Tips for Cold Weather Boating
by Grady-White 28 Jan 08:32 PST
Cold weather boating © Grady-White
Falling temperatures don't have to mean your boating season is over - you just need to make some important adjustments before you head out. Here are some tips to help you prepare your boat and crew for being on the water when the air and water temperatures start to cool: Five Essential Winter Boating Tips for Safe and Enjoyable Adventures.
If you decide it's time to put your boat up for the winter, here are some suggestions to ensure your boat is ready to roll when warmer days arrive.
If your Grady-White has already been put away for the winter, here are some Discover Boating ideas for other places to visit.
Important Safety Tip for Cold Water Boating
Every Grady-White captain should insist that all passengers wear a life jacket and dress for the water temperature, not the air temperature-NO EXCEPTIONS. Even if daytime temperatures are summer-like, immersion in water at or below 59 degrees F can be dangerous.
Understand the four stages of cold water immersion, if someone goes overboard:
- Cold shock: Cold water causes involuntary gasping making it difficult to catch one's breath and people hyperventilate, faint, and drown before being able to calm down their breathing.
- wimming failure: Cold water decreases the ability to move extremities. Anyone in frigid water as long as 5-15 minutes should limit moving about. Movement depletes heat and energy.
- Hypothermia: The body loses heat faster than it can produce it. Violent shivering develops which may give way to far more serious conditions.
- Post-rescue collapse.
Most cold water drowning fatalities are attributed to cold shock or swimming failure so if someone goes overboard, it's important to get them out as quickly as is safely possible.
To summarize: Wear a PFD, and learn cold water skills.
Happy spring and winter boating from all of us at Grady-White! Be prepared!