AMSEA’s Port-Based Safety Training PART--1

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine by Mr. Jerry Dzugan, executive director, Alaska Marine Safety Education Association.

Commercial fishing has been a mainstay for all of the communities on the emerald-green island of Kodiak, which rises out of the Gulf of Alaska about 25 miles from its mainland, about 200 miles from Anchorage.

Unfortunately, plane fare to Anchorage to take fishing vessel safety training would cost around $600. Fortunately for Kodiak fishermen, they do not have to travel to take safety training, since it has been brought to them for years.

History
Individuals from the University of Alaska Sea Grant/Marine Advisory Program and Coast Guard air stations in Alaska pulled together resources from their own agencies, and flew out to remote fishing ports to teach marine safety workshops.

The non-profit group Alaska Marine Safety Education Association (AMSEA) was formed to address the high fatality rates in boating activities. Core principles of AMSEA’s safety training program:

• the training had to be meaningful, relevant, and hands-on,
• it had to be delivered to their homeports when fishermen were not fishing, additionally, the training needed to be low- or no-cost to effectively include even small fishing ports that did not have a steady cash economy.

Program Basics

Initial efforts focused on four areas.
First, new information needed to be incorporated in a cold weather-relevant marine safety manual on cold water survival.

Second, marine safety instructors needed to be trained so remote fishing ports could have their own local training resources.

Third, an inventory of marine safety training gear such as immersion suits, life rafts, wearable lifejackets, etc., had to be established so this gear could be procured, maintained, and sent to instructors in these ports.

Finally, these instructors would need support staff to help acquire funding, promote safety workshops, maintain training gear, coordinate classes, and perform other duties.

PICTURED: AMSEA instructor Steven Campbell explains to commercial fishermen how to form a human raft in pool exercises. USCG photo.

In Part 2 we will explore the AMSEA’s training accomplishments and results.

Full article is available at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/winter2010-11/

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The Coast Guard Auxiliary: Helping yourself while helping others.

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine by AUX Gary Nordlinger, The Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Each year the Coast Guard invests millions of dollars training auxiliarists in areas such as leadership, seamanship, public affairs, website design, instruction, and facilitation. Like active duty Coast Guard personnel, auxiliarists undergo background checks as part of their enrollment process to determine their suitability for service.

Auxiliarists are trained to Coast Guard standards and regularly serve alongside the active duty in various capacities and at venues ranging from cutters to command centers, medical facilities, and Coast Guard headquarters.

Accomplishments: In 2009, USCG Auxiliarists donated more than 4.5 million hours to public safety and support of the U.S. Coast Guard. Public outreach programs are among our most important activities, and span a wide range of missions, as noted below.

• Vessel safety checks: Auxiliarists conduct about 100,000 complimentary vessel safety checks each year on recreational craft to make sure safety equipment is in working order and sufficient in quantity and the vessel is seaworthy.


• Public education classes: Each year thousands of boaters complete auxiliary courses on boating skills, seamanship, navigation, sailing, and other related topics.


• Marine dealer visits: Auxiliarists make tens of thousands of visits each year to businesses selling boats and boating-related products to stock public displays of boating safety literature and publicize upcoming boating safety classes.


• Public affairs: In 2009 alone, auxiliarists devoted more than 180,000 hours staffing booths at boat shows, giving presentations to civic and educational organizations, and reaching out to the news media and boating public regarding boating safety and maritime security.


• Legislative outreach: Auxiliarists maintain close relationships with state legislatures, state boating administrators, and other public and non-profit organizations.


• Coast Guard recruiting: Hundreds of auxiliarists support Coast Guard active duty recruiting efforts and also visit high schools to encourage students to consider applying to the Coast Guard Academy.

Full article is available at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2010.

