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Prep and Safety

June 16, 2022 By InTheBite Digital Editor

safety

Some vessels were fortunate during Harvey, others less so.

By Captain Scott “Fraz” Murie

Years ago, back in the ‘80s, there was an old captain who used to tell me “it’s all in the preparation.” That is still true today. It took me a while to understand, but I learned there is a lot of wisdom in those words when it comes to our line of work. There are things to be prepared for in every aspect of our job.

I seem to talk a lot about safety, but preparation for the unthinkable is so important. It is not about if you have a life raft, life jacket or survival kit or E.P.I.R.B., it’s about how accessible they are in the event you need them. If your safety gear is stowed in an area that is not immediately accessible, you could be in trouble. When I do a long crossing and there are four of us on the boat, I have four life jackets out, along with safety lights and provisions for everyone onboard. The provisions, such as water and crackers, are stowed in a small cooler sealed with duct tape or a ditch bag. Everything is together for immediate access. I don’t want to be crawling through a hatch or a hole to find them.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Boats, Featured Stories Tagged With: atlantic hurricane season, Boat Safety, boats, hurricane season

Making the Long-Range Offshore Trip

April 5, 2022 By InTheBite Digital Editor

boat trip in the gulf

By Capt. Adam Peeples

With today’s high-tech center consoles, multi-day trips are becoming more prevalent as the load carrying capability, range, and creature comforts continue to improve. Planning a long-range trip aboard an open fisherman requires a multitude of inspections, safety checks and logistical considerations, but with proper attention a trip over the horizon can be both rewarding and productive.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Adventures, Featured Stories, Fishing Tagged With: Boat Safety, boat trips, Center Console, fishing trips

Avoiding a Disaster While Offshore Boating

September 8, 2021 By InTheBite Editor

offshore boating on a sportfisher

By Scott “Fraz” Murie

Safety—It’s not just a word, it’s an action. People in our profession sometimes get too comfortable in our routines and forget what could happen in a split second. It probably won’t, but what if it does? Offshore boating accidents can happen and unfortunately do happen.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Boats, Featured Stories, Fishing, Operations Tagged With: boat accident, Boat Safety, Offshore Fishing, sportfishing

Covering Your Assets: A Captain’s Guide to the Law of Sportfishing

March 23, 2021 By InTheBite Digital Editor

sunken boat

By Winslow Taylor

Maybe you’ve worked on boats—put in your time, mated for some folks all the while learning what to and what not to do. The result of your journey? You’ve finally been offered a job to run a boat. Or maybe you are a seasoned vet running an established program throughout the world.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Boats, Featured Stories, Operations Tagged With: boat insurance, boat maintenance, Boat Safety, boating policy, Offshore Fishing

No Captain Can Claim Perfection

March 10, 2021 By InTheBite Digital Editor

boat heading offshore

By Piet Van Alder

We were less than 100 yards from the fuel dock when the second motor died. In a futile gesture, I tried to restart it, but the reality was quite clear. We were out of fuel. The wind was from the southeast at 20 knots and we were now dangerously adrift, heading into unknown waters of unknown depth, and approaching other docks and vessels like a wayward pinball. I looked towards the bow to check the anchor, and there wasn’t one. An otherwise happy day had turned to sh*t in a hurry. We kept our cool and sprang into action.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Boats, Featured Stories, Operations Tagged With: boat captain, Boat Safety, boating careers, Offshore Fishing

Who’s Driving—Paying Attention at the Helm

September 25, 2020 By InTheBite Editor

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Featured Stories, News Tagged With: Boat Safety, rough weather, travel abroad, wheel watch

Be Safe Out There—When the Unthinkable Happens

September 18, 2020 By InTheBite Editor

Derek Escalera caught a 40-pound dolphin that introduced the hook to his foot – but he stayed out fishing!

