Fly Fishing

2alarmfly · Posted: Wed 04/29/09 3:40 pm Post subject: Boat Safety

I have no intensions of becoming a guide, but would like to read the materials required by the Coast Guard. I am sure this contains boat safety informations and other things. Does anyone know how I find out what this material is? Or can anyone recommend any reading that would be good to read?

We live in KY, but have a place in PCB. Recently we bought a small Carolina Skiff for backwaters fishing. I need to know things like what the red/green bouys mean and stuff like that!

Thanks for the help!
2alarm

jeremy · Location: Portland, Maine

Great question, something I could benefit from too. I do know "Right red return" .. but after that, there are many others who are more qualified than me to offer some guidance. I am good friends and fish with Pete from Fishing Jones .. he is also the managing editor for Boating Magazine. I will put an email out to him -- I'm sure he has some great advise. And, when it comes to boats and safety and knowing all of the ins and outs of boating .. I don't personally know anyone who knows more than him. I'll shoot him an email. Standby.

Pete · Location: New York, NY

Hey 2Alarm Fly,

The first thing I would do is get a handheld GPS and VHF radio. You're boat's probably too small to get fixed mount stuff, but if you're hanging near the coast those two portable electronics will get you out of almost any jam.

Channel 16 is the emergency response channel that the Coasties monitor. Do not make casual conversation over that channel.

Also make sure you have the Coast Guard Kit on board: lifejackets, flares, all the required safety things...

The standard book to get to figure everything out is Chapmans Piloting: Seamanship and Small Boat Handling. It is the bible for this. You can get it at BN or Amazon.

Here are the Coast Guard Nav Rules:
http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/mwv/navrules/rotr_online.htm

Let me know if this helps.