By Bob Currie, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Station Galveston Flotilla
At the end of the first Star Trek movie, Captain Kirk said, “Mr. Sulu, ahead, warp one.” Sulu said, “Warp one, sir.” Chief DiFalco asked, “Heading, sir?” Kirk answered, “Out there. Thataway.” This may be why they seemed to get into trouble every week. They didn’t have a safe and

By Bob Currie, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Station Galveston Flotilla
There were two bad boating accidents last Sunday (August 7, 2022), one fatal, involving recreational boats and barge tows. In one incident a recreational boat with two persons aboard while running at night hit the broadside of a barge tow that had been pushed against the shore in

By Bob Currie, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Station Galveston Flotilla
Since two thirds of the earth’s surface is covered by water, it is only natural that humans find means to get around on the water. We have progressed from holding onto a floating log to operating some of the most sophisticated means of travel. Can you imagine what

By Bob Currie, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Station Galveston Flotilla
We are right in the dead middle of summer, and it has been very hot. No matter how hot it is on land, it is almost always hotter on the water due to the reflection of heat waves up from the water. Even the simplest form of heat related conditions, sunburn, can rapidly lead to

By Bob Currie, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Base Galveston Flotilla
Besides operating safely on the water, the US Coast Guard asks recreational boaters to be their eyes and ears on the water and to report suspicious activity and circumstances as well as spills and illegal dumping. Recreational boaters have saved the taxpayers millions of dollars by

By Bob Currie, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Base Galveston Flotilla
This column’s topic is something that is specific for boat operators with outboard motors. The subject is jack plates. A jack plate is a device that is used to raise and lower your outboard motor. No, I am not talking about the power tilt. An outboard motor without a jack plate

By Bob Currie, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Base Galveston Flotilla
The master or person in charge of a vessel is obligated by law to provide assistance that can be safely provided to any individual in danger at sea (46 USC 2304). The type of assistance is greatly dependent on the ability of the assisting vessel’s master to provide assistance without

By Bob Currie, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Base Galveston Flotilla
Many accidents occur every year involving the trailering of boats. There are many things that can go wrong when you are trailering your boat to the ramp and back home again. Accidents occur that lead to injury and even death in some cases. This column will discuss safe

By Bob Currie, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Base Galveston Flotilla
At some time, every boat and crew will encounter wind or sea conditions that challenge safe, successful boat operation. Due to size and design differences, extreme weather for one vessel is not necessarily challenging for another. Also, crew training, experience, and skill more

By Bob Currie, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Base Galveston Flotilla
In 2021 the Coast Guard counted 4,439 accidents that involved 658 deaths, 2,641 injuries, and about $67.5 million dollars of damage to property as a result of recreational boating accidents. The 2021 Recreational Boating Statistics is an 83-page compilation of facts and

By Bob Currie, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Base Galveston Flotilla
The US Coast Guard 2021 Recreational Boating Accident Statistics are out, and there were some improvements over last year. In 2021 the Coast Guard counted 4,439 accidents that involved 658 deaths, 2,641 injuries, and about $67.5 million dollars of damage to

By Bob Currie, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Station Galveston Flotilla
Most people have heard the terms “shipshape” and “seaworthy,” but there are obviously many boaters who do not understand the concepts of those terms. Sometimes when we go to the rescue of a recreational boat that is taking on water and in danger of sinking or just

By Bob Currie, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Station Galveston Flotilla
It has been 50 years since US Coast Guard Cutter EAGLE made a trip to Galveston. The EAGLE is a 295-foot, three-masted barque used as a training vessel for future officers of the United States Coast Guard. Built at the Blohm & Voss Shipyard in Hamburg, Germany, in

By Bob Currie, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Station Galveston Flotilla
Those of us who have pets always have a decision to make whenever we go on an outing: whether to leave or bring our pets with us. That decision is often to bring our pets with us, especially in the case of dogs. This column will discuss bringing dogs on recreational boat trips. As you

By Bob Currie, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Station Galveston Flotilla
One of the most popular styles of boats I see out on Galveston Bay is the shallow water flats boat. They are great fishing platforms, giving the occupants more room to move about that the average center console boat which has a 2- to 2.5-foot-high gunwale. The shallow water boats

By Bob Currie, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Station Galveston Flotilla
The Auxiliary’s vessel examiners perform safety checks on all types of recreational boats, including personal watercraft, also known as jet skis. The US Coast Guard Vessel Safety Check (VSC) has several requirements and recommendations specifically for

By Bob Currie, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Station Galveston Flotilla
Before we (Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary) go out on a boat patrol, we perform a process known as a General Assessment of Risk, or GAR. The GAR process was also called the Green-Amber-Red model. Under our first version of GAR, we had several risk categories

By Bob Currie, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Station Galveston Flotilla
The earth’s surface is two-thirds covered with water, as we all know, and many of us live on or near the water. Those of us that live in seaside communities know that every year we lose a friend or neighbor to the sea. Every time I hear about a loss, I am always reminded of the hymn

By Bob Currie, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Station Galveston Flotilla
One of the frequent types of calls the Coast Guard gets is a report of a vessel with no one aboard. Everyone’s first thoughts is that the boat’s occupants had ended up in the water, and sometimes

By Bob Currie, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Station Galveston Flotilla
Weather is the state of the atmosphere at a place and time as regards temperature, humidity, sunshine, wind, rain, etc. Weather is something we can feel and see. Weather clouds, based on their type and altitude, can give us a prediction of what weather conditions we

By Bob Currie, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Station Galveston Flotilla
If you watch television stations that have advertising, you probably realize that half of what you watch consists of endless (or so it seems) spot commercials lasting from as few as 15 seconds up to two minutes in length. Prior to 1970, when the FCC prohibited

By Bob Currie, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Base Galveston Flotilla
Safe Boating Week is from May 21-27, 2022. The purpose of the Safe Boating Campaign is to promote boater education and safe operation so that all boaters get home safely. Getting home safely from a recreational boating outing is simply a matter of following some

By Bob Currie, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist,
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Station Galveston Flotilla
There are valid reasons for not following ships and boats closely. This column will address how to use your judgment to maintain a proper distance from other vessels in a following situation.
Rules of the Road: Overtaking (Rule 13)

By Bob Currie, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Station Galveston Flotilla
Beginning this month or early next, Aids to Navigation (ATONs) along the Houston Ship Channel (HSC) will be actively changing as dredging will commence that will widen the HSC along the Galveston Bay reach (Bolivar Roads to Morgan’s Point) and deepen and widen

By Bob Currie, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Station Galveston Flotilla
One of the most important ways for recreational boaters to increase their safety on the water is to undergo a free U.S. Coast Guard Vessel Safety Check (VSC). The Auxiliary has certified vessel examiners who will come to your location to perform the VSC. Our Galveston Flotilla

By Bob Currie, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Station Galveston Flotilla
As much as we harp about the dangers of having alcohol on board your board, there are times when a six-pack is a requirement- a six-pack captain, that is. A Six-Pack Captain is someone who is licensed to carry up to six paying passengers on their boat. Getting (and keeping)

By Bob Currie, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Station Galveston Flotilla
We have had several recent successful rescues in which boats sank or capsized. It is only because the persons aboard were able to get off a distress signal that they were saved. This is the time of year we boaters use to get ready for the next boating season rather than

By Bob Currie, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Station Galveston Flotilla
Last week we discussed the Aids to Navigation (ATONs) that are part of the Lateral System, which marks the safe channel of navigable waterways. This week the discussion will be about the rest of the ATONs, also known as “Aids to Navigation with No Lateral Significance.” First