Dec 10, 2019

Freedom Boat Club, a division of Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC) and the nation’s oldest and largest boat club and premiere boat club franchisor, has been recognized with a National Boating Industry Safety Award for their Sober Skipper initiative.  The award is part of the inaugural National Boating Industry Safety Awards presented by the Sea Tow Foundation to honor and recognize the work of a boating industry business who is committed to safety. 
 
Freedom Boat Club adopted a national, network-wide ‘Sober Skipper’ program in 2016 which calls on Freedom Boat Club dock staff to work one-on-one with club members in designating both a ‘sober skipper’ and an official lookout/observer, and to review important safety messaging prior to boat departure.
 
“As the largest boat club in North America with over 200 locations, Freedom Boat Club advocates for boating safety by asking each member around the country to identify who is the Sober Skipper on their boat before they depart the dock on every single trip,” said Sea Tow’s Gail Kulp. “Their dedication to safe boating has saved Freedom Boat Club thousands of dollars in boat damage and liability costs, but more importantly, it has saved countless lives.”
 
“We take safety very seriously and that is a requirement for our members, our employees and anyone that is involved with Freedom Boat Club,” said John Giglio, Freedom Boat Club president. “For 30 years we have been promoting safety on the water from sober driving to wearing the proper sunscreen and safety equipment.  We are honored to be recognized by Sea Tow and the National Boating Industry Safety Awards with the Sober Skipper award.  It is a true testament to our commitment to safety on the water.”
 
The goal of the National Boating Industry Safety Awards program is to recognize and celebrate the top for-profit boating industry companies in each category for their commitment and efforts at promoting boating safety initiatives within the U.S. This can include but is not limited to life jacket wear, designating a sober skipper, using VHF radios properly, using engine cut-off lanyards, promoting taking a boating safety course, carrying required boating safety equipment or other boating safety topics.