Sept 8, 2020
Could you find your flares in this locker if you had to?
For millions of boat owners, Labor Day weekend might be the last blast, with many enjoying the end-of-summer boating ritual with family and friends aboard, according to Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS). The national advocacy, services and safety group cautions, however, that boating traffic and complacency could be safety concerns.
BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water Director of Boating Safety Ted Sensenbrenner says, “At this time of year complacency can set in. You’ve had a safe boating season up to now, but don’t let your guard down just yet.” Sensenbrenner offers these end-of-summer boating safety tips:
• Do you know where your flares are, or did you bury them under the inner tube in the back lazarette?
• Are life jackets serviceable, or has the dog eaten one? Have you periodically inspected any inflatable life jackets?
• Is your throwable (Type IV) personal floatation device still at the helm within easy reach, or did a guest hide it in the back under the stern seat?
• Are all of your navigation lights still working?
• Have you checked your U.S. Coast Guard Local Notice for Mariners lately to see if anything has changed, such as recent storms affecting navigation or infrastructure work?
• Over the course of the summer, have your boat trailer’s safety chains accidentally dragged on the pavement leaving them compromised? Are brake lights still operable?
• Want to learn more about boating safety? Take a free online boating safety course from the Foundation at BoatUS.org/Free.
Messe Düsseldorf decided on Thursday, 21 January, to cancel boot Düsseldorf for 2021 due to the ongoing pandemic and the associated worldwide lockdown measures. The next boot, as scheduled in the trade fair calendar, will open its doors from 22 to 30 January 2022. Under the given circumstances, an implementation on the planned date in April is no longer guaranteed, says Wolfram N. Diener, CEO of Messe Düsseldorf: "The continuing high level of infection and the fact that the end of the lockdown is not foreseeable for the time being make a resumption of trade fair operations at the end of April appear increasingly unrealistic. 
