By Bob Currie, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Base Galveston Flotilla
The most-often heard instruction on an airplane is “Please fasten your seatbelts and return your seat to the fully-upright position.” It’s a safety instruction, and it really is important that you follow it in order to keep from being thrown about the plane cabin or being sucked out of the window. Okay, the sucked out the window thing isn’t likely to happen, but it does. Being thrown about the cabin due to turbulence is likely to happen, especially when the captain prefaces the instruction with “Ladies and gentlemen, we are experiencing some unusual turbulence, so please …” The point is, transportation operators such as the airplane pilot, the bus driver, the passenger train conductor and the boat operator have a duty to instruct passengers to do certain things for their safety. Let’s look at what boat operators, who are technically the captain, should be doing for their passengers’ safety.

The Base Galveston Flotilla of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary operates out of the US Coast Guard base on Galveston Island. They aid the Coast Guard by providing maritime observation patrols in Galveston Bay; by providing recreational boating vessel safety checks; and by working alongside Coast Guard members in maritime accident investigation, small boat training, providing a safety zone, Aids to Navigation verification, cooking in base and station galleys and aboard cutters; and on the Coast Guard Drone Team.

Assigned Seats
If you purchase a ticket on a plane, train, or bus, your ticket will tell you what your seat assignment is. There are several reasons for that, including accounting for the passengers, balancing the craft, and establishing general order among strangers. As the boat captain you should also assign seats that complement the way your boat rides in the water. If everyone takes a position at the stern, you are going to have a hard time getting on plane, and if too many people are at the stern you risk having water enter the boat when the transom is low in the water. In addition, your boat just won’t handle well with passengers not well-positioned. They won’t assign themselves to seats that are in the best interests of good boat handling; you will have to do it. Most forms of public transportation use the assigned seat system.

On a side note, I worked much of my life as a locomotive engineer both in freight and passenger service. I also worked as a conductor in freight and passenger service. Just so you know, the engineer runs (drives) the train- not the conductor. The conductor is back in the train taking care of passengers on a passenger train. The conductor is the train’s supervisor and is in charge of the passengers. You won’t hear from the engineer on a passenger train. We know you are back there, but you won’t hear from us. On a plane, bus or a boat you need to listen to the person operating the plane, bus or boat.

Turbulence Warning
We have already talked about the plane pilot warning of turbulence and instructing the passengers to remain seated and buckle up. A bus driver will warn about a rough section of road and ask people to remain seated, and a passenger train conductor will do the same thing. They know where the rough spots are and will issue instructions to the passengers as needed. Plane pilots will use their radar and weather forecasts to determine where the turbulence will be.

Boat operators sometimes have radar and can do the same thing, but if they don’t have radar they should have a radio with the weather channels or at least check the weather forecast out before departing. Otherwise, the only thing the boat operator can do is keep a keen eye out for rough water and let the passengers know to hold on and brace for the turbulence. Of course, the boat operator, just like the other professionals, should adjust the heading and speed of the boat to minimize the impact of the rough water, and most boat operators do that, but you must remember to warn your passengers. Keep in mind you won’t always be able to see the rough spots, although the sea action can give you a great hint. You should consult your chart and be aware of underwater rough spots, also known as obstructions, shoals, and extremely shallow water.

Moving About the Cabin
People just can’t sit still, no matter the method of transportation. They move so they can talk to someone across the aisle, they move to stretch their legs, they move to get a better view, they move so they can talk to the operator (except on big planes, of course), and they move to head toward the toilet. In school we had to raise our hands to be excused to go to the bathroom. It is in your best interest to instruct your passengers to remain in their seat, but if they need to move for some reason they need to notify you first so they don’t imbalance the boat and cause it to veer in a dangerous direction. This is particularly important with smaller recreational boats. Depending upon the speed and stability of the boat at your current speed, you will most likely need to reduce speed or even stop if a passenger needs to move about the boat. Movements while underway should be the exception rather than the rule, as it is quite easy to cause an accident due to the effect on the boat’s balance.

Summary
Like plane pilots, bus drivers, and train conductors, boat operators are responsible for their passenger’s safety. They must issue instructions to their passengers for their safety and the safe operation of the boat. Boat operators should also make the seating assignments that provide the best balance and smoothest ride.

For more information on boating safety, please visit the Official Website of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Boating Safety Division at www.uscgboating.org. Questions about the US Coast Guard Auxiliary or our free Vessel Safety Check program may be directed to me at [email protected]. I am available to perform free Vessel Safety Checks, and I will come to your location to perform them. SAFE BOATING!

[April-13-2021]