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Marine Experts on Call\The boating accident investigation Tiger Team

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine by Mr. Phil Cappel, chief, Recreational Boating Product Assurance Branch
U.S. Coast Guard Office of Auxiliary and Boating Safety

The widespread use of the Internet by the news media has provided the capability to conduct nationwide searches of online news articles regarding boating accidents. This capability allows the USCG Boating Safety Program to monitor boating accidents and identify if there are any trends of accidents in a particular area, with a particular type of boat, or during a particular type of boating activity.

It also affords our Product Assurance Branch the means to follow up with the media contact or the accident investigating official. The Product Assurance Branch was particularly interested in:

• accidents in which boats less than 20 feet in length sank,
• carbon monoxide poisoning incidents,
• propeller injury incidents,
• any accident where a defective product was suspected to have contributed to or directly caused the accident.

On January 23, 2003, the on-call, fast-response team of marine experts was established. This team quickly came to be known as the accident investigation “Tiger Team.”

Results Right off the Bat
Within its first few months the team investigated an accident involving a near-sinking of a boat less than 20 feet in length that led to a recall of several thousand boats that did not have the required amount of flotation.

The team also solicited State Boating Law Administrators to identify appropriate accidents for follow up, and offered to assist state boating accident investigators. This began what would become a productive partnership.

Appreciation of Efforts
Tiger Team investigations have resulted in recalls of boats that were not in compliance with the federal safety regulations or boats containing defects that were identified as causing a substantial risk of injury to the public.

Additionally, the Tiger Team has assisted accident investigators in making determinations of the causes of accidents that otherwise may have gone unresolved. (See the “Mysteries Solved” posts coming soon.)

Full article is available at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2010.

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Recreational Boat Manufacturer Factory Visit Program Brings Substance to Style

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine by Mr. Luke Woodling, Digital Content Manager, Water Sports, Bonnier Corporation.

Visit Program. The Coast Guard’s Recreational Boat Manufacturer Factory Visit program affords water ski and wakeboard boat manufacturers the peace of mind that boats coming off their assembly lines are as safe as possible, which is particularly reassuring in a market that is so family-focused.

What do the Manufacturers Think About the Program? Dan Gasper, the director of research and development at Malibu Boats, said “It’s comforting to know that you’re building by those specifications, because you know the boat will be safe. Safety is what they’re all about.”

“It’s not as if they print these regulations and run,” added Bill Snook, chief engineer at Nautique Boats. “They come in and look over our shoulder and see what we’re building. There is peace of mind in that.”

Results. The Coast Guard’s regulations and factory visit program do more than just instill confidence—they also enable water ski and wakeboard boat manufacturers to focus on innovation.

Resources that would have to be dedicated to developing and carrying out safety protocols are instead freed up to design everything from state-of-the-art dashboards to more functional towers and ballast systems.

“Without the Coast Guard’s support, we’d have to put more of our resources into solving problems and making sure that we’re building a safe product,” Snook said. “Now all we have to do is follow the specifications—buy this part and assemble it in this way. We don’t have to invent any of that. All we have to do is follow what they specify, and we know we have a much better and safer product.”

Full article is available at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2010.

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Recreational Boating Safety Outreach.

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine by Mr. Alston Colihan, Technical Writer

The Office of Auxiliary and Boating Safety administers a variety of educational outreach programs to help reduce the numbers of boating accidents, fatalities, injuries, and property damage involving recreational boats. Some examples include:

The Boat Factory Visit Program
Requires recreational boat manufacturers to self-certify compliance with U.S. Coast Guard safety standards.

The credibility of that certification process is maintained by:

visits to domestic boat manufacturing plants to educate boat builders,
the authority to assess penalties against boat builders who are willfully non-compliant.

This program requires the manufacturer or importer to certify that each of its boats complies with federal safety standards. The Coast Guard does not require specific procedures to determine compliance, so the manufacturer may employ a third-party certification service, use an independent laboratory, or use the company’s in-house technical staff.

National Marine Manufacturers Association Yacht Certification Program
Offers member manufacturers’ boat inspections by third-party inspectors to certify compliance with Coast Guard safety standards and voluntary American Boat and Yacht Council standards.

