YIC booklet 3 4/3/03 3:23 PM Page i

YIC booklet 3 4/3/03 3:23 PM Page ii

Nothing beats recreational boating as a way to relax, have fun,

and bring friends and family together. That’s why it’s tragic
when a recreational boating outing ends with an accident. Has your boat received a free
Too many people are injured or even killed while boating on
America’s waterways. Many of these people are responsible,
conscientious boaters who think their experience or equipment
is enough to keep them and their passengers safe. this year?
As a boat owner or operator, you are responsible for your safety
and the safety of your passengers. That’s why we say, “You’re In
Command. Boat Safely.”

The more prepared you are, the less chance the Coast Guard,
state, and local marine law enforcement resources will need to
be dedicated towards search and rescue missions for recreational
boaters. This could result in more time to devote to the protection
of our nation’s waterways.

Read this booklet. Follow its recommendations. And remember

— “You’re In Command.”

Regards,
Rear Admiral Jeffrey J. Hathaway
Director, Operations Policy
U.S. Coast Guard

Brought to you by the U.S. Coast Guard.

YIC booklet 3 4/3/03 3:23 PM Page 2

Your Only Risk is Not Having One

Vessel Examiners issue no citations. There are no penalties

Things can go wrong on the water,
with dangerous — even fatal —
results. That’s why the U.S. Coast
Guard recommends that you get a
Vessel Safety Check (VSC) every
year.
The Vessel Safety Check is a
FREE bow-to-stern inspection of
your boat by a qualified member of
the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary or
United States Power Squadrons®.
It’s your best way to
learn about poten-
tial problems that
might put you in
violation of state or
federal laws, or —
worse — create
danger for you or
your passengers on
the water.
for not successfully completing a Vessel Safety Check.
Vessel Examiners provide you with a copy of the vessel safety
check form, allowing you to make the recommended safety
improvements at your own discretion.
And while the VSC decal won’t necessarily preclude board-
ings by law enforcement authorities, it can give you confi-
dence that such encounters are as positive as possible.
Need another reason? A large number of major insurance
providers offer discounts for boats that successfully pass a
Vessel Safety Check!
How It Works
A Vessel Examiner will meet you at your boat at a prearranged
time or during a VSC event at a marina, boat ramp, etc... The
Examiner will check the presence and condition of approxi-
mately fifteen items required by state and federal regulations.
Additionally, they will discuss items that are recommended but
not required... and answer your questions on boating safety.
A typical Vessel Safety Check takes approximately twenty
minutes. At the conclusion of the check, you’ll receive a
copy of the Vessel Safety Check form and — if your vessel
successfully meets all the requirements — a VSC decal will be
presented on the spot.

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What Does a Vessel Safety Check Cover?

Vessel Safety Checks are customized for
Vessel Safety Checks
various size powerboats, personal watercraft Save Lives Among operators involved in reported
(PWCs), sailboats, and even kayaks, canoes,
or rowboats. Use this “quick list” to see if you boating accidents, 65% have never
are ready for your free VSC. What safety problems lie
taken a safe boating course.
Yes No hidden on your boat?
■ ■ Display of numbers
■ ■ Registration / documentation
Vessel Examiners have found Worried about time commitments?
■ ■ Life jackets (PFDs)
■ ■ Visual distress signals (VDS)
potential life-threatening safety Too busy to attend a traditional,
■ ■ Fire extinguishers
problems even on boats owned classroom-based course?
■ ■ Ventilation by safe, responsible boaters,
■ ■ Backfire flame control including:
Now you, novice or old salt, can take a
■ ■ Sound-producing devices
■ ■ Navigation lights • Inoperative bilge pumps, boating course your way.
■ ■ Pollution placard leading to potential danger
■ ■ MARPOL garbage placard
■ ■ Marine sanitation devices
of sinking. TAKE
■ ■ Presence of Navigation Rules • Lack of proper backfire
■ ■ Unique state and/or local requirements flame control devices,
■ ■ Overall vessel condition leading to potential danger
■ ■ Deck free of hazards and clean bilge
of explosion.
■ ■ Safe electrical and fuel systems
■ ■ Safe galley and heating systems • Inoperable fire extinguishers.
■ ■ Marine VHF radio
■ ■ Dewatering device & backup • Corroded fuel tanks and
■ ■ Mounting of fire extinguishers fuel lines.
■ ■ Anchor & line for area
■ ■ First Aid and PIW kits • Automobile parts used on
■ ■ Inland visual distress signals boat engines.
■ ■ Capacity certificate of compliance
■ ■ Owner responsibility for accident • Missing visual distress
reporting signals, or inoperable
■ ■ Offshore operations
navigation lights.
■ ■ Nautical charts and navigation aids
■ ■ Survival and first aid tips • Life jackets not properly
■ ■ Fueling and fuel management
sized for children and
■ ■ Float plan filing and weather & sea
conditions adults.
■ ■ Insurance considerations
■ ■ Boating checklist
■ ■ Safe boating classes

