Bob Conklin

In a year where overall recreational boating fatalities decreased from 710 in 2006 to 685 in 2007, the number of fatalities associated with the use of canoes/kayaks increased to 107 in 2007 as compared with 99 in 2006. This is according to statistics from the U.S. Coast Guard’s Office of Auxiliary and Boating Safety.

This figure represents 15.6 percent of all recreational boating fatalities in the U.S. in 2007. Of the 107 fatalities associated with kayaking/canoeing, 97 were from drowning (66 canoe, 31 kayak).

A recent study by the Outdoor Industry Foundation has shown a dramatic increase in the number of Americans participating in kayaking, a 23 percent increase in 2005 alone. As the number of people turning to kayaking and canoeing increases, so does the potential risk of kayak and canoe operators getting into trouble.

In the wake of Tropical Storm Fay and because we are in the prime eight weeks of hurricane season, I thought that a reminder on how to take care of your boat before a storm arrives might be in order.

Planning for the Storm
The four sources of danger to your boat are wind, rain, storm surge and flying debris, but with some preparation, you can reduce the damage to your boat. Always have a visual record of your boat in its undamaged condition, either by a video camera or still pictures.

After you have documented the condition of your boat, you can start preparing for the storm. What you do depends on where your boat is stored.

The good news is deaths resulting from recreational boating accidents fell in 2007, according to figures announced by the U.S. Coast Guard’s Boating Safety Division. The count dropped from 710 in 2006 to 688 in 2007, the lowest figure since 2004.

This is possibly a result of more boaters adopting responsible boating behaviors, such as making sure that everyone on board is wearing properly fitting, Coast Guard-approved life jackets at all times.

Many agencies are working to teach recreational boaters how they can make boating safer. These include the U.S. Coast Guard, National Safe Boating Council, National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Power Squadron.