Educational Efforts: New boat manufacturers are provided with a “Boatbuilder’s Handbook” CD, which contains information regarding the laws, regulations, and safety standards applicable to builders of recreational boats; copies of compliance guidelines and explanations for test procedures for each of the safety standards; and a variety of references concerning boat manufacturing, compliance testing, and the recreational boating product assurance program.

Visit Schedule: The Recreational Boating Factory Visit Program employs “compliance associates,” most of whom were former inspectors in the Coast Guard commercial vessel safety program.

The visit schedule is as follows:
annual visits to manufacturers whose boats are subject to most of the standards;
biennial visits to manufacturers whose boats are subject to some of the standards;
manufacturers of other boats that are excepted from the standards, such as canoe and kayak manufacturers, are visited at least once every three years.

These visits ensure that manufacturers understand the safety standards, know how to comply with them, and can inspect any boats under construction for compliance. In addition, boat manufacturers are also made aware of voluntary safety standards such as those published by the American Boat and Yacht Council.

Product Assurance Enforcement: The Coast Guard is exploring better coordination between the boating safety program and local Officers in Charge, Marine Inspection in the enforcement of civil penalties for recreational boat manufacturer violations.

The Recreational Boating Safety Visitation Program
Formerly known as the Marine Dealer Visitor Program, the program’s goal is to build long-lasting relationships with the recreational boating safety community as a whole.

PICTURED: A compliance associate inspects a boat’s wiring harness.

Full article is available at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2010.

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The Case for Mandatory Recreational Boating Education

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine by Mr. Fred W. Poppe, Vice President, of National Boating Federation.

A recent Coast Guard study indicates that fewer boating fatalities occur in states that have implemented requirements for boat operators to be educated in a more rapid timeframe.

Thus, the course for future reduction in accidents, injuries, and fatalities is clear:

• Every state should enact mandatory boating education for all recreational vessel operators.
• The National Boating Federation, its member organizations, and their delegates continue to be involved in efforts to pass mandatory boating education laws in their states. In addition, members participate in and contribute to 42 national, regional, and international maritime organizations through the federation’s executive committee members and member delegates.

Full article is available at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2010.

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US SAILING Encourages Boaters to Wear Life Jackets

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine by Mr. Richard Jepsen, US SAILING

In the early 1980s, the United States Yacht Racing Union (now US SAILING) began a program of youth training and studied the statistics on the risks of boating.

It took seriously the statistical findings that pointed to enhanced safety for wearers of life jackets who found themselves unexpectedly in the water. As a result, the organization decided to start training youth to wear life jackets as part of sailing right from their first time away from the dock.

Put It On—US SAILING’s training program guidelines requires students, instructors, and instructor trainers to wear life jackets while aboard all boats while underway or on a mooring.

The common theme at US SAILING is that promoting life jacket wear from the beginning of an individual’s boating career creates better “buy-in” and dramatically increases the likelihood he or she will wear a life jacket while boating.

The Hanson Rescue Medal—the organization also maintains statistics on person-in-water rescue attempts and funds a rescue award called the Hanson Rescue Medal to encourage boaters to report rescue attempts in detail to help gather data on real-life incidents.

Not surprisingly, a brief perusal shows that successfully rescued sailors almost always were wearing a life jacket.

Full article is available at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2010.

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What is the best life jacket on the market? The one you will wear.

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine by Ms. Dorothy Takashina, Personal Flotation Device Manufacturers Association

The Personal Flotation Device Manufacturers Association, comprised of life jacket and life jacket component manufacturers, continually works to improve standards and test methods by subsidizing independent studies and volunteering with industry work groups.

Wear It—Don’t Stow It!— Recreational boaters use life jackets classified by the Coast Guard as Type I, Type II, or Type III.

