Here we see some typical special purpose markers. The yellow color indicates that they are special in nature and point out an anchorage or a fishnet area. Gredging or surveying operations and the like. To find out what they do indicate, check your chart or light list. The buoys themselves may be can or none shaped or even be lighted. On a chart, they may be indicated YC for yellow can, YN for yellow none, or the light characteristics for a yellow lighted buoy. This orange color indicates information or regulatory marks. These marks have an orange circle, sphere, or cross diamond. The day board here is quite easy to comprehend. Other day beacons are easy to read also. This green board with the numeral 1 on it indicates the left side of an inbound channel. Just as this red day beacon indicates the right side of a channel. Just remember, red, right, returning. A safe water board, octagonal in shape and half red, half white. Preferred channel aids to navigation follow the same pattern. Top half green means that the preferred channel is to the right of the board. Top half red means that the preferred channel is to the left. Day beacons appear as squares or triangles on your chart. Closely akin to day beacons are lights which may be used instead of lighted buoys. Typically a light consists of a single pile, two day boards, the light at the top, and a battery box. The lights have the same color and flashing rhythms as lighted buoys but may be seen more clearly because of greater height in the water and a more stable platform. Again remember, red, right, returning. Be sure when navigating at night you are looking at aids to navigation and not city traffic signals or street lights. The most powerful and distinctive lights in the U.S. system of aids to navigation are primary sea coast and secondary lights which include the familiar lighthouses. These lights may be located on the mainland or offshore on islands and shoals. Offshore they may mark a hazard or serve merely as a marker for ships approaching a major harbor. They also are probably the first light to be seen by the high seas navigator approaching land. The very same kind of structure seen 200 years ago by the colonial mariner. Although the structure may have changed little the lighting and mirror systems are constantly upgraded to serve today's mariners. We've covered a lot of territory in a very brief time so let's go back and see how much we've learned. You see this spherical buoy? What does it mean? Or this lighted buoy? It's night and you see it emitting a white morse alpha. Both buoys mean you're in safe water. You're coming up a river at night. This buoy has a flashing green light. It should be passed on the left or port side of your vessel. Another day, another channel. Heading home, you see this red nun shaped buoy. It should be passed on the right or starboard of your vessel. What does this day beacon mean? The same thing that this can buoy tells you. Or this lighted buoy emitting a composite group flash. All three of them are telling you that the preferred channel is to starboard. At first it may not be easy to remember what all the colors, shapes, numbers and letters mean. But with constant practice you'll master the system and be a safer motor. Before you begin any trip follow this navigational checklist. One, have a chart and check which system you'll be using. Use the chart as an aid not as the exact truth. Two, obtain a local notice to mariners from the local Coast Guard district and update your charts. Three, check marine radio broadcasts for the condition of buoys in your area. In addition to navigation conditions the marine radio is a good source for other information such as weather. Four, always make sure you are reading the light emitting from a buoy and not a background light from some other source. Five, learn more. Take a boating course from your state boating authority, the Coast Guard auxiliary, the U.S. power squadrons or another boating organization. Follow these rules and you'll be on your way to a safer journey thanks to the age to navigation system. Most boaters feel they know all they need to know about safety. How about you? You're a safe boater aren't you? Well we all know that boating can be fun for fishing, for sailing, for water skiing or just plain enjoyment. But underneath all that fun boating can be dangerous. Dangerous if you don't know about the proper use of life jackets or about hypothermia and the effects of cold water. About small boat stability and falling overboard. And dangerous if you don't know about the weather or the effects of alcohol. So before you go out in the water in any kind of boat, wear your life jacket. Be prepared for cold water and its deadly effects. Know your boat's capabilities and safe operations and leave the alcohol in port because on a boat alcohol and water aren't a good mix. There's a lot to know about safe boating and it's best to know before you go. A message from the US Coast Guard and the National Safe Boating Council. The ocean has inspired us, nourished us and delighted us since the beginning of time. But now our oceans are threatened with becoming a garbage dump. Most of us have seen trash at the local beach but scientists are discovering that trash is not just a local phenomenon. Trash is showing up