Tom Rau 
Boat Smart Chronicles [EPUB ebook] 
Lake Michigan Devours Its Wounded

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

MISSION BRIEF

THE LAKE OF THE SINKING WATERS

Ominous Beginnings

Easy Prey

Modern Day Prey

Seven Dangerous Factors

ACCESSIBILITY

Remote to Robust

An Invitation for Mishaps

Growth Signs Abound

CLOSE QUARTER ARENA

Boats, Seawalls and Piers; A Dangerous Mix

The Grounder

The Inviter

CONGESTED WATERS

Collisions with Other Boats and Objects

The Unenlightened

Night Time Peek-a-boo

Fishing Frenzy

Boaters Need to Wake Up

Show Time

Large Boats, Small Minds

SEASONAL DANGERS

Springtime Surge

Warm Air/Cold Water Sucker Punch

It’s Now or Never

WANTON IGNORANCE

Alcohol and Boating: A Deadly Mix

Hoax Calls a Needless Curse

Channel 16 Abuse

Passenger Jeopardy

Electronic Ignorance

Laying Down the Law

LIFE JACKET DENIAL

Venus Flytrap

All But for the Lack of a Life Jacket

Murky Water a Subtle Danger

NAÏVE ASSUMPTIONS

Recreational Mishaps Alarming

Giant Aquatic Park

Ten Dangerous Assumptions Boaters Make

RESCUE RESPONDERS CAPABILITIES AND LIMITATIONS

Coast Guard; One-of-a-kind

Lake Michigan Coast Guard Crews Committed

Coast Guard Lake Michigan Resources

Filling the Gaps

Needless Overdue Calls Deplete Resources

Strong Law Enforcement Accord

Condo Commanders

SENSIBLE BOATING, KEY TO SEARCH AND RESCUE

Pain in the Stern

Navigation can Lead to a Timely Rescue

Nav Tricks You can Bag

Light Up or Perish in Darkness

Expired Flares Could be Useless

Sailboats Vulnerable Near a Lee Shore

Emergency Anchoring can Test the Best

Coast Guard Aircrew Offers Lifesaving Advice

Beware Stay Off Unstable Ice

A HISTORICAL VIEW OF RECREATIONAL BOATING

Looking Back

Getting it Right

A Grim Outlook

Connecticut on the Cutting Edge

Hands-On Boating Safety Course

AUTHOR BIO

Senior Chief Tom Rau retired from the Coast Guard in May 2002 after serving over 27 years on active duty and in the active reserves. A great deal of his active-duty time was spent on Lake Michigan at six different search and rescue facilities along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. One of his more notable achievements included writing the ‘Group and Stations Communications Watchstander Qualification Guide’ used throughout the Coast Guard to train radio watchstanders in handling boater’s calls for assistance. In 1990, Rear Admiral Robert Nelson, Chief Office of Navigation Safety in a letter to Rau wrote; ‘This guide has provided us a valuable tool to improve our service to the boating public.’Rau has had a great deal of experience with the boating public in search and rescue even in his later years as a Chief. On his retirement Senior Chief Rau received his second Coast Guard Commendation medal with The Operational Distinguishing Device. The award cited that from May 1997 to May 2002, Senior Chief Rau personally conducted 150 search and rescue cases on the water and performed 435 vessel boardings. His most noted contribution, which two Coast Guard Commandants have personally awarded him for, is the Boat Smart column. Rau has been writing safety articles since 1986. Many of the columns are based on actual Coast Guard cases he has played a part in. During the 2001 Coast Guard Festival in Grand Haven, Michigan, Admiral James Loy, then Commandant of the Coast Guard, awarded Senior Chief Rau the prestigious Alex Haley award for the Boat Smart column.