Apr 18, 2023

This year, as in the past, we will again hold North American Safe Boating Awareness Week from May 20 – 26, and for many marine industry businesses, (not just marinas), this can be good business. First, many companies sell boating safety products and this occasion gives you a way to gain local media attention at little or no cost. 

Boating safety is a subject your mass media outlets will find seasonally appropriate and by offering your business and your people for interviews and demonstrations, you and your business could be featured in your local newspaper, radio and even television. It’s great free advertising!

Tell them about the safety requirements and warn them about the fines if they are not properly equipped. Offer to show the latest and most comfortable life jackets and PFDs. Show how to check inflatable PFDs and to replace the inflators.

Make yourself a local authority on boating safety and tell people you are the place to go for to get the equipment they need. The Canadian Safe Boating Council website (www.csbc.ca) has a wide range of information and resources, well-organized for your easy use. Have a look at that.

Boating education is also a logical topic, especially for families who need to get PCOC cards for their friends and children. There are several online PCOC providers but the Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons (CPS) has just re-launched their excellent PCOC program with both online and  in-person courses, in English and French, and they also offer the VFH Radio course, VHF radio licensing and far more advanced boating topics too. You would be doing your customers a favour by introducing them to CPS and making it easy and enjoyable for them to get more out of boating. 

Also, in this edition of Boating Industry Canada News Week Digest, we have a new writer, Elizabeth Perron who has joined us as a summer intern. She is also working at a marina this summer and she has written a story from the high school student’s perspective, on what will attract young people to work at your business this summer. This would be informative reading if you plan to hire a student this year.

To close, the summer weather suddenly arrived last week with 26-degree Celsius temperatures and glorious sun for several days. Expect a record-breaking start to the season this year!

Andy Adams – Editor