The temperature may still be cool outside, but it is a perfect time of year to start getting prepared for the boating season. Boating safety advocates are urging boaters to enroll in a boating education course prior to the summer boating season. "Spring Aboard-Take A Boating Education Course," is nationally coordinated campaign effort, during the week of March 18-24, to increase the awareness of taking a boating education course.
"We know that an educated boater is safer on the water," said Tom Guess president of the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators and lead organization for Spring Aboard. "If a boater has taken a boating safety education course, the likelihood of their time spent on the water being a safe and enjoyable experience is much greater for them as well as their passengers. There's no reason to head out on the water without knowing what you're doing and spring is the perfect time to take a course before the summer boating season begins." U.S. Coast Guard statistics indicate that of the accidents where the level of operator education was known, 77% of boating deaths occurred on boats where the boat operator had never received boating education instruction.
With today's wide variety of options, there's a course for every boater. Boaters have multiple options from classroom courses offered by the Coast Guard Auxiliary and Untied States Power Squadrons to online courses available anytime day or night. Education course providers will vary between states, so check with your local course provider or state boating agency to find out what courses are accepted in your area. Forty-nine (49) states and U.S. territories require proof of completion of a boating education course for operators of some powered vessels.
The annual Spring Board campaign is led by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators and produced under the grant administered by the U.S. Coast Guard, and it is supported by state, federal, and nonprofit partners. It is open to participation by all states, territories, boating education organizations, instructors, and course providers. For more information, visit www.springboard.org. For a summary of Missouri regulations and available courses, visit: www.mshp.dps.missouri.gov/WP02Web/app/safetyEdClasses.
If you have questions or need additional information about Wappapello Lake, please contact the Management Office at 573-222-8562 or go online at
http://ww.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/Wappapello-Lake/.