• Type I has a minimum of 22 lbs. buoyancy. The bulky Type I life jacket is classified as “offshore” and is designed for survival in rough, open water where quick rescue is unlikely.


• Type II has a minimum of 15.5 lbs. buoyancy and more stringent performance requirements than Type I, such as righting (turning many wearers face-up in the water). Type II is suitable for a wide variety of boating activities in calm inland waters where fast rescue is likely.


• Type III life jackets also have a minimum of 15.5 lbs. buoyancy but do not have the more stringent standards required of Type II jackets. Type III jackets are generally considered the most comfortable for continuous wear and the most suitable for active water sports.

Inflatable Life Jackets—The first inflatable life jackets were U.S. Coast Guard-approved in 1996 and are gaining in popularity. They come in several variations, but basically work the same way: A gas-tight bladder is folded into a durable cover until the life jacket inflates or is inflated by firing a CO2 cylinder.

Inflatable PFDs may also be classified as Type I, II, or III:

• Fully inflated Type I and Type II life jackets have a minimum of 34 lbs. buoyancy. Both types are suitable for off-shore use in open, rough waters, and for general boating and coastal cruising due to their slim design. Righting action is faster with the higher buoyancy of Types I and II. Type I inflatable PFDs have highly visible coloring, enhancing rescue.


• The Type III inflatable life jacket has a minimum of 22.5 lbs. of buoyancy and is required to have righting ability.

All inflatable life jackets require re-arming and periodic maintenance.

Full article is available at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2010.

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Marine Inspector Competency and Consistency: Steam Certification Board Guide

The Vintage Vessel National Center of Expertise (NCOE) and the Office of Traveling Inspectors released the Certification Board Guide for the Steam Portion of the Machinery Inspector-Steam.  The purpose of this guide is to provide references, methods to develop questions, and memory keys for the members of Machinery Inspector-Steam Certification Boards.  The guide is not an all-inclusive list, but simply a suggested line of questioning. 

This is the first training product of its kind.  There are plans to produce similar Certification Board Guides by this and other NCOEs for additional types of certifications.

Note: The technical content of the guide was created through the collaboration of the CGHQ Traveling Inspection Staff and the Vintage Vessel National Center of Expertise (VVNCOE) in Duluth, MN, including Mr. Eugene Walroos, Chief Engineer, Ret.; Mr. Stephen Petersen, CWO4 Naval Engineer, Ret.; and CWO4 Andrew Adolphson. Final review and consultation was provided by the National Centers of Expertise Training Support Staff, Yorktown, VA.

The Boy Scouts of America promotes aquatic safety.

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine by Mr. Keith Christopher, National Events Director / Sea Scouts National Director, Boy Scouts of America

All aquatic activities comply with Boy Scouts of America “Safe Swim Defense” and “Safety Afloat” programs, which outline mandatory minimum standards that all leaders must be trained in before conducting sanctioned aquatic programs.

Sea ScoutsBoy Scouts of America Sea Scout units, called “ships,” focus on boating skills and promote knowledge of our maritime heritage. Sea Scouts learn to maintain and safely operate a vessel, as well as the meanings of buoys and lights, how to take advantage of wind and tide, and how to drop anchor or approach a dock.

Full article is available at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2010.

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Proceedings Summer 2011 Issue Available Online

The current edition of Proceedings (Summer 2011 – The Marine Transportation System: Value to the nation) is available online at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/.

This issue highlights how the Committee on the Marine Transportation System productively rallies interagency policy and activities to support the U.S. marine transportation system.

Additionally, it gives appropriate credit to the committee’s efforts with thousands of key individuals in the maritime industry, and raises awareness of how the marine transportation system directly impacts the nation.

The USCG Marine Patrol Officer Course

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine by Mr. Mike Baron, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist, U.S. Coast Guard Boating Safety Division Program Operations Branch

To meet the requirements of the Federal Boating Safety Act of 1971, the Coast Guard established the National Boating Safety School. Although the course was originally focused on federal requirements and basic boating safety law enforcement techniques, over the years legislation was enacted that required states to take the primary role in their own recreational boating programs.

