ACCIDENT REPORTING
Boat Operators involved in an accident must provide their name, address and vessel registration to other involved parties, provide assistance and, in case of death or disappearance report the accident to law enforcement officials.Boat operators or owners must also make a written report of a boating accident to the Department of Boating and Waterways when:

1. A person dies
2. Personal injury requiring medical treatment beyond first aid
3. Total vessel damage exceeding $500
4. Complete loss of the vessel
5. Disappearance of a person or person(s) from suspected injury or death.

This report must be made within 48 hours of the accident in cases involving disappearance, adeath that occurs within 24 hours of the accident, or injury that requires medical treatment beyond first aid.If you are unsure about how to report a boating accident, simply call the Coast Guard's toll-free BOATING SAFETY HOT-LINE at 1-800-368-5647 for information.


CAPSIZING
If the boat is too large or heavy to right by yourself, do not attempt to swim away; STAY WITH THE BOAT and wait to be rescued. KEEP YOUR LIFE JACKET ON. If the boat is small and light enough to right, swim around the boat and grab or climb on the windward rail (the side of the boat sticking up in the air) to pull the hull back in the water. If your boat has a centerboard, pull down or stand on it to see-saw the boat upright. If it's a sailboat, uncleat the sheets (lines) that holds the sails in place; if you don't, the sails can fill with air as soon as the boat is righted and tip it over again.


MAN OVERBOARD
If YOU fall overboard, your main concern is to stay afloat. If you are not wearing a life jacket and cannot grab a personal flotation device, try to catch air in your clothing for buoyancy. In cold water, don't expend too much energy; tread water very slowly, or if wearing a life jacket, assume the huddled H.E.L.P. (Heat Escape Lessening Posture) position to conserve body heat. Try to make your head and shoulders as visible as possible so rescuers can spot you.

If SOMEONE ELSE falls overboard, immediately steer the vessel toward the side he fell off. Post a lookout. Throw the victim a life ring or other personal flotation device, plus a lifeline with a bowline loop at the end to slip over his body and under his arms. If available, throw out a manoverboard pole, a buoyed, counterweighted pole with a highly visible flag on top to alert other boaters of the victim's presence and to mark the spot for the rescue boat. Stop the forward progress of the boat by taking the engine out of gear, or by luffing the sails on a non-powered sail boat. Alter your course 90 degrees and prepare to come alongside the victim for rescue.


RESCUING A VICTIM WITH YOUR BOAT
When coming alongside someone in the water to perform a rescue from your boat, if possible, pick the victim up on the windward (upwind) side of the boat (the approach suggested by the American Red Cross and the United States Yacht Racing Union). Put the engine in neutral as soon as you are next to the victim so there is no propeller turning which might cause serious injury. Put a sturdy swimmer's ladder over the side and have at least one crew member put on a life jacket and prepare to help the victim. If the victim is unconscious or unable to climb the ladder or assist in his own rescue (which is especially difficult in rough seas), he may need to be hauled onboard by several crew members, either by a lifeline or by his clothing.

An alternate rescue method suggested by the Coast Guard is to have someone onboard stand on one end of a blanket or net. The opposite end should be placed under and then wrapped over the victim and pulled by the person overboard. By doing so you can roll the victim out of the water and onto the boat.

U.S. Coast Guard Group Stations / Emergency Rescue Procedures/Personal Flotation Devices/First Aid
Fire Extinguishers/Running Lights / Aids To Navigation / Inland Rules of the Road
VHF-FM Frequencies (Sponsored By Standard Communications) / VHF Radio Information
Preparation and Storm Advisories / Recommended Additional Equipment / Trailering Your Boat
Common Useful Knots / Marine Law Enforcement / Wind Determinants