on beaches all over the world and it's not just showing up in populated areas. These pictures were taken on remote beaches in Alaska. Beaches where few people have ever walked, much less gone for a picnic. This trash was collected on a remote uninhabited island in Antarctica and this is what a Japanese film crew found when they went to film Paradise in the uninhabited Leeward Islands of Hawaii. The trash we see on the beaches is a reflection of the trash in the oceans. It's showing up in fishing nets, in propellers and on the ocean bottom. The trash comes from most of us, from coastal cities and rivers to ships at sea. It's estimated that just the world's merchant vessels dump 4.8 million metal cans, 450,000 plastic containers and 300,000 glass jars into the ocean every day. Fishing boats dump trash as well as worn nets and other pieces of used gear. Recreational boaters dump on average a pound and a half of garbage per person per day. Military ships, research vessels, offshore oil rigs and cargo boats also dump at sea. Even beachgoers leave tons of trash, much of which winds up in the ocean. Trash doesn't just look crummy on the beach. Trash kills. This is a northern fur seal. The fur seal population on the Pribilof Islands is currently less than half that observed 30 years ago and is continuing to decline. Some scientists believe that entanglement in pieces of net or plastic strapping bands is the principal factor in the fur seal decline. They estimate that from 20,000 to 40,000 northern fur seals are lost each year due to entanglement. Young fur seals in particular are attracted to pieces of net or strapping bands and try to poke their heads through the mesh. They get caught and often attract other pups, make it caught and die. The northern sea lion population is also declining and some scientists are wondering if entanglement may be one of the causes. Like the fur seals, northern sea lions seem to like poking their heads through pieces of net or strapping bands. Monk seals are showing up on the beaches of Hawaii, entangled in fishing gear from the North Pacific. Sea turtles, birds and fish also get entangled in trash. But getting entangled in trash is only part of the problem. Eating trash, particularly plastic trash, is the other part. Lesan albatross gained some notoriety in the late 1960s when scientists discovered the parent birds were feeding the baby birds plastic. Since then, scientists have found plastic in about 15% of the world's seabird species. In Alaska, scientists have found plastic in about 40% of the seabird species. One of those species is the parakeet ocklet, seen here from the outside. And this is the plastic found inside. Fish are also known to eat plastic, and sea turtles have become infamous for their consumption of plastic bags. Evidently they mistake the bags for their favorite food, jellyfish. These were the bags taken from the stomach of one sea turtle. So trash is accumulating in the oceans. Boats and animals are getting entangled in the trash. Birds and fish are eating trash. And an increasing percentage of this trash is plastic. Plastic degrades very slowly, so the bags and bleach bottles dumped today will still be around years from now. Yet the amount of plastic being produced and consequently dumped is increasing dramatically. For the ocean to endure as something more than a garbage dump will require the conscious efforts and decisions of all of us. But fortunately it's a problem we can solve. Individuals are cleaning up beaches, bringing their trash back to shore, and recycling. Scientists are inventing new packaging products which are recyclable or degradable. Governments are passing laws which will make it unlawful for boats of any size to dump plastic at sea. To stem the tide of trash will require effort from all of us. But it's a problem we can solve. Those who are too busy to check things out need to think again. Most boaters who drown aren't wearing one of these. A lot of boating accidents can be prevented by having the right equipment, knowing where it's at and knowing how to use it. So be safe. Let the Coast Guard Auxiliary check out your boat before you go out in the water. Lifejackets save lives. It's best to know before you go. A message from the U.S. Coast Guard. Come on all you late sleepers. It's Saturday. Weather service is calling for a high near 70. Sunday looks like it's back to normal. You guessed it. It's cold and rainy. Normal high for this date is 49 degrees. You're tuned to WTSR FM. Whoa, it looks like it's really moving. Man, it looks great. Oh, I'm so ready for this. Did you bring the dry clothes? Right. And you have the lunch? Yes. And the keys? Fun, fun, fun. Well, hey there. My name's David. And I'd like to tell you about a canoe trip I took with some friends. For so early in the spring, I don't think you could have asked for a better day. Oh, that's Dean. How about this day? There's Michael and Becky. You ready? Me again. And good ol' Lisa. Some of us had a pretty rough time, but it sure didn't start out that way. It's easy to take our body for granted. Without so much as a conscious thought, it can synchronize the workings of 10 trillion cells. Yet as warm-blooded creatures, what our cells do, our strength, our coordination, even our thinking is done best only when