In support of these new requirements, the Coast Guard launched the National Safe Boating Instructor Course in 1983 with a curriculum focused on training law enforcement officers to conduct boating safety classes for the public while also training fellow marine patrol officers as instructors.

In 2000 the curriculum was updated to include practical field knowledge, training methodologies, and skills, and the course name was changed to the Marine Patrol Officer Course.

Curriculum
The course is two weeks long and is conducted four times each year.
During the first week, students alternate between training methodologies and skills development to develop a training session based on the federal carriage requirements for recreational boating safety. The officers present their training session at the end of the week to the other officers in class and the MPOC staff.

The second week is devoted to field skills. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Academy staff conduct training on boating under the influence regulations and detection, firearms laws, navigation rules scenarios, and water survival techniques. National Association of State Boating Law Administrator instructors conduct training on boating accident response and the reporting process. An instructor and certified marine investigator from the International Association of Marine Investigators conduct classroom training on stolen boat identification, followed by a practical field exercise.

Attendees also practice tactical procedures in “shoot houses.” These scenarios are performed in a mock-up building that resembles a ship as well as aboard a former break bulk freighter-turned-training-platform that is part of the FLETC’s training resource inventory.

Who Attends MPOC
The Marine Patrol Officer Course is open to all federal, state, and local marine patrol officers. As the course curriculum is not designed for senior boating safety officers, the preferred candidate possesses less than seven years of experience in boating safety. The ideal candidate demonstrates good potential to train fellow law enforcement officers or to teach boating safety to the public.

The student’s agency or department is responsible for transportation to and from Charleston, S.C. The Coast Guard provides all training materials, lodging, and meals. To date nearly 3,000 marine patrol officers have graduated.

For more information:
Full article is available at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2010.

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The Legislative Process

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine by AUX Christopher Ware, Director, USCGAUX Government Affairs

The Coast Guard Auxiliary has more than 60 legislative liaison officers who track legislative actions on issues including life jacket wear, public education, boating under the influence, and personal watercraft operation.

The Coast Guard also allows Coast Guard Auxiliarists to testify on legislative matters such as life jacket wear, carbon monoxide detection, boating under the influence, and mandatory education for boaters.

Boat Operations and Training (BOAT)
Created in cooperation with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, the U.S. Navy Center for Asymmetric Warfare, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, and the U.S. Coast Guard Office of Boat Forces, the BOAT program establishes a national standard for the training, qualification, credentialing, and typing of maritime law enforcement and rescue personnel.

Adapted from the U.S. Coast Guard’s boat forces training framework, the BOAT program is comprised of maritime training and management components, including:\

• system policy,
• the training and qualification process,
• boat crew qualification tasks,
• program manager roles and responsibilities,
• boat crew currency maintenance,
• documentation requirements.
  Other training modules, including search and rescue, are being developed.

For more information:
Full article is available at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2010.

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United States Power Squadrons

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine by Vice Commander Robert Sweet, Senior Navigator, National Educational Officer, United States Power Squadrons

With grant funding provided by the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Safety Trust Fund, and administered by the U.S. Coast Guard, United States Power Squadrons (USPS) is refining a program that can be delivered across the country to a large number of boaters.

Training the Trainers
The principal challenge is training enough boaters to make a difference. USPS has established a system for training advanced certifiers who can instruct the program. More than 400 individuals have been certified by USPS trainers to administer this program in the past year, and this training continues. The initial program is being tailored to address key risk factors and areas of concern expressed by boaters.

Audience ParticipationThe program includes extensive classroom training to help boaters understand how boats behave in the water and why and how they respond to controls. Animations, videos, and graphics-based text help to explain boat actions and maneuvers.

By the time participants getto the helm on the water, they know what to expect, so their helm time is much more efficient and helps them to quickly ingrain proper techniques.

