Safety Minimums?

This Kadey Krogen trawler is well designed for voyaging but how well equipped is it with safety gear?

- Jeff Merrill

Elvis Costello’s song “Accidents Will Happen” is a catchy tune and, as it relates to boats, I like to focus on the “will” part. To comply with USCG regulations, your trawler needs to have some minimum safety gear aboard. These items must be identified or presented to the Coast Guard when you are boarded. Accidents will happen — they’re inevitable — so it’s wise to think this through and anticipate and accumulate what you need before you go out cruising, not just to follow the rules, but to be safe and prepared.

Preparation comes down to these three words: Are you ready? I overuse the expression “safe boating is no accident” when speaking to groups about offshore cruising, but it’s true. I believe your approach should be to do more than just the minimum as your family’s lives may be saved by your careful planning.

The USCG and other national authorities have developed fairly universal safety requirement standards, so you need to look ahead if you are cruising across borders to see what each country demands. Regulations normally vary slightly due to boat length, so I encourage you to look this up online to see what rules apply to your specific trawler in the countries you plan to visit. Start with the USCG PDF pamphlet download called “A Boater’s Guide to the Federal Requirements for Recreational Boats and Safety Tips.”

Loose items