Experts give tips during National Safe Boating Week

Memorial Day heralds the start of boating season in the Ocean State. With record numbers of recreational boaters on the Bay and new boaters dropping in each season, boating safety has become vitally important to Rhode Island summers.

National Safe Boating Week, an initiative by the National Safe Boating Council, takes place from May 20-26 and highlights both reminders and new legislation for individuals utilizing all types of watercraft.

The United States Coast Guard recently released recreational boating statistics for 2022, noting that alcohol continued to be the leading known contributing factor in fatal boating accidents in 2022.

Of note as well, "Where the cause of death was known, 75 percent of fatal boating incident victims drowned. Of those drowning victims with reported life jacket usage, 85 percent were not wearing a life jacket."

Because of Rhode Island's unique coastal landscape, even those who do not choose to operate boats are encouraged to partake, either by canoe, kayak, paddleboard, river raft, or other personal paddle craft. Up until this year, though, individuals utilizing personal paddle crafts were not required by law to wear a personal flotation device.

In March of 2023, however, a new Rhode Island law came into effect.

"Unfortunately, last year," Michael Schipritt, RI Environmental Police Captain and Boating Law Administrator said, "one hundred percent of our boating fatalities in Rhode Island were paddle craft operators not wearing a PFD."

"We were just seeing too many paddle craft users that were dying from preventable reasons, so we decided that we had to do something about it this year," Schipritt continued.

As the state's Boating Law Administrator, Schipritt personally sees and reviews all laws and regulations related to boating.

"Since COVID, we’ve seen boating numbers, especially small boats and paddle craft numbers, go through the roof," he said. This new law being enacted was a direct result of the casualties that occurred during the 2022 season.

Colleen Roche, the Northeast Navigation Manager at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association's Office of Coast Survey, notes that watercraft users becoming aware of the differences between air temperature and water temperature, especially early and late in the season, could mean the difference between life and death.

"Very specific to our region," she said, "cold water safety is really, really important. It's something people don't think about on a beautiful, sunny day."

Problems start when bodies at 98.6 degrees plunge unwittingly into deceivingly cold waters.

"Your body will have the same reaction to whether water is 35 degrees or 65 degrees," she explained.

"Knowing the temperature of the water, your body's reaction to cold water and that there's nothing you can do to change that, and wearing a life vest are probably the most important things we can do to stay safe on the water."

Roche noted that the Mariner's Dashboard, an online tool created by the Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems, is excellent for monitoring water temperature, wave heights, wind speeds, and other pertinent information for seafarers, and can help to keep boaters out of harm's way.

Phil LeBlanc, proprietor of Safe/Sea and a state- and nationally-accredited boating safety instructor, has sadly seen the worst of what can happen on the water.

Safe/Sea offers services similar to the ones AAA offers motorists — 24-hour on-the-water boat towing, jump starts, and fuel delivery for boaters via an annual membership fee.

LeBlanc also trains and works with the police and military.

Due to the range of predicaments, including accidents and casualties, LeBlanc has responded to, he has amassed a significant amount of boating wisdom.

One such regulation is making sure boaters are wearing their cutoff switch lanyards when operating their watercrafts. In the event of an accident, big waves, or the driver being thrown from a boat, removing the cutoff switch from the boat cuts the engine to curtail further harm.

"I have personally seen and recovered bodies from the water that have been run over because nobody had a cutoff switch on," LeBlanc said.

"There is also a new ‘Slow Down-Move Over’ law similar to what you see on the highways. When you see flashing lights on the highway, you’re required to slow down and move over. That has been enacted in the State of Rhode Island. That's something I’m actually very, very proud of because I was one of the three people nationally who helped craft that law."

LeBlanc shared that by keeping boats away from a craft receiving assistance he can both do his job more effectively and board or move between boats more safely.

"They are no longer legally allowed to just go plowing by there and throwing big waves as we’re trying to help people out of the water or between boats or assist or do boardings," he said.

LeBlanc explained that it is rarely one mistake that gets boaters into trouble, but most often a chain of avoidable actions that ultimately result in danger.

He noted that knowing one's location is paramount at all times, but especially in the event of an emergency. In addition to being able to share one's precise location, he noted that he strongly prefers boaters carry VHF radios in addition to their cell phones, as cell phones become less reliable offshore.

Boaters having the correct number, size, type, and accessibility to personal flotation devices is also quite important to LeBlanc.

"When something goes wrong," he said, "and the boat is sinking, you’ve got a bag of PFDs that's hidden under a cooler, a six-pack, everybody's jackets, your anchor, your anchor rope, and the blanket you brought on board."

Keeping PFDs accessible saves critical time in an emergency.

Safe/Sea employs eight captains and has someone on duty 24/7. Safe/Sea operates in the Ocean State from March 1 to December 31 and is available to all Rhode Island boaters.

Mark Raymond Jr. of New Orleans, Louisiana, was out boating with a few buddies on July 4, 2016, when tragedy occurred. He dove off the side of the boat into shallow water, leading to injuries that left him a C-5 quadriplegic. With all the lakes, ponds, rivers, and inlets in Rhode Island, it behooves boaters to be keenly aware of their basic depth before leaving the boat.

After two very painful years during which Raymond Jr. suffered physically and mentally, he started The Split Second Foundation. The Split Second Foundation attempts to break barriers for individuals with disabilities.

Though his foundation is based in Louisiana, the plan, which provides financial support, places to safely participate in physical exercise, and reduced-cost medical care, he is soon moving into Texas and hoping to expand throughout the country.

Mark said that split-second decision on the water left him in a wheelchair.

All boaters in Rhode Island born after January 1, 1986, or operating a Personal Watercraft (Jet Ski) regardless of age, are required to be Boating Safety Certified. It is best practice, however, that all boaters partake in some manner of boating safety education before operating any type of watercraft.

Classes are offered online and in-person and study materials for the state exam are available online as well. Visit dem.ri.gov for requirements and resources.

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