Live Smart: Health and Safety Activities for Youth Clubs

Bulletin 907

Rocking the Boat

YOU WILL TEACH CLUB MEMBERS

To follow safety procedures when boating.

WHAT DO YOU NEED?

Life jacket, rope

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Ask club members: How many of you have ever been boating? Who has ever went canoeing or kayaking? Who has ever ridden on a jet ski or went waterskiing?

Ask club members: Have you ever tipped a boat? Have you ever been in a sinking boat? Have you ever capsized or flipped a boat?

Tell club members: Boating is fun. We even laugh when boats are tipped and canoes are flipped. However, in reality, this kind of "fun" is no laughing matter.

Ask club members: Why should we take boating seriously?
Answer: Boating is a hazardous sport. Each year some 800 people are killed in the United States while boating.

WHAT SHOULD YOU KNOW?

Ask club members: Why do boats tip and flip?
Answer: People tip and flip boats by not boarding them carefully or by overloading them.

Ask club members: What can you do to prevent tips?
Answer: When getting in a boat, be sure the dock lines are tied. In small boats, step to the center of the boat and stay low. Never overload a boat or load everything on one side. Watch the distance between the water and the top of the boat. If the boat sinks too low, it has been overloaded and may sink. You can also calculate the capacity of your boat by following this formula.

Number of people

=

(Length of boat in feet x width of boat) 15

Tell club members: Besides flipping a boat, there are many other safey issues you should be aware of when boating.

• Pay close attention to the weather. Sudden changes in wind direction, flashes of lightning, and rough water are all warning signs that a storm is approaching. In case of a storm, head for land. Lightning and water do not mix.
• Do not drink alcohol when boating. Drunk people are more likely to fall overboard. Alcohol also reduces your reaction time and makes operating the boat dangerous. If a drunk person's head goes under water, he/she may become confused. There have been instances where people have become so confused that they would swim down into the water, instead of swimming up to the surface.
• Always wear a life jacket and make sure you have enough life jackets for all of your passengers. These personal flotation devices cannot be shared.
• Never go boating without telling someone where you are going, who is going with you, and how long you will be gone.
• Check your boat, equipment, and engine, if there is one, before leaving the dock. Make sure you have plenty of fuel, also.
• Be prepared for the unexpected by carrying extra supplies with you. Keep a flashlight, batteries, flares and matches, sunscreen lotion, first aid kit, and sunglasses.
• Know and obey the traffic rules of the body of water in which you are boating.
• Reduce your speed at night and during periods of poor visibility.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Choose from the following list of activities.

1. Conduct a knot-tying demonstration. Teach members to tie knots like an overhand knot, a figure "8" knot, a square knot, or a granny knot. (Refer to the 4-H Rope project book.) Bring enough rope, string, or yarn so that everyone can practice. You can also hold a knot-tying contest and give prizes to the quickest members.
2. Organize a boating trip for the club.
3. If you have access to a pool, ask members to bring swimming gear. To emphasize the importance of wearing a life jacket, throw a life jacket in the pool. Ask members to take turns trying to put the life jacket on while they are in the water. This task is extremely difficult. After your demonstration, remind members that life jackets will not work properly if they are not worn. Therefore, life jackets must be worn before you get into the water or ride in a boat.
4. Place construction cones at various distances. Allow members to practice throwing a flotation device around the cones. Emphasize that all water rescues should be done from the shore; never enter the water to save someone. Special training is needed for in-water rescues.

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