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Featured Stories Tagged With: Boat Safety, fishing emergency, fishing safety, two minute warning

Tying Up Your Rig- The Right Way

July 10, 2020 By InTheBite Editor

Photo courtesy Pepper Ailor

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Featured Stories, General News, News Tagged With: Boat Safety, bow thruster, dock lines, tying up your rig, Viking

Coast Guard Look To Improve 911 System For Boaters

January 2, 2019 By InTheBite Editor

News From:

SPRINGFIELD, Va., Dec. 31, 2018 – A sign of the times, the U.S. Coast Guard reports that it’s common for recreational boaters today to use cellphones to call during a boating emergency. While Boat Owners Association of The United States urges every vessel to have a working VHF radio with DSC (digital selective calling), the nation’s recreational boating advocacy, services and safety group also recognizes that cellphones are firmly embedded in boaters’ lives. But what happens when a boater tries to call 911 for emergency or routine on water assistance? Will the call go to the closest, most relevant rescue agency for a swift response?

Unfortunately that’s not always the case. But a provision in the recently passed Frank LoBiondo Coast Guard Authorization of Act of 2018 aims to improve reliability of the 911 system when recreational boaters need emergency help. In an effort to ensure timely dispatch of the closest potential rescue asset or on-water assistance provider, the Act requires the U.S. Coast Guard to review its policies and procedures to “formulate a national maritime Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP) policy.” There are more than 6,000 PSAPs in the U.S. – local 24/7 call centers with trained dispatchers that receive 911 emergency telephone calls and route them to the proper emergency service.

“This effort will help minimize the possibility of maritime calls being improperly routed and to assure the U.S. Coast Guard is able to effectively carry out its maritime search-and-rescue mission,” said Tina Cardone, executive director of the Conference of Professional Operators for Response Towing (C-PORT). C-PORT members, made up of on-water towing industry companies from across the country, contributed to the legislative effort. This included TowBoatUS Mystic owner Capt. Jeff Dziedzic.

“This was a grass-roots effort by many and took years of working with U.S. Coast Guard and elected officials,” said Capt. Dziedzic. “We care about this because of our occasional role in responding to life-threating events as good Samaritans, as well as answering calls for more routine requests for assistance.”

In a video recently captured from the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), Capt. Dziedzic’s local congressman, thanked the captain for bringing the issue to his attention.

BoatUS also thanks the leadership of Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) and Reps. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.), Paul Mitchell (R-Mich.) and Elizabeth Esty (D-Conn.).

Additional TowBoatUS C-PORT members joining the effort included Capt. Chad Noetzel, TowBoatUS Port Huron, Michigan; Capt. Terry Hill, TowBoatUS Potomac, Virginia, Capt. Richard Paul, TowBoatUS Cape Coral, Florida; and Capt. Chris Shaffner, TowBoatUS Palm Beach, Florida.

Filed Under: Featured Stories, General News, News Tagged With: 911 system, aaociation, boat electronics, boat owners, Boat Safety, coast guard, emergency, Florida, gps, InTheBite, magazine, palm beach, sportfish, sportfishing, towboatUS, VHF radio

A Boat Burning Story

January 2, 2015 By InTheBite Editor

Screen Shot 2014-12-30 at 2.07.03 PMOn Friday May 30th, 2014 we departed Stuart, Florida at 0700 for a long awaited month long fishing trip to Cape Eleuthera on our 55′ Hatteras, Hope, with overnight stops in Bimini and Nassau.  Following my retirement last year and after Margaret’s successful battle over breast cancer we both felt it was time for an extended fishing trip.  We have been planning this trip for months and had 6 weeks of stores and supplies on board.  Below is the Incident Report I filed with our insurance company and also below some lessons learned that I thought you all might benefit from.  Because as you will read, this could happen to any of us.

Incident Report

1.    Date and time of incident-May 30, 2014 at 0810

2. Location-3 miles offshore and just North of the Jupiter Inlet

3. Destination-Bimini, four souls (Myself, Margaret, her Sister Lou Smith and my mate Mike Powell) on board [Read more…]

Filed Under: General News Tagged With: Boat Fire, Boat Safety, Engine room fires

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