Boat Smart Chronicles contains true cases of boating emergencies on and around Lake Michigan and what can be learned from these mishaps. It reads like a great ship’s log on recreational boating spanning over two decades. As a long-time Coast Guard responder, Tom Rau has meticulously recorded firsthand accounts of boating and water-related mishaps.
These accounts include valuable feedback from those rescued and their ordeals. This wealth of boating experiences has evolved into an epic boating safety guide. No matter where you boat or your experience level, the entertaining and revealing Boat Smart Chronicles is an absolute must-read for all recreational boaters and water enthusiasts.
Although these are accounts of boating emergencies on and around Lake Michigan: these boating emergencies can happen on any body of water. This book is entertaining, revealing, and instructive, and any boater can learn from this compilation of firsthand reports of what went wrong.
Tabella dei contenuti
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
Circa l’autore
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.
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