“Mayday, Mayday, Mayday!” That’s what a local couple had to call while on a fishing trip recently. Ken and Vickie Bayles of Orange Beach agreed to go fishing with a friend who had just purchased a boat that had been surveyed by a ‘certified’ person. According to Bayles, “The mistake we made was not checking out everything ourselves.”

“We went out 18 miles to one of our waypoints and began fishing. Within 45 minutