May 2008


U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! -- Mother's Day is Sunday, May 11. With warm weather approaching, one of the best gift ideas is to give a boater mom is a sleek, lightweight, and comfortable inflatable life jacket ( PFD). Today's life jackets come in a variety of styles and colors, are lightweight, yet they provide even greater buoyancy than many older (less comfortable) styles. More importantly, since these life jackets are less cumbersome, Mom is more likely to wear it. A sad reality is that over 80 percent of those involved in boating fatalities drowned, many because they were not wearing a life jacket.

 

Give Mom Some Boating Safety Tips/Gifts That May Save Her Life

The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Offers Great Mother's Day Gift Ideas For Boaters

Compiled By Tom Nunes

U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary

With Mother's Day just around the corner, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary would like to offer some special Mother's Day gift ideas that say "I love you" and will help keep boat-loving Moms stay safe all year long and will surely last longer than roses or a card.

 With warm weather approaching, one of the best gift ideas is to give Mom a sleek, lightweight, and comfortable inflatable life jacket (also known as a personal flotation device — or PFD). Today's life jackets come in a variety of styles and colors, are lightweight, yet they provide even greater buoyancy than many older (less comfortable) styles.

More importantly, since these life jackets are less cumbersome, Mom is more likely to wear it. A sad reality is that over 80 percent of those involved in boating fatalities drowned, many because they were not wearing a life jacket.

One other great gift idea for a boater is to enhance her skills, and sign up Mom for a boating-safety course. Knowledge is power, and it has been statistically shown that boaters who have taken a safety class are far less likely to be involved in a boating mishap or fatality.

Course topics include basic boat handling, required and recommended safety equipment, navigational rules and dealing with boating emergencies. Specialty classes, such as advanced navigation, how to read a nautical chart, and how to use GPS and radar are also available.

To learn more, call 1-877-875-6296, or visit the USCGAUX Boating Safety Class page at http://nws.cgaux.org/visitors/pe_visitor/class_finder/index.html

 Another Mother’s Day gift idea is a vessel safety check (VSC) with the local Coast Guard Auxiliary. An Auxiliarist will examine your vessel to ensure compliance with federal, state and local safety requirements before getting underway.

For more information or to schedule a VSC, visit: http://safetyseal.net/ and click on "I WANT A VSC."

 Several other great gift ideas to help keep Mom safe include —

  • A carbon monoxide detector
  •  A fire extinguisher
  •  An anchor
  •  Emergency signaling kits — flares, signal mirror, whistle, etc.
  •  Up-to-date navigational charts and/or a handheld GPS unit
  •  Navigation tools and calculators
  •  Hand-held VHF marine radio with extra batteries
  •  Personal emergency position indicating radio beacons (PEPIRBs)
  • Tool kit and spare parts for boats
  •  Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), such as a first aid kit, sunscreen, sunglasses, food and water.
  •  

The price range for these items runs from under $10, up to several hundred dollars, but giving the gift of safety to Mom is priceless.

The Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary recommends these gifts in the effort to save lives, and to reduce the number of mishaps on America's waterways.