The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is kicking off 2022’s National Safe Boating Week starting Saturday and continuing into the Memorial Day weekend.
The annual event promotes safe activity and the wearing of life jackets as the summer boating season kicks off in Tennessee, where boating enthusiasts have an abundance of water-borne opportunities across the state. Memorial Day weekend is viewed as the unofficial start to the summer boating season, TWRA spokesperson Mime Barnes said Tuesday in a news release.
To head off more tragedies on the water before summer gets going, TWRA is joining boating safety partners across the U.S. and Canada to promote safe boating practices for the coming week and throughout the 2022 boating season, according to Barnes. TWRA, other agencies and groups are focusing on life jackets and available options when it comes to comfortable and lightweight life jackets.
“We want to continue to stress that the single most important action one can take to prevent drowning while boating is to wear a life jacket,” TWRA Boating Education Coordinator Betsy Woods said in a news release.
TWRA has reported a noticeable increase in traffic on the state’s lakes and rivers the past couple of years, Barnes said. Thus far in 2022, there have been eight statewide fatalities, three of which have involved paddlecraft.
The year had just started when a houseboat fire at Hales Bar Marina on Nickajack Lake on Jan. 7 claimed the life of Stephen Dalton, 45, who lived alone aboard the vessel docked at the marina, according to previous Chattanooga Times Free Press reports. Another boat docked alongside Dalton’s also was destroyed in the fire.
(READ MORE: Tennessee has disproportionate share of U.S. paddling deaths)
On March 2, Steven D. Campbell was found unresponsive and pronounced dead in Tipton County after a 14-foot boat capsized on the Hatchie River, the TWRA reported. A few days later on March 7, a Ten Mile man lost his life after a canoe overturned on Watts Bar Lake in high winds and chilly, 54-degree water, TWRA reported. He was identified as Gershwin Jackson Jr., 42 of Meigs County.
On April 3, 51-year-old Eagleville resident Bobby Smotherman was found floating on Percy Priest Lake near the Jefferson Spring boat launch area not far from an anchored kayak, according to TWRA. He was not wearing a life jacket.
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TWRA raises awareness for National Safe Boating Week
Two Montgomery County people lost their lives May 3 in a Cumberland River boating accident after their boat capsized near the upper end of Cumberland City Island in Stewart County, TWRA reported. They were identified as Michael W. Mabes and Cynthia M. Taylor. Neither of the victims were wearing life jackets, the state agency reported.
TWRA was unable to provide information on two of the fatalities from earlier this year.
The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office will also be on the lookout for unsafe boaters on Chattanooga-area waters, according to spokesperson Matt Lea.
The department’s Marine Patrol Unit responded to 115 incidents or calls on the water in 2021, Lea said Wednesday in an email. Calls last year included boater safety checks, citations, training, providing water safety for special events downtown, boater assistance calls and assisting other agencies such as the TWRA, he said.
U.S. Coast Guard statistics show that drowning was the reported cause of death in 4 out of every 5 recreational boating fatalities in 2020, and that 86 percent of those who drowned were not wearing life jackets, according to the National Safe Boating Council.
“The best boating experience is safe boating,” Boating Council spokesperson Yvonne Pentz said in a statement on this year’s campaign. When selecting a life jacket, a boater should check that it is U.S. Coast Guard approved, appropriate for the water activity and fits properly, she said.
“Remember, the best life jacket is the one you will wear,” Pentz said. “Whether you’re going fishing or just enjoying a ride on the boat, boat like a pro and make sure you’re prepared for the adventure.”
There were 127 incidents involving 85 injuries and 23 boating fatalities in Tennessee in 2021, according to Barnes. That figure falls far short of a 37-year high mark reached in 2020 when there were 32 boating fatalities on Tennessee waters as outdoor recreation, including boating, boomed in Tennessee in the first year of the pandemic, according to TWRA.
Barnes said of those 85 injuries, 12 involved paddlecraft, and six of the 23 fatalities last year involved paddlecraft.
Preliminary numbers indicate drugs and alcohol were a contributing factor in about 30% of the 2020 fatal incidents, according to the TWRA. State wildlife officials recommend everyone brush up on boating safety rules and Barnes noted that every boater should review the state’s boating handbook before getting on the water for the first time this year.
If boating safety advocates are looking to help get the word out ahead of the week’s educational events, TWRA officials also note Friday is “Wear Your Life Jacket to Work Day,” and boaters can share a photo of themselves in their best life jacket on social media with the hashtag #lifejacket2work and tagging @boatingcampaign on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Contact Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569. Follow him on Twitter @BenBenton.
SAFE BOATING WEEK TIPS
Take a boating safety courseGain valuable knowledge and on-water experience in a boating safety course with many options for novice to experienced boaters.Check equipmentSchedule a free vessel safety check with local U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary or U.S. Power Squadrons to make sure all essential equipment is present, working and in good conditionMake a float planAlways let someone on shore know the trip itinerary, including operator and passenger information, boat type and registration and communication equipment on board.Wear a life jacketMake sure everyone wears a life jacket every time. A stowed life jacket is no use in an emergency.Use an engine cut-off deviceAn engine cut-off device, or engine cut-off switch, is a proven safety device to stop the boat’s engine should the operator unexpectedly fall overboard.Watch the weatherAlways check the forecast before departing on the water and frequently check it during the excursion.Know what’s always going on around you at all timesNearly a quarter of all reported boating accidents last year were caused by operator inattention or improper lookout.Know where you’re going and travel at safe speedsBe familiar with the area, local boating speed zones and always travel at a safe speed.Never boat under the influenceBoating under the influence is involved in one-third of all recreational boating fatalities. Always designate a sober skipper.Keep in touchHave more than one communication device that works when wet. VHF radios, emergency locator beacons, satellite phones and cellphones can all be important devices in an emergency.Source: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency