Safe Boating Awareness

Safe Boating Awareness Week May 16 to 22, 2026

Keeping you and your crew safe on the water is of utmost importance. The following five key boating messages will help keep you safe:

1. Wear Your Life jacket
 
Over 80% of Canadians who drown while boating were either not wearing a life jacket or wearing one improperly. Modern life jackets and personal flotation devices are designed for comfort and mobility, making it easier than ever to wear one at all times while on the water.

Make sure you have a properly sized life jacket or PFD for each person onboard.

2. Boat Sober

Alcohol, cannabis, and other impairing substances significantly increase the risk of boating accidents and fatalities. Operating a boat while impaired is illegal and dangerous for everyone on the water.

3. Be Cold Water Safe

Cold water shock can affect even experienced swimmers. Sudden immersion in cold water can impact breathing, mobility, and survival time. Wearing a life jacket greatly improves your chances of survival in an emergency situation.

4. Take a Boating Course

All operators of powered recreational vessels in Canada should carry proof of competency, such as a Pleasure Craft Operator Card. Additional training and boating education courses can further improve confidence, awareness, and on-water safety.

5. Be Prepared

Before leaving the dock, ensure your vessel is equipped with the required safety gear, monitor weather conditions, carry sufficient fuel, and share your trip plan with someone on shore. Preparation plays a major role in preventing emergencies and reducing pressure on rescue services.

Safe boating is everyone’s responsibility. By staying informed, prepared, and alert, Canadians can help create safer waterways for all this boating season.

Is there one step you can take to make your boating experience safer? For courses or hands-on private instruction aboard your vessel, Contact Us

 

 

 

#BoatingBC #SafeBoatingAwarenessWeek #BoatingSafety #BoatSafe #WearYourLifejacket
#BoatSober #ColdWaterSafety #SafeBoating #LifejacketOn #BoatingCanada #WaterSafety

Pre-Departure Checklist

When heading out on the water, one way of ensuring you have what you need for safety is a checklist.

Discover Boating has a printable Pre-departure Checklist.

Filing a float plan with someone ashore is a safety feature when out on the water. It should include names and contact information for everyone on board, your destination(s) and time you will return
to shore.  Be sure you close your sail plan on return by checking in with your onshore contact.

Safe Boating Guide

If you are planning to spend time on the water, then it is important to have the required safety gear on board for the size of your boat.  Regulations apply to all vessels.

The Transport Canada Safe Boating Guide  may be downloaded.

Basic Outboard course

Spent a warm day on the water teaching a Basic Outboard Standard course. If you have access to a boat with an outboard, then you may benefit from the course which covers boat handling, weather, basic chart reading, regulations and boating etiquette as well as other topics.

Want the standard, however, no boat? My client rented a boat from a local rental operator, for the day and hired me to teach the standard.

Purchase the Basic Powerboat Skills manual for $39 plus shipping and GST. Study the manual and complete the Review Questions at the end of each chapter and then arrange for time on the water.

 

Complete are the on-water Standards, take the exam and get certified. If you wish the certification, additional costs are the Sail Canada logbook, $30 plus GST and a $24 registration fee. 

Handling Your Twin Engine Boat

For many people, moving from a single engine to a twin engine vessel is a big step. If you are used to an outboard or inboard-outboard, it will take a mental shift when learning twin engines with shaft drive.

The first difference you will notice is operating astern propulsion is not as effective as on vessels with legs. The rudder is not effective when going astern until you have the boat moving and water flowing across the rudder.

Rule 1 for beginners:

Neutral is your best friend - especially as the size and weight of the vessel increases it is important to keep the speed of the vessel at the minimum required to retain control. Speed is your enemy and when you go into gear only stay in gear 1–2 seconds. This will prevent the vessel from gathering speed which gives you less time to react and think. Usually the objective is to coast the vessel to its berth. When you have 65,000 lbs. under you that is a lot of momentum.
 

Rule 2

To start we will have our engines at idle and the rudders centred. Mostly we will use only the gear levers to steer the boat. There are a number of memory aids to assist you in operating the controls.

1. Pretend the two gear levers are the handlebars of a bicycle. If you want to turn to port, move the gear levers the same as you would with a bike. In this case Starboard engine forward and Port engine astern.

2. Stand at the helm and grasp the gear levers, one in each hand. If you lock your elbows and simply rotate your upper body so you are facing the direction you want the boat to move, you automatically move the correct lever in the correct direction.

3. Imagine parentheses (curved brackets) alongside the gear levers. For example, if we use o to represent the gear levers and the parentheses would indicate the direction the boat would move.  (o o)

If we move the port lever forward, the boat would move forward and the bow would turn to starboard.

4. Imagine the vessel as a shopping cart, if you push your right hand forward and pull your left hand back, the cart will turn to port.

Most of the time when docking or undocking you would have your rudders centred and the engines at idle. You handle the boat by moving only the gear levers.

To execute a slow turn to starboard, you would move the port gear lever forward. 

To make the turn tighter, you would move the starboard lever astern (reverse).

For further information on many aspects of boat handling, visit our E-lessons page.

 

How To Take Compass Bearings

One of the methods to fix the position of your vessel is
by taking compass bearings. By having three bearings
cross in or near the same location you have accuratelydetermined your position.

Taking Bearings

When taking compass bearings, used fixed aids for best results.
Floating aids can move around with wind or current and the charted
position is the position of the mooring, not the buoy.

Take the bearings off to each side, one after the other.
The bearings on your beam will change quickly while the bearings
ahead or astern will hardly change at all due to the boat's motion.
If you take the bearings on each side first and then take the bearing
either ahead or astern, you will have a more accurate fix.

Also check that the bearings you take are not about 180 degrees apart.
Ideally the three bearings will be spaced about 120 degrees apart for
the most accurate fix.

If you are using the end of an island, remember to allow for the height
of the tide. With a gently sloping shoreline, at low water the end of
the island can be some distance from the charted shoreline.

Fixing your position is an important navigation skill. Compass bearings are one
way to obtain an accurate fix.

Navigation is offered through our Home Study Coastal Navigation Course.
Successful completion of the course leads to Canadian Yachting Association
Certification.

Pleasure Craft Operator Card

Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC) has been phased in over 10 years.

As of September 15, 2009 any person operating any powered recreational boat must have proof of competency.

Exemptions:

Proof of previous training (until 03/31/1999) such as Canadian Power Squadron or Canadian Yachting Association courses.

Grace period of 45 days for non-residents of Canada operating foreign boats without a recognized Competency Card.

In addition to carrying Proof of Competency aboard, you are also required to carry personal picture identification.

For further information or the schedule an exam, visit Gulf Islands Cruising School