4 Request a Free Vessel Safety Check Today.

YIC booklet 3 4/3/03 3:23 PM Page 6
America’s Boating Course
America’s Boating Course (ABC) is a new electronic, basic
boating course produced through a joint venture between the
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and the United States Power
Squadrons®.
It’s available online at www.AmericasBoatingCourse.com, or
by using a Windows- and Mac-compatible CD-ROM.
You can study at your own pace... on your own time... any
place you have a computer to use.
Both versions come with an easy-to-follow color manual —
and something no other electronic boating course can offer
you – a mentor through the whole course.
6 7
Experience At Your Fingertips
Included in the cost of ABC is FREE assistance from an expe-
rienced local member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary or
United States Power Squadrons — America’s premier safe
boating education organizations.
You also receive a validation certificate entitling you to one
free proctored examination, along with any state supplemen-
tal examination, assuring your eligibility for a state boating
safety education certificate.
Why Choose America’s Boating Course
• ABC is available to you on your own time, at your own
pace, wherever and whenever you want to study.
• ABC is the only online boating course that includes FREE
assistance from experienced members of the United States
Power Squadrons and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.
• Successful completion of ABC is accepted in most states
and Canadian provinces, making you eligible for state boat-
ing safety education certificates.
• ABC is the perfect family course — since one purchase
allows an entire family to study, with a nominal cost for
additional exams.
• ABC is the only boating course sponsored by the United
States Power Squadrons and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary,
and approved by the National Association of State Boating
Law Administrators (NASBLA), and recognized by the U.S.
Coast Guard.
YIC booklet 3 4/3/03 3:23 PM Page 8
Who Should Take America’s Boating Course
What You’ll Learn
• Knowing Your Boat
• Powerboats, Sailboats,
and PWCs
• Filing A Float Plan
• Fueling & Maintaining
Your Boat
• Trailering Your Boat
• Navigation Rules
• Navigation Lights
• Finding Your Way
• Operating A Boat Safely
• Casting Off And Docking
• Anchoring
• Legal Requirements
• What To Do In
Emergencies
• Enjoying Water Sports
And much more!
www.AmericasBoatingCourse.com
8 Sign up for America’s Boating Course today.
So You Can Swim...
Working moms and dads
with little time for class-
For how long?
room instruction.
How Far?
Students and those who
prefer interactive or While trying to put a life jacket on?
web-based training.
Boaters with heavy While helping your kids?
evening schedules or travel
responsibilities. In rough water?
Casual boaters who want
When you’re injured?
basic boating knowledge
but don’t need a “captain-
level course.” While you’re unconscious?
Experienced boaters who
need a refresher course.
ALWAYS
You!
The price of the course
includes FREE assistance
from experienced members
of the United States Power
Squadrons® and the U.S.
Coast Guard Auxiliary and a
validation certificate for one
proctored examination.
YIC booklet 3 4/3/03 3:24 PM Page 10

The Good News

The U.S. Coast Guard estimates
Boaters enjoy the feel of sun and spray. So it’s tempting to
that life jackets could have saved
boat without wearing a life jacket – especially on nice days.
the lives of over 80% of boating But modern life jackets are available in a wide variety of
fatality victims. shapes, colors, and sizes. Many are thin and flexible. Some
are built right into fishing vests or hunter coats. Others are
As a boat operator, you’re in inflatable — as compact as a scarf or fanny pack until they hit
command of the safety of your water, when they automatically fill with air.
passengers. But accidents can, and
There’s no excuse not to wear a life jacket on the water!
do happen with terrifying speed on
the water. There’s rarely time to
reach stowed life jackets.