we stay warm. David begins the trip with a normal body temperature. There's a core region containing vital organs like the heart, lungs, and brain that's about 98.6 degrees. In fact, David's entire body is near 98.6, and so he is said to be in his optimal thermal state. It must have been near 70 degrees by the time we got to the river. Even so, Becky decided to wear a wetsuit. Dean too. Well, it's been a while. I sure hope this thing still fits. Or are you gonna be ripin' that thing? It's so warm today. I guess I have a tendency to dress for the moment. Lisa, you're gonna sink the boat with all that stuff. You're gonna be glad I brought it later. And a thermos too? Yep, thermos too. Dad, do you really need all this stuff? Well, it's a long day. Seems like these guys were bringing a ton of stuff. I felt the water and it's cold. I just wanted to get on the river. To your toes feeling is difficult to maintain. Mostly our surroundings are cooler than 98.6, and so we lose heat. David with his wet cotton short sleeves is losing heat the fastest. He feels fine because he's also the most active. Lisa and Michael have managed to stay dry, so their cotton warm-ups keep them comfortable. Dean and Becky have the least heat loss. Wet or dry, their wetsuits are effective at keeping heat in. So, each paddler has made his own preparations for the day. Each has his own vision of what the day holds, but will events unfold according to plan? And if they don't, what margin of safety can these boaters fall back on? David, how about that fancy new roll of yours? Well, they didn't have to egg me on much. I practiced in a pool over the winter, and I was wondering if I could do it on the river. But man, when my head hit that water... David has just given his body a real thermal jolt. Water conducts heat from the skin much faster than air. In fact, the river is drawing away heat at least 25 times faster than the air would. Luckily, David's immersion is only a momentary shock to his senses. Let's go get him, come on. Quick dunking was invigorating to say the very least. Even though I warmed up right away, I decided that would be my last demonstration. David is having a different day than his companions. He's been charging up and down the river, pushing all the time. He's generating a lot of heat and promptly losing it through wet, exposed skin. He struck a kind of thermal balance between the heat he produces and the heat he dissipates. The others have found a balance, too. On the warm rocks, their heat loss is minimal, so they don't need to work at all at staying warm. But where does all this heat come from? Where does David get his energy? The warmth that David achieves by hard paddling is a natural byproduct of metabolism. That's a broad term for the chemical processes by which cells burn the food we eat. In a sense, food is fuel for a complex engine that runs at different speeds but never stops. Our bodies must have fuel in order to produce work and heat. Food can be stored in our bodies almost like gas in the tank by eating high-energy foods throughout the day. We keep the tank topped off. In this group, however, the one driving the fastest has the lowest tank. I had passed up on the munchies and it even seems to me that I was so anxious to get on the river that morning I had skipped breakfast. But hey, empty stomach or not, I was having a blast. No words can express the shock I felt come out of my boat and feeling icy water head to toe. I remember gasping for breath. The cold was so intense. A warm body exposed to cold water is thrown out of thermal balance. Metabolism quickens but heat loss is so great the imbalance persists. Sensing a crisis, the body reacts. Changes in blood circulation occur within seconds. Vessels near the skin and in the limbs constrict, reducing the flow of warm blood but no longer is David's body 98.6 throughout. Now ideal temperature is maintained only in the core region. This is the body's game plan for dealing with cold stress. Conserve precious heat for the core. Let the limbs get cold. Well, needless to say, my little dip in the creek had its effect for sure. I was beginning to lose my sense of humor and that spray skirt, almost too much for my aching fingers. Straighten out, Michael! Straighten out! In sports that demand agility, these adjustments the body makes to cold can spell trouble. David needs a warm core for his body to function properly but he also needs warm, coordinated muscles to get down the river safely. To satisfy this double demand, David boosts his heat production, draining his energy reserves even faster. Of course, everyone is depleting their store of energy but at vastly different rates. As the day wears on, clothes get wet. Maybe the sun goes in. Energy is expended. Fuel reserves dwindle. Unnoticed, the margin for error shrinks. Yeah, let's pull over here to the right and get the water out of the boat. It was past four when we got to the halfway point. I'm hungry. You know, I think this is the last we're going to see of the road. Canyon starts just up around the bend. Now, paddling hard was the only way I could feel warm. I didn't want to stop. Actually, I was starved but what I wanted more was to finish that run and get the someplace warm. Is anybody else getting cold? You know, we still have a ways