For more information:

Website: www.usps.org or www.americasboatingcourse.com.

Full article is available at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2010

The Recreational Boating Safety State Grant Program—Part 2

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine

Program Areas:

Administration. A major facet under this category would be states’ boating accident reporting systems, which help the Coast Guard understand the causes of accidents to more effectively address the issues that may prevent them.

Law Enforcement, including accident investigations, stolen vessel investigations, and boater assistance.

Education. In 2008 almost 43 percent of the boater safety certificates issued were the result of an Internet or home study course, while 57 percent of participants attended classroom courses taught by state education specialists, state RBS officers, state volunteers, the Coast Guard Auxiliary, or the U.S. Power Squadrons.

Registration and Titling. Since the Federal Boating Safety Act of 1958, states and territories have had the authority to register and require vessels to be numbered. Revenue from registration fees is used to fund state boating safety programs in many states, and is a source of matching dollars for federal RBS grants.

Navigation Aids. With the increased number of boats on the water, there is a growing need for buoys, signs, and other waterway markers. These “signposts of the water” mark restrictions implemented under marine traffic management and provide important information to boaters.

Public Access. Since the mid-1980s acquisition, development, and maintenance of public access facilities has been an allowable cost for RBS grant funds.

What Have We Accomplished?

Through our efforts and those of our partners, recreational boating fatalities have been reduced from a high of 1,754 in 1973 to 709 in 2008 even though the number of recreational boats nearly doubled (from about 6.3 million to about 12.3 million).

Our partners include:
National Association of State Boating Law Administrators
the Coast Guard Auxiliary

U.S. Power Squadrons

the National Recreational Boating Safety Coalition

National Safe Kids Campaign

Mothers Against Drunk Driving

the American Medical Association
the American Academy of Pediatrics

the National Boating Federation

National Water Safety Congress

U.S. Sailing Association

Boat Owners Association of the United States

the American Canoe Association

For more information:Full article is available at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2010

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The Recreational Boating Safety State Grant Program—Part 1

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine by Mr. Gary Jensen and Ms. Lynne McMahan, U.S. Coast Guard Office of Auxiliary and Boating Safety

The Recreational Boating Safety State Grant Program was established in 1973, on the heels of the Federal Boat Safety Act of 1971, to supplement Coast Guard efforts. Although the Coast Guard is statutorily responsible for maritime safety, we are not staffed or funded to maintain an effective recreational boating safety program by ourselves.

User Pays/User Benefits
Funding for the program currently comes from the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, which gets its revenue, in part, from federal excise taxes on motorboat fuel, taxes on sport fishing equipment, and import duties on fishing tackle, yachts, and pleasure boats.

No general tax revenues are used—the funds come from the people who benefit from the services.

To be eligible for funds, a recreational boating safety program must have:

• a vessel numbering system,
• a cooperative boating safety assistance program with the Coast Guard,
• sufficient patrol and other activity to ensure adequate enforcement of applicable state boating safety laws and regulations,
• a sufficient state boating safety education program that includes disseminating information concerning the hazards of operating a vessel under the influence of alcohol or drugs,
• a marine casualty reporting system.

How Does This Work?
Of the funds appropriated for the state grant program, the Coast Guard is authorized to retain not more than two percent for the costs of administering it, and up to five percent for grants to national non-profit public service organizations to conduct national boating safety activities.

The balance is allocated as follows:

• One-third is allocated equally among participating states.
• One-third is allocated in the same ratio as the number of vessels numbered in the state bears to the number of vessels numbered in all participating states.
• One-third is allocated in the same ratio as the amount of the state’s prior-year expenditures for boating safety bears to the total prior-year expenditures for boating safety of all participating states.

A state cannot receive more than one-half of the total cost of its program, and funds may only be used for certain purposes.

