With the last of the cold weather hopefully behind us, most boaters have already begun the annual ritual of prepping their boat for a new season. For some the highly honed ritual may only take a few hours, while others may labor for days or weeks to restore their maritime bride to her former glory. Cosmetics often include cleaning, waxing, painting, or varnishing. Mechanical repairs and upgrades run the gambit from replacing tires on the trailer or installing a new GPS to pulling and replacing an inboard engine.

Whatever this year’s task list might include, don’t forget to insure that your boat is legal and safe. The Coast Guard Auxiliary can help. We offer free safety exams at most of the marinas in town. We can even arrange to come to other locations to inspect your boat. Exams are free of charge and we never report discrepancies to the Coast Guard. If you are deficient in some area, just bring it into compliance and call us back. If you pass the exam, we award you a vessel safety sticker and place it on the windshield (or near-by structure) of your boat.

You may wonder what we check in a vessel safety check. It certainly isn’t a secret. You can even go online and take a virtual safety check. Just go to http://safetyseal.net/what_is_vsc.asp. You will still need to see one of our certified vessel examiners to get your decal, but you will arrive knowing you should be in good shape. The website will show you what you need to be compliant in the following 15 items:

• Item 1 - Display of Numbers
• Item 2 - Registration / Documentation
• Item 3 - Personal Flotation Devices (PFD)
• Item 4 - Visual Distress Signals (VDS)
• Item 5 – Fire Extinguishers
• Item 6 – Ventilation
• Item 7 - Backfire Flame Control
• Item 8 - Sound Producing Devices / Bell
• Item 9 - Navigation Lights
• Item 10 - Pollution Placard
• Item 11 - MARPOL Trash Placard
• Item 12 - Marine Sanitation Devices
• Item 13 - Navigation Rules
• Item 14 - State and/ or Local Requirements
• Item 15 - Overall Vessel condition

In addition, we will discuss some items that may not be a legal requirement, but common sense and boating safety statistics have proven these additional items to be valuable to have onboard. The whole exam usually takes less than a half an hour to complete and you will rest a whole lot easier, knowing you have properly provisioned your vessel. Remember that decals are only good for the calendar year displayed on the decal.

So what is the advantage of having a decal? In addition to the piece of mind that comes from completing the exam, a vessel safety exam decal signals law enforcement that your vessel has met the legal requirements. Provided you are not being stopped for some other violation, this sticker may afford you a “free pass” when law enforcement officers are engaged in random vessel checks. Don’t forget – when they find a violation, it will cost you!

Please go to the Vessel Safety Exam page of our website to find the schedule of dates and locations for our free exams. Or call Dick Luettich at (912) 507-3777 for more information. Our examiners are friendly folks - fellow boaters, like yourself – who volunteer their time to help you stay legal and safe. They are a great source of local knowledge, so don’t hesitate to pick their brains with your boating questions while you are there. We’ll see you on the dock! Be legal. Be safe.