Start with safety
Written by Edward Thomas
Photos by Rob Kaufman
Summer is almost upon us, and in Southern Beaufort County that means more traffic – roadway traffic, of course, but also a sudden rise of boating traffic along our waterways.
America’s Boating Club of Hilton Head (ABC-HH) executive officer Craig Loomis points out that with the increase in traffic along the waterways comes an unfortunate increase in accidents, including fatalities.
That’s why his organization is now offering a special “Jump Start” program to help new boaters as well as “new-to-our area” boaters develop essential skills for safer operation of their vessels. It’s a program conducted by certified, experienced instructors — available free of charge.
U.S. Coast Guard statistics show that boating traffic in South Carolina waters has increased by 41% between 2018 and 2021.
Likewise, the S.C. Department of Natural Resources reports registered boat owners have increased rapidly over the past three years, and now total more than 360,000 registered recreational motorboats and personal watercraft.
Brad Loescher, assistant education officer with ABC-HH, says boating “has grown exponentially locally – especially since COVID.” He notes many newcomers to the boating scene are transplants from other parts of the country and are unfamiliar with local waters “that can be very tricky with such obstacles as oyster beds, sandbars and pluff mud.”
Statistics from insurance companies that specialize in boating accidents also point out that accidents and incidents have been on the rise, and they point to operator inexperience (to include lack of familiarity with local waters and weather conditions) as a key contributing factor.
Loomis says America’s Boating Club helps owners develop essential skills for easier handling of their boat, but even more important, they learn about safer operation of their vessels for the unique waters of this area.
Typical Jump Start training topics include: basic boat handling, understanding navigational aids, radio protocol, close quarters maneuvering as well as how to handle Beaufort County waterways’ currents, winds and tides.
“We consider our two-hour program an important part of our community service. And beyond that we offer even more training at very modest fees. We have more than 330 members. They include experts on all sizes of boats,” said Loomis. “We offer hands-on training that is customized to whatever size boat.”
Among the first items the Jump Start program addresses is the Boat Safety Kit that every boat owner should maintain.
Although these kits vary by the individual preference of boat owners and their type of vessel, Loomis suggests that “must haves” include: a first aid kit, flashlights with spare batteries, local nautical charts that depict the configuration of the local shoreline and seafloor including water depths and locations of dangers, visual distress signals such as hand-held red flares or parachute flares and orange smoke flares, a hand compass and tool kit with a screwdriver and pliers – and always extra fresh water.
Life jackets are also essential for every person on board as mandated by the Coast Guard. They do more than simply keep you afloat, with many designed to turn an unconscious person face up.
Loomis and Loescher both point out that virtually all movers to our local area are totally unfamiliar with the unique water conditions of the estuaries that encompass our shorelines from Port Royal Sound on the north to Calibogue Sound on the south.
“Tides of our waterways are huge because of the South Atlantic bite” (curvature of the shoreline), said Loomis. “Newcomers must get used to them and how the currents affect sandbars. We help them get a better understanding of this particular area.
“If you meet someone who says he is a frequent boater locally and he tells you he has never been stuck on a sandbar, you know he is a liar.”