The U.S. Coast Guard challenges

you and your passengers to wear
your life jacket all the time while
underway.

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Things to Know

• Certain life jackets are designed to keep your head above

water and help you remain in a position which permits
proper breathing.
Boating should be fun. Relaxing.
• To meet U.S. Coast Guard requirements, a boat must have Enjoyable. A great way to unwind.
a Coast Guard-approved Type I, II, III, or V life jacket for
each person aboard. Boats 16 feet and over must have at Remember, as the operator of a boat,
least one Type IV throwable device as well. you’re always in command of the safety of
your passengers — and other boaters
• All states have regulations
regarding life jacket wear around you.
by children. Life Jackets Save Lives
Know the equally potentially dangerous
• Adult-sized life jackets Life jackets have saved the
lives of boaters who... effects of alcohol, drugs, and prescription
will not work for chil- medications on the water.
• Capsized in rough water.
dren. Special life jackets
• Were sinking in unexpect-
are available. To work
edly heavy sea conditions.
correctly, a lifejacket
• Were thrown from the boat
must be worn, fit snugly,
and not allow the child’s
as a result of a collision.
• Were injured by rocks or NEVER
chin or ears to slip submerged objects.
through. • Were unconscious from
carbon monoxide fumes.
• Life jackets should be • Were tossed into freezing
tested for wear and water.
buoyancy at least once • Were thrown off balance
each year. Waterlogged, while fishing.
faded, or leaky jackets • Were unable to swim
should be discarded. because of heavy or
waterlogged clothing.
• Life jackets must be
properly stowed.

• A life jacket — especially a snug-fitting flotation coat or

deck-suit style — can help you survive in cold water.

12 Wear Your Life Jacket

YIC booklet 3 4/3/03 3:24 PM Page 14
It’s A Different World
In the marine environment — motion, vibration, engine noise,
sun, wind, and spray — intensify the effect of alcohol and
drugs. These “stressors” cause fatigue — and dramatically
affect a boat operator’s coordination, judgment, vision, and
reaction time.
There’s hidden danger too. Common prescription medica-
tions — like those for heart or blood pressure – could possibly
have side effects that can be multiplied by environmental
stressors. So BUI is a factor even for those who don’t drink or
use dangerous drugs.
Levels of blood alcohol or medications that would have little
impact on land can potentially cause a much greater degree of
impairment for the operator of a boat.
That’s one reason BUI is a clearly identified contributor to
approximately 33% of fatal boating accidents.
14
Don’t Let Drinking or Drugs Put You Under
The physical effects of BUI can directly threaten your safety
and well-being:
• Your peripheral vision, night vision, focus, and ability to
distinguish colors (particularly red and green) diminish.
• Your inner ear can be disturbed, making it impossible to
distinguish up from down if you fall in the water.
• A physical sensation of warmth may make it easier to fall
victim to hypothermia.
• Your cognitive abilities and judgment deteriorate.
• Your balance and coordination are impaired.
• Your reaction time decreases.
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A boat operator with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC)
above 0.10% is estimated to be more than ten times as likely
to die in a boating accident than a sober operator. Most states,
and the federal government have a BAC limit of .08%.
It’s ILLEGAL to operate a boat — any boat, from a canoe, row-
boat, or PWC to the largest vessel — under the influence of
alcohol or dangerous drugs. The U.S. Coast Guard and local
law enforcement agencies cooperate to enforce stringent state
and federal laws. Penalties can include large fines, suspen-
sion or revocation of boat operator privileges, and even jail
terms.
Are You Under the Influence?
This table shows the approximate impact of alcohol consump-
tion based on body weight. Remember that many factors —
including waterborne stressors, prescription medications, and
fatigue — can increase the effects. There is no “safe” thresh-
old for operating a boat!
Approximate Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC)
Percentage

If you are determined to be operating a vessel while intoxicat- Drinks Body Weight in Pounds
ed, the Coast Guard may terminate your voyage, board your 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240
vessel, arrest you, detain you until you are no longer intoxi-
cated, or turn you over to state or local authorities. 1 0.04 0.04 0.03 0.03 0.02 0.02 0.02 0.02

