Next time you’re at the Kent Narrows, Matapeake or Shipping Creek Boat Ramp, grab your cell phone and scan the QR codes for local tides, weather, charts, boating safety resources & MD fishing regulations. Centreville Boat Ramp & Corsica River YC coming in the next few weeks. Safer and smarter boating starts here. Try the QR codes and let us know what you think. A huge shoutout to Inspired by Hannah who is the mastermind behind this project and the Queen Anne's County Parks and Recreation who met with us many times to get this dialed in and approved. Our goal is to get all boaters thinking about and checking tides, weather and safety BEFORE they depart the dock so that they can plan and have the best day possible on the water.
![]()
BoatUS offers a FREE 90 Day Unlimited Saltwater Trial Membership for all NEW or USED boat sales for boat dealers/brokers to offer their clients. This is a no strings attached complimentary membership that you can offer your clients when they purchase a boat. I've attached a 1 page fillable PDF form above. You have the option of just doing the free 90 day membership or also bundling an annual membership to give them a 15 month TowBoatUS membership. We discounted the memberships by $50 so it's a REALLY good deal. TowBoatUS Memberships are valid on any boat you own, borrow or charter, ANYWHERE you boat. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. (410) 745-3000
After spending 3 days at the International Boating and Water Safety Summit, I want to share with you some of the biggest take aways. In the first slide, these are two (brave) Mothers (from Ohio & Oklahoma) who both lost sons (7 & 9) to Carbon Monoxide poisoning. They are experienced boating families. They were on the lake and the CO from the exhaust (inboard open ski boats/bow rider) circulated back into the cockpit where they were sitting (not enclosed at all) and the boys fell overboard and were not revived. Initially labeled as a drowning, the coroner reports exposed high levels of CO in their blood. This happened in a very short period of time. This is MORE COMMON THAN YOU THINK and it is NOT OKAY. The second slide shows a woman (far left) who was slowly poisoned by CO in her new home. She went from being a marathon runner to using a cane and being on oxygen. The CO leak in her house caused brain damage and cardiac problems among many other things. The symptoms are masked by many other illnesses and the only way to know is if you get your blood tested from an artery within 4 hours of exposure. When you breathe in carbon monoxide, the CO also binds to hemoglobin. It binds so strongly that is keeps oxygen from binding as well. Carbon monoxide (CO) prevents the blood system from effectively carrying oxygen around the body, specifically to vital organs such as the heart and brain. As you may already know, Carbon Monoxide is odorless, tasteless, invisible gas. It is formed by the incomplete combustion of fuels. We bought one of these portable CO detectors: SensorCon Inspector by Molex: www.SensorCon.com. Looking forward to keeping it on and monitoring our house and boats. Here is a website with more info on CO: https://www.ncoaa.us
Link to best smoke & CO detectors of 2022 from Consumer Reports: https://bit.ly/3wfPw6w Everyone thinks it’s generators but CO can be in SO many different places. Please take a few minutes to read the websites. Update your CO detectors in your home and on your boat. Sharing of post encouraged so that we can raise awareness and save lives.
Feeling honored and grateful. Shoutout to everyone who makes an impact to create a cleaner and safer on-water environment for boaters and future generations. Looking forward to an exciting and strong 2022 BOATU.S. FOUNDATION DISTINGUISHED TOWER AWARD Sarah Lawrence, TowBoatU.S. Kent /Knapps Narrows,Maryland: The BoatUS Foundation Distinguished Tower Award for Leadership in the Boating Community aims to recognize a tower for exceptional work in the areas of boating safety and environmental stewardship and assistance in furthering the Foundation’s mission. This year’s recipient embraces the Foundation’s mission wholeheartedly and in so many ways. She is a social media star promoting not only safe and clean boating but also the Foundation almost daily. Locally, she works with a check the tide campaign, works on oyster restoration projects and hosts life jacket giveaways. This past summer she also donated her time and the use of a towboat for filming for the Foundation’s online course. She became an On-Water Training instructor and instructor trainer and was an instructor for the Foundation’s On-Water Training program. This year, she’ll be launching an on-water training center that will partner with the Foundation. We’re constantly amazed by Sarah’s passion and enthusiasm for educating boaters on safe and clean boating and couldn’t be more grateful for a partner like her. >>Be sure to follow and support the @boatusfoundation who’s efforts keep our waters cleaner and our boaters safer through education and training. << The "LATERAL" system is the familiar RED RIGHT RETURNING system, meaning that on all navigable waters returning from sea, the red even-numbered marks are on the starboard (right) side of the channel and the green odd-numbered marks are on the port (left) side of the channel. Numbers on the marks ascend when traveling from sea to harbor--if you don't have a compass and become disoriented on the water, you will always know you are heading upstream if the buoy numbers get larger as you travel.
For study guide to ATONs (aids to navigation) check out this article from the @boatusfoundation >>https://www.boatus.org/study-guide/navigation/aids/<< We won’t say 1989 feels like yesterday because we all have a few more grey hairs and more kids in the family, but it sure has been a great 33 years of doing what we love. Thank you to all of our friends, family, boaters, local businesses, marinas, members and more for your support. We couldn’t do this without you and we can’t wait for you to see what we have in store!
Wear-It with Capt. Ryan
Float Coat (stay warm and safe!) & Engine Cut Off Switch (ECOS) are two boating essentials. You can see Capt. Ryan has the ECOS cord attached to him. If you are driving a vessel less than 26’ and on a plane or above displacement speed, the law requires you be attached to the ECOS. There is also wireless proximity ECOS devices that can be purchased instead of attaching to the cord. For more info, please visit: https://www.boatus.org/newsroom/new-boat-engine-cutoff-switch-law/ Giving to the non-profit BoatUS Foundation on Giving Tuesday (or ANY DAY!) makes boating safer for all and that is why we are supporting the Foundation. Follow this link to donate:
>>www.boatus.org/donate/<< Follow this link to find out exactly HOW they are keeping boaters safe: >> https://bit.ly/3HOuVJR << It's hand tonging season on the Chesapeake and extremely important to 𝗦𝗟𝗢𝗪 𝗗𝗢𝗪𝗡 and watch your wake as you pass these local watermen. A big wake can throw off their balance and cause them to fall overboard. As a general courtesy and safety precaution, please help keep everyone safe on the Bay by going slow near watermen and remember that you are responsible for your wake.
|
Archives
May 2022
Categories |