to go. If we call it a day, probably hitch back to the car from here. Well, look, I know it's late but if we keep up the pace, we'll keep warm. Let's see how David feels. Hey, David, you good to keep going? That decision was kind of a turning point. It was late, it was getting colder and we did have a chance to bail out at the bridge. We didn't take it and that's when our real problems started. The fatigue was beginning to work on my mind. I'd go over and wouldn't even try to roll. Then Michael and Lisa began to have problems. It seemed like one or the other of us was always in the water. You all right? Pull the boat up. Any insulating value Michael and Lisa's clothing had is now clear. Even if they manage to stay upright, they'll feel the chill of rapid heat loss. Your hands are so cold. What do you expect? But David's problem is more than comfort. He's exhausted. With a fuel gauge nearing empty, he can no longer warm himself by exercising. The body's first lines of defense, activity and higher metabolism can't hold out indefinitely. David begins to shiver. By late afternoon, he passes a critical point. The heat that David can generate and retain is no longer sufficient to keep even the core at 98.6. Slowly, insidiously, the core temperature drops. At first, just a few degrees. Often accompanied by shivering, this low temperature condition in the core is called hypothermia. So much for the weather forecast. And just when I was thinking things couldn't get much worse. To show you how messed up I was, now the river actually felt warm. Where's David? He's coming. In the gorge, we noticed the water was rising. We came to a drop that Dean thought maybe we should portage around. Let's take a look. Let's take a look. Lisa, do you want to take a look? Well, the weather had gotten pretty atrocious. I was falling behind. We were all drawing inward, thinking about ourselves. We weren't a group anymore. I guess that explains a lot of what happened next. Chalk it up to my foggy brain, but I thought Dean was waving me on. Little mistakes could lay this trap. Now, pressed into a course of action for which no one is really prepared, the trap closes swiftly. Like falling dominoes, one error leads to another. The group unravels. Without assistance, David's swim will be a long one, with the seconds literally taking away his life. Their blood flow now sharply reduced. Limbs become numb and weak, making swimming or even holding onto a boat nearly impossible. The body has one last defense. In a desperate attempt to preserve life, it continues a systematic shutdown. As core temperature falls, shivering stops. The body just cannot afford the expenditure of energy. Pulse and respiration slow as the heart and lungs cool. Blood becomes thick and septic. The heart strains to continue. As his brain cools, David's speech becomes slurred. His judgment clouded. Eventually, he loses consciousness. In time, his heart may falter. More likely, he will drown first. That's how the day might have ended. We were like debris, scattered along the river, and it was largely my fault. Lisa's condition was following closely behind mine, and my luck had almost run out. Almost, but not quite. Thanks to their wetsuits, Becky was still functioning. I tried to pull myself under the rock, but my arms were useless. Without a life jacket, I would have drowned for sure. And yeah, Dean was turned out to be a real hero. I don't remember much about the swim, but Michael says he chased us forever. I think he's out of the water. Come on, the rock here. What I do remember is not being able to get out of the water on my own. I'm not sure I even cared one way or the other. Looking back, that's what scares me the most. David's shivering is actually a good sign. It means his core temperature is still above 93 degrees. If heat loss can be stemmed with dry clothes and shelter from the wind, his body will rewarm itself. But extreme care must be taken. Even though outwardly he may appear just wet and miserable, the life systems of a hypothermia victim are in a precarious state. Blood circulation patterns have adjusted to cold stress, and jostling disturbs these patterns and endangers the heart. Heat loss must be reduced in every way possible. A sleeping bag works well, but in a pinch, use anything that insulates. Be sure to cover the head and neck, areas of high heat loss. Also, talk with the victim. His degree of awareness is a clue to the severity of his hypothermia. And don't forget others in the party. If one person is having a problem, it's likely they're not alone. We gotta get off of this river. Maybe I could find a way back to the bridge. We gotta get David looked at. David's hypothermia was mild. He needs only to get shelter, nourishment, and he should be checked by a doctor. But what if Dean hadn't been so quick to respond? What if David had spent longer in the river and his core temperature had dropped more than a few degrees? David's hypothermia would then have been severe. Any chance for survival would have demanded careful rewarming in a hospital setting, not in gathering darkness and growing desperation on the riverbank. Well, Michael found a trail, and we all walked out just before dark. I lost my boat, of course. But all in all, I feel pretty lucky. I'm alive and a lot smarter.