D17 National Safe
Boating Week page
The North American Safe
Boating Campaign began in 1957 and has developed throughout the years into a
large scale, international campaign. What began as a small, grass roots
outreach program has evolved into a targeted media effort, stretching across the
United States and into Canada. Working with partner organizations such as
the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators and the Canadian
Safe Boating Council, the North American Safe Boating Campaign aims at spreading
a message of boating safety, encourages boater education, and helps to save
lives. The campaign produces a variety of safe boating information
intended to enhance and supplement the individual campaigns that take place
through groups, associations and organizations across the United States and
Canada during National Safe Boating Week.
NSBW is scheduled
each year as the first full week before Memorial Day weekend.
For 2008 those dates
are May 17 –23, 2008. Memorial Day Weekend starts May 23th. Memorial Day is May
26th.
Someone
once said that National Safe Boating week is Christmas, New Years Eve,
4th of July and Super Bowl Sunday all rolled into one event for the
boating community. This is a time to celebrate all that you’ve learned
over the year to have a safe season on the water.
The
national website for the North American Safe Boating
Campaign encourages boating organizations to list boating safety activities
for their state on their EVENTS calendar for each state. You will find Alaskan
activities listed at:
http://www.safeboatingcampaign.com/events/state.asp?State=ALASKA
Events
include boating classes, courtesy vessel examinations, demonstrations, pfd
fashion shows, regattas and just about anything and everything related to
boating.
The 2008 theme is "WEAR IT" and is designed to remind boaters to
wear their life jackets. In 2006, 474 boaters
drowned
nationwide. Only 51 of the victims were wearing life jackets. Most of these
boaters were in vessels less
than 20 feet in length and 21 deaths were
in kayaks. (Source: 2006 Boating
Accident Statistics USCG Coast Guard)
You
probably wear your seat belt when driving your car, so remember to wear your
life jacket when boating.
In
Alaska, the US Coast Guard Auxiliary is very involved
in National Safe Boating Week.
Sue Lang of the Seward Flotilla chairs National Safe
Boating Week for the Auxiliary and
works closely with the 14 flotillas to
participate in the program and to help them publicize their
activities.
Alaska is
in the 17th Coast Guard District and is split into 3 Divisions.
Division 1 is in Southeast Alaska and is
made up of flotillas in Sitka,
Juneau,
Ketchikan and Petersberg.
Division 2 is Kodiak Island and the Kenai
Peninsula with flotillas in
Kodiak, Homer, Kenai,
Whittier and
Seward. Division 3 encompasses
the rest of the
state with flotillas in
Anchorage, Eagle River, Mat-Su Valley,
Fairbanks and Valdez.
The
members of the Auxiliary boat in rivers, lakes and the ocean and all share a
love and respect for the water and work together to promote boating safety on
many levels. If you are interested in boating, please contact the flotilla
closest to you and see how you can help with this all important
mission.