Examples include:

• Providing facilities, equipment, and supplies for boating safety education and law enforcement.
• Training personnel in skills related to boating safety and enforcement of boating safety laws.
• Providing public boating safety education.
• Acquiring, constructing, or repairing public access sites used primarily by recreational boaters.
• Conducting boating safety inspections and marine casualty investigations.
• Establishing and maintaining emergency or search and rescue facilities, and providing emergency or search and rescue assistance.
• Establishing and maintaining waterway markers and other appropriate aids to navigation.
• Providing state recreational vessel numbering and titling programs.

In part 2 we will discuss program areas and results.

For more information:
Full article is available at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2010.

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The National Recreational Boating Survey

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine by Dr. Philippe Gwet, Mathematical Statistician, U.S. Coast Guard Office of Auxiliary and Boating Safety and Dr. Glenn Haas Professor, Colorado State University, Vice President

National Association of Recreation Resource Planners

The National Recreational Boating Survey has undergone a major redesign to collect extensive information about the U.S. boating population, recreational vessels, and boating activities. Survey data will support strategies to reduce accidents and casualties and will be used to plan for future demand and participation.

The redesigned survey includes questions to help determine what motivates boaters to boat safely, what boating safety campaigns influence them and by what delivery system, and why individuals completed a boating safety instruction course.

The Coast Guard will implement the next two surveys in 2011 and 2013 to measure:

• exposure


• boat and boater hours on the water


• boat hours in docked recreation


• boating participation and boat ownership


• total annual participation overall


• total annual participation by boat type


• total boat ownership


• boating safety awareness and behaviors


• life jacket use


• reasons for life jacket use


• alcohol use and boat operation


• economic impact of recreational boating


• money spent on boats


• money spent in communities on boat trips


• negative event incidence and risk


• actual and reported accidents that cause injury and boat damage


• boat statistics


• features of boats such as hull material and propulsion systems

Three Survey Types
This data will be collected through three survey instruments—the boat survey, trip survey, and participant survey.

The boat survey collects information about the number and type of boats as well as information about how much money boat owners spend on their boats.

The trip survey will proceed monthly during the survey year. The sample will be boats that have responded to the boat survey and will sample individual trips and collect information about what happened on those trips: how long they lasted, what safety events occurred, and what money was spent.

The participant survey collects information about who spent time boating during the year.

For more information:
Full article is available at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2010.

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History of Boating Surveys

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine

1960s
The Coast Guard began an informal survey process in the late ‘60s as an aid in allocating its boating safety resources. This initiative used a compilation of statistical data from various sources, including a statistical telephone survey of households in the Coast Guard’s Fifth District and an observational study of boating activities in the Chesapeake Bay.

This study revealed that 20 percent of the estimated 539,077 boat operators in the USCG Fifth District completed at least one formal boating safety course, and totaled about 76,473,600 exposure hours.

1970s
The second USCG-sponsored boating survey in 1974 collected data for the 1973 boating season. This was a national statistical survey designed with state-of-the-art methods, though based on a very small sample size—just 24,137 households.

While the household sample was too small to produce state-level boating statistics or national statistics by boat type, this survey introduced the concepts of “boat hours,” “passenger hours,” and “ratio of passenger hours per boat hour.” The statistics: boat hours were estimated at 1,549,137,000 hours; passenger hours 4,604,336,000.

The USCG conducted another national recreational boating survey in 1977 to collect 1976 boating season data. Although again small in scale (only 5,507 households), this was a well-designed statistical survey that produced broad national-level statistics on boat owners, operators, and boating activities among boating households.

Both the 1973 and 1976 surveys were weighted to yield continental U.S. estimates. For example, the 1976 survey estimated 11,322,000 recreational boats in the country with 2,255,624,000 boat hours and 7,635,246,000 passenger hours.

1980s-2002
In 1989, the USCG issued a grant to the American Red Cross to conduct a national recreational boating survey covering the period from October 1, 1988 through September 30, 1989. This survey was based on a sample of 3,700 recreational boating participants and estimated 4,922,143,730 passenger hours per year on owned, rented, or borrowed boats during 1989 (106.78 hours per boater).

