Safe is fun, and fun is safe!

Nothing ruins a great day out at sea quicker than an accident. Many of these unfortunate mishaps can actually be avoided with a healthy dose of common sense and a little bit of preparation. Every good boater should know the ten items on this list, and consider offering friendly advice to fellow seafarers as well if you see these happening. However, if that is not possible, the best thing you can do is to avoid these vessels so that you are safe.

1. No dangling legs.

All appendages should be safely on board a moving boat. Any person overboard when the vessel is underway will come dangerously close to the propellers as there is very little time to react. There are a few highly useful techniques to use in these situations, which you can read in detail here.

2. Designated drivers.

If alcohol is available on board, always make sure the one at the helm is teetotalling. That may seem unnecessary, especially if you keep to the limit, but studies have shown that even a small amount of it will impair motor and decision-making skills. The safest approach is to abstain and switch between daily designated drivers so that everyone can have fun too.

3. Stay woke.

Try to keep wake small, especially in slow zones. One of the first few things a boater will learn is that boating is a friendly and all round gentlemanly diversion. Therefore, be alert of other boaters about and especially for smaller craft at anchor. Look back now and then to see the wake the boat is creating too, as different water depths and sea conditions will affect the severity of the wake.

4. Switch off.

In the same way, it’s good to switch off the engine whenever the boat is safely anchored. No one wants to hear the engines chunter away and be exposed to exhaust fumes. Good behaviour at the marina will add some sparkle to your boating experience, and you can read more about it here.

5. Practice parking.

One of the easiest ways to spot a new boater is by observing their parking technique. Therefore, it behoves one new to the hobby to learn to park well, as you won’t damage your vessel and the neighbours’. In extreme cases, a hard bump may even send someone overboard and injure them. If you spot a struggling parker, offer help if you can and give them plenty of space if you can’t.

6. Life jackets for everyone.

There must be a life jacket for every person on board. There are no two ways about it.

7. Give way.

Most boaters will know that there are a set of internationally recognised laws for boats underway known as the ‘rules of the road’. If you don’t know them, we highly encourage checking this Youtube channel out. If you encounter any boater flouts these laws, just give them a wide berth, and you may even have to report them for everyone’s safety.

8. Maintain your vessel.

Proper and regular maintenance ensures that your yacht is performing as she should at all times and that you are never left wet and worried out at sea. A dirty bottom in a clean waterway is always a dead giveaway (ok we’ll stop with the rhymes) that the boat is not cared for properly, and it may be an indicator of poor operators as well. Avoid them if possible.

9. Be prepared in unfamiliar waters.

Bring along a GPS or a chart (or even a compass!) whenever you travel unfamiliar waters. You can get lost, you can run aground a stealthy sandbank – all of these can be mitigated with simple preparation and affordable tools. If you do get lost, contact nearby vessels and ask them for directions. Local boaters are always helpful and will be delighted to point you in the right direction. You may even meet a new friend.

10. Don’t race.

In safer situations, pushing the yacht to the limits of her power is one of the most enjoyable experiences in the world. However, don’t be tempted to race another boat, no matter the circumstance. At higher speeds and with another boat around, there is a much greater risk of an accident.

Hopefully these ten simple tips can give you a safer experience at sea. Good boaters take care of themselves, and they take care of the boating community as well. Malaysia’s boating community is a small one, so let’s keep looking out for one another.