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I consider safety the first priority on my boat. I take it very seriously. While I will never intentionally put us in an unsafe situation, there is always a risk out there on the water. The following are just a few thought I have on safety and some of the things I do to: Weather. Probably the one aspect of fishing we all take seriously. And wind and waves are the toughest to predict. I like to check multiple sites for weather. If they all agree, then I'm confident things will be close to the prediction. When they don't agree, you have to proceed with caution. Here are my favorite weather sites I check often: Weather Underground. A good summary of the NOAA marine forecasts by segment. Also shows buoy data, tides, and currents. Windguru. A sight by our landlocked brothers in the Czech Republic for windsurfers who look for wind but is has information not found in other sites like wave direction and period. And it goes out a full 7 days for longer range planning. Fishweather. One of my favorites. A graphical presentation of our area with buoy data showing wind speed and direction. A feature I really like it you can click a buoy, like the VB Buoy and it will provide up to 8 days of predicted wind speed and direction. The data is models only and shows 4 different models, WFS, WRAMS, NAM, and GFS. Intellicast. A very accurate close in forecast going 2-3 days out. Shows what the winds are doing graphically over our area. When others are wrong, I have found intellicast to be dead on. If you see high winds in intellicast not shown on other weather sites, proceed with caution. Buddy Boats. Great to have a buddy boat out there with you. A buddy boat is a boat you stay in contact with, not necessary within visual range all day but close enough for good VHF communication. If something goes wrong, it's a long way to shore and your buddy can save your life if the unthinkable should happen. Maintenance. Keep your boat in good mechanical condition is vital. Keep up on the services on your engines and other mechanical systems. Keep backup fuel filters, belts, hoses, and the tools necessary to work on them. Keep your batteries in good condition and keep one of those portable jump starters on board. Radar. I think radar is essential for running offshore. First, it's important when running in the dark in the morning. Second, if fog or other limited visibility conditions show up, radar can let you see other ships. Satellite Weather. Both XM and Sirius have satellite weather than can be beamed directly to your chartplotter for a small monthly fee. I use the XM Weather on my Garmin 478. It is great for tracking storms and there intensity long before your ship's radar picks it up. Anyone who spends a lot time offshore will eventually get caught in storm. With this service, you can pick up and get out of the way before it arrives.
Ditch Bag. A ditch bag is all your essential safety items in one bag you can grab in case you have to leave the boat or worse case go in the water. I keep my EPIRB, flares, strobe, flashlight, mirror, handheld VHF, airhorn, and signaling flag.
EPIRB. A must have item for offshore fishing. One flip of the switch, my boat's lat/long coordinates are transmitted instantly to USCG rescue personnel who will send a ship or plane to an activated EPIRB. If you fish offshore, strongly recommend an EPIRB.
Lifejackets. Obviously we must have a least one lifejacket for each passenger. But it's important they are stored in a place the crew can easily access them. Stowed down below in a hatch that is hard to get to is not a good idea. Mine are stowed overhead in the hardtop for easy access. For now, I have the cheap ones but intend to upgrade soon.
Liferaft. Another item I will buy in the near future is a liferaft. Nocturnal Fishing Offshore. This season I have been doing a lot of overnighters offshore. Some of the things I do extra to ensure my crews safety include: (1) Running the generator to keep all your electronics and batteries charged. (2) Raise up a radar reflecting flag so other ships can see me better with their radar. (3) Keep my radar going all night to track ships and instruct each crew how to read the radar. (4) Keep at least 2 crew awake at all times. Don't let everyone fall asleep and having just one awake as he could fall asleep easily. Their main job is to keep an eye out for the big ships that pass through at night. Those big ships are usually on autopilot and even if they see you, they may not change course for you. It's best to scoot out of their way if they get too close. (5) Each crew wears a lanyard with a chem light and whistle. If someone were to fall overboard, it's dark, dark, dark out there. Sound and light will assist in finding your crew quickly.
Be safe out there everyone. No fish is worth risking the lives of anyone. |