2 0.09 0.07 0.06 0.06 0.05 0.04 0.04 0.04

3 0.13 0.11 0.09 0.08 0.07 0.07 0.06 0.06

4 0.18 0.15 0.13 0.11 0.10 0.09 0.08 0.07

5 0.22 0.18 0.16 0.14 0.12 0.11 0.10 0.09

6 0.26 0.22 0.19 0.17 0.15 0.13 0.12 0.11

7 0.31 0.26 0.22 0.19 0.17 0.15 0.14 0.13

8 0.35 0.29 0.25 0.22 0.20 0.18 0.16 0.15

9 0.40 0.33 0.28 0.25 0.22 0.20 0.18 0.17

10 0.44 0.37 0.31 0.28 0.24 0.22 0.20 0.18

Influenced
RARELY POSSIBLY DEFINITELY

This table gives a guide to average impact of alcohol con-

sumption for the number of drinks that are consumed over a
one-hour period.

16 17
YIC booklet 3 4/3/03 3:24 PM Page 18

Other Ways to Enjoy Boating Join America’s Premier Safe Boating Organizations.

Remember that cruising, fishing, paddling, skiing, and other

water sports are enjoyable in their own right. Never use dan- The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary
gerous drugs. Be aware of the effects of certain prescription
Established by Congress in 1939 to assist the
medications. And consider these alternatives to alcohol:
Coast Guard in promoting boating safety, the
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary boasts nearly
• Consider having no alcohol aboard — intoxicated passen-
33,000 members from all walks of life who
gers are also at risk of injury and falls overboard.
receive special training so that they may be a functional part
of Team Coast Guard. Auxiliarists assist the Coast Guard in
• Take other cool drinks, like sodas, water, iced tea, lemon-
non-law enforcement programs such as public education, ves-
ade, or other non-alcoholic beverages.
sel safety checks, safety patrols, search and rescue, marine
environmental protection and Coast Guard Academy intro-
• Bring plenty of food and snacks.
duction programs for youth. Auxiliarists volunteer more than
2 million hours annually to benefit other boaters and their
• Wear clothing that will keep you and your passengers cool
families. Visit www.cgaux.org or call 1-877-875-6296 for
in the summer, warm in the winter.
information.
• Limit your trip to avoid fatigue.

The United States Power Squadrons®

Organized in 1914, USPS is a non-profit,
® educational organization dedicated to mak-
ing boating safer and more enjoyable by
teaching classes in seamanship, navigation,
and related subjects. Squadron members are boating families
who contribute to their communities by promoting safe boat-
ing through education. They enjoy participating with fellow
members on the water and in the classroom. USPS has some
60,000 members organized into 450 squadrons across the
country and in some US territories. USPS is America’s largest
non-profit boating organization and has been honored by
three US presidents for its civic contributions. Visit
www.usps.org or call 1-888-FOR-USPS.

18 Never Boat Under the Influence 19

YIC booklet 3 4/3/03 3:24 PM Page 20

The Coast Guard thanks the following partners for their

support of Boating Safety:

U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary

USCG Headquarters G-OCX
2100 2nd Street SW
Washington, DC 20593
202-267-1001
www.cgaux.org

United States Power Squadrons®

1504 Blue Ridge Road Rd.
Raleigh, NC 27607
919-821-0281
www.usps.org

National Association of State Boating Law Administrators

1500 Leestown Road, Suite 330
Lexington KY 40511
859-225-9487
www.nasbla.org

National Safe Boating Council

P.O. Box 509
Bristow, VA 20136
703-361-4294
www.safeboatingcouncil.org

National Water Safety Congress

P.O. Box 1632
Mentor-on-the-Lake, OH, 44061
440-209-9805
www.watersafetycongress.org

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YIC booklet 3 4/3/03 3:24 PM Page iv

Get a Vessel Safety Check for your

boat today. Visit VesselSafetyCheck.org
or call 1-800-368-5647.

Learn boating safety your way. Visit

AmericasBoatingCourse.com or call
1-866-BOAT-ABC (1-866-262-8222)

Never Boat Under the Influence.

Visit uscgboating.org or call
1-800-368-5647 for more information.

Wear Your Life Jacket. Visit

uscgboating.org or call 1-800-368-5647
for more information.