EVERETT — Boating season kicks off this weekend, and with it a push to stay safe on the water.
An event set for Saturday at the Port of Everett Marina’s Boxcar Park is geared toward helping people learn boating skills. Workshops are planned aboard boats that will be moored, said Gary Baker, commander of the Everett Sail and Power Squadron.
The local branch of the national boating organization is putting on its first Boat Skills Festival.
“We’ve condensed these workshops down to 50 minutes each,” Baker said. “We want to get people out enjoying the water and doing so safely.”
The free event goes from noon to 4 p.m., with workshops to choose from each hour. Among the topics are crabbing and shrimping tips, navigating the waters around Everett, first aid and how to respond to emergencies while on the water.
Free vessel safety checks are being offered all day Saturday, and guest groups plan to present on their areas of expertise. The Whidbey Island Sea Kayakers are going to show kayaking techniques, while the local Sea Scouts will demonstrate useful knots.
The U.S. Coast Guard counted more than 4,400 boating accidents, 700 of them fatal, in 2016, according to a federal report. In most fatal accidents, the victims drowned. Of those where the Coast Guard was able to track the data, 83 percent of those who died were not wearing a life jacket.
Alcohol use is the most common contributing factor in fatal boating accidents, according to the Coast Guard. Education and skill also play a role. Nearly eight of every 10 reported deaths occurred on boats where the operator had not received formal boating safety instruction.
Between 2012 and 2016, the Coast Guard reported 526 boating accidents in Washington, in which 116 people died.
Lives were lost in boating accidents last summer in Snohomish County. The deaths include a man who was reportedly thrown from a boat on Lake Goodwin and another who died after a boat became swamped near Naval Station Everett.
“Most fatalities and injuries are human error rather than mechanical problems,” Baker said.
If he could stress one piece of advice, it would be to wear a life jacket. No one should be on a boat without one, and it’s important to ensure a proper fit, especially for children, he said.
The Everett Sail and Power Squadron is in its 70th year and has more than 100 members. About 20 helped organize the Boating Skills Festival.
“It’s important enough we think we want to do it every year,” Baker said.
Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@herald net.com.
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