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Know
Your Knowledge (20-6)
by Mark King
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 Every
year when manufacturers launch their latest models,
boaters are enthusiastic about new designs and/or modifications
that will increase their enjoyment and safety on the
water. While some changes are minor, others are giant
leaps forward. Manufacturers can make the safest vessels
(and easiest to operate) in the world. But if boaters
lack the proper knowledge of boating and safety, none
of the improvements will be effective. Just as manufacturers
work hard every year to improve their product, boaters
should spend time during the winter improving their
skills.
If knowledge, skill, judgment or maturity is absent,
an accident maybe just waiting to happen. While it’s
difficult to admit having a lack of knowledge, pretending
to have it is dangerous. Learning about boating is a
life-long process. It may have a starting point, but
it never ends. As the late Dick Bradley, a boating columnist
for many years, advised, “My answer to seamanship
is to never be in a position to have to use it.”
Unfortunately, boaters who think they know it all have
been lost at sea, injured or even killed in a boating
accident and it could have been prevented. And while
we hear about experienced boaters who have serious problems
on the water, it’s usually caused by a lapse in
judgment combined with a lack of necessary skills. Sometimes
operating an unfamiliar boat can lead to issues that
might not have arisen a year earlier in a more familiar
boat.
Over the winter think about situations where you don’t
feel quite comfortable. Make a list. What can be done
to improve your safety each year? Perhaps you can think
of specific situations that you wish you handled with
more skill. Do you need to learn more about handling
flares? Is there a particularly tricky dock you can’t
seem to approach without causing a major scene? Is there
a narrow passage you have trouble navigating? Are you
uncomfortable going through locks? Do you know the rules
of the road?
Boating encompasses a wide range of skills and knowledge.
Maybe you’d prefer to learn more about the mechanical
aspects of your boat so you can repair problems as they
occur. Or, better yet, prevent them. Are you familiar
with your engine and its components? Do you have all
the necessary tools in the event of a breakdown? Perhaps
you can even improve the look of your boat by acquiring
some basic repair and maintenance skills.
Look for information that will help you better understand
some situations and devise a plan to acquire the skills
before next season. With a little thought, some common
sense and judgment, you can improve your knowledge and
skills to become a better, safer, boater.
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