The next USCG-sponsored survey produced only national-level boating statistics. The survey came in 1998 when a Coast Guard contractor conducted another national recreational boating survey based on a sample of 9,746 recreational boating participants.

In 2002 the USCG conducted a national recreational boating survey with the goal of producing state-level statistics. This survey was based on a substantial sample of 25,000 boat operators. However, its focus on only boat operators made the use of these statistics limited.

Stay tuned to learn about the redesigned USCG survey.

For more information:
Full article is available at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2010.

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E-NAVIGATION UNDERWAY 2012: An International Conference on e-Navigation

Information provided by and shared at the request of Mr. William Cairns, Principal Navigation Engineer, USCG Office of Navigation Systems, and member of the steering committee for this event.


After a successful 2011 conference with more than 130 participants from 21 countries, IALA and EfficienSea, with the support of the Nautical Institute and CIRM, have deci­ded to repeat the event.

This year the conference will have a broader perspective, including discussions of the overall e-Navigation process as well as demonstrations of practical e-Navigation tests. Furthermore, the industry will put their state-of-the-art navi­gation solutions up for display.

The aim will be to address the following issues:

What are the implications of the e-Navigation strategy implementation plan?

Who are the e-Navigation stakeholders, and what are their roles?

Harmonization of test bed methodology has previously been identified as a need. Has anything transpired?

An update on existing and new e-Navigation test beds will be given.

We hope and believe that the 2012 conference will attract as many and as qualified attendees as in 2011, so the high standard from the first conference can be maintained.


Further information is available at http://www.e-navigation.net/.

Download the conference pamphlet at http://www.efficiensea.org/files/e_navigation_underway_2012_.pdf.

Recreational Boating Accident Statistics and Trends

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine by Ms. Susan Tomczuk, U.S. Coast Guard Office of Auxiliary and Boating Safety and Dr. L. Daniel Maxim, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary

Fatality rates for recreational boating accidents have historically been expressed as fatalities per 100,000 registered boats. In 2008, the total number of recreational boating fatalities in the United States was 709, a fatality rate of 5.6 deaths per 100,000 registered boats. This fatality rate has declined over the years—more than 83 percent since these statistics were first analyzed.

This is gratifying, but from 1990 on, the average annual decrease in fatality rate was only 2.5 percent per year (denoted by the dashed red line in the chart), and annual fatalities appear to be “stuck” at around 700.

Most Boating Fatalities Are Drownings
Drowning accounts for the majority of fatalities, particularly on smaller boats. Personal watercraft accidents are more likely to result in blunt trauma injuries (mostly due to speed). PWCs have fewer drownings since most states require operators and passengers to wear life jackets.

Life Jackets Save Lives
Most boating drownings are sudden, unexpected events, typically resulting from capsizing or falls overboard, which provide little time to don a life jacket.

Life jacket wear rates are high for some boaters (typically skiers, personal watercraft occupants, and children), largely because they are legally required. But according to Coast Guard-sponsored life jacket wear rate observation studies, life jacket wear rates are not high for other boaters.

Alcohol Kills
One particularly telling boating accident report data field is the “primary contributing factor” for each reported accident. Each is plotted in the chart as a point showing the number of fatalities and number of accidents. For alcohol/drugs those numbers are 126 and 281.

Only factors resulting in at least 200 accidents or 25 fatalities are shown, the dashed lines show contours of constant ratios of fatalities per accident. The next figure illustrates contributing factors for casualties.

Alcohol/drugs remain important, but other factors increase in relative importance, such as inattention, proper lookout, speed, careless or reckless behavior, and passenger/skier behavior.

For more information:
Full article is available http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2010.

Online annual statistics reports are available at
http://www.uscgboating.org/statistics/accident_statistics.aspx.

Subscribe online at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/subscribe.asp.