By Wayne Spivak
National Press Corps
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary
It is often said that a young mind is an
impressionable one. There is great truth to this
saying, as countless academic studies have proven that
a young mind is like a sponge; it will just keep
soaking up knowledge.
While it's important for these young minds to soak
up knowledge about the 3R's (reading, writing and
arithmetic), for those who enjoy the water, or whose
parents enjoy the water, there is no better time than
to instill recreational boating safety values into
those little adorable sponges.
PFD's
Some of my earliest memories about boating consist
of my father and uncle's on small row boats. We'd go
out fishing on small lakes throughout upstate New York
; a couple of oars, fishing rods, bait, tackle box,
but I really don't remember any life jackets. I do
remember mostly having a single worn out cushion.
Whether it floated, or was a floatation device, I
couldn't say.
Today, even if there wasn't a Federal Law in place,
we as adults should be inculcating our children on the
need to wear Personal Flotation Devices (PFD's). For
those of us who do a lot of boating, think about
spending a few extra bucks and getting a PFD which is
as comfortable, and bulk less as possible.
Don't forget snazzy! Children are style conscious.
If you ever walk around docks where there are kids,
you're bound to hear complaining about wearing their
PFD's. The old style horseshoe Type II jackets just
don't cut it with today's aspiring child stars.
However, a sporty Type II or Type III jacket with
psychedelic colors or hearts on them will get the kids
excited!
Nautical Terminology
Here again, is an easy way to increase your child's
educational quotient, while at the same time
instilling information that can serve to increase the
safety of all, while aboard yours or someone else's
boat. Starboard, Port, forward, aft - these simple
terms are extremely important when describing an
action in relation to a given boat.
Using proper terminology can be life saving for
both the child and adult, because it eliminates
confusion.
Radio Procedures
As a kid, we never had a radio in our boats. They
were just too expensive. We also didn't have Ebay! But
today, Ebay aside, VHF radios of all kinds, sizes, and
dollar ranges abound.
That being said, ever listen to the marine radio on
a fine summer weekend? No, I'm not talking about the
rude adults, or those who need some radio manners and
education, I'm talking about the unsupervised children
who get on the radio, because it's a cool toy!
Educating our children on the "who, what, where and
why's" of radio procedures can benefit recreational
boating safety in several ways. First, it gets the
kids off the radio. Second, should your child ever
need to really use the radio, they will know how, and
both the Coast Guard and others who listen to Channel
16 will hear a difference in tone - and quality of
information.
Proper use of nautical terminology helps in this
area. Using proper terminology and radio procedure can
be crucial in "trusting" the information the child is
giving.
Lastly, teaching your child how to use the radio
will help them in school. Public speaking, whether in
front of a small class or on the radio, is a learned
trait. This unfortunately isn't taught until college,
so you're actually preparing the child early.
Basic Navigation
Nothing could be worse than
providing all the aforementioned training, and leaving
out basic navigation. All children (obviously age
dependent) can be taught to read a chart, and by using
landmarks, give an approximation of their current
location.
By making it a game, you can instill more safety
values, as well as again, assist your child advance in
terrestrial life (school) by giving them real-life
experience in skills that they may not learn for
several years, or only learn in "book" form.
Safety Equipment
Lastly, and certainly not least,
we should teach our children about the safety
equipment we carry on our boats. The fire
extinguisher, flares, whistles, mirrors, the radio are
all items that should not be foreign to them.
Remember, even though they are a child, they are a
member of the crew, and while again, this is age
dependent, they can be crucial to observing, and
avoiding dangerous situations.
Teach your child and a fire extinguisher works.
Teach them the ABC's of fire fighting. Have them
practice with an extinguisher. You may never know when
this experience can come in handy, whether on the boat
or in the kitchen.
Teach them about flares, the dangers and the
benefits of using them properly. Teach them how to use
them, when to use them, and most of all, that they are
NOT A TOY. Side stepping this issue is dangerous. Ask
any police officer about how they've taught their
children about (not) handling their firearms, and that
they are anything but a toy.
Teach our children about whistles and mirrors,
which should be attached to their PFD's. Tell them,
show them, and practice with them, not only using
these pieces of safety equipment, but man overboard
drills.
Our children are never too young to learn. It is
just how we go about teaching them recreational
boating safety that is the difference. Make a game of
each lesson. Make it enjoyable. As they get older, add
more and more information, so by the time our children
become teenagers, they are not only able to take the
boat out (local law permitting), but are fully
knowledgeable about the operation of both vessel and
recreational boating safety.
The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary can assist
in this process. We have several programs available
for children, such as Boating Fun (4 - 9 year olds),
and Waypoints (10 - 12 year olds). Many of the older
children (9 years old and up) take Boating Safely with
their parents.
For more information, please contact your local
Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla. You can find them by
contacting your local Coast Guard unit (www.uscg.mil)
or on the web at
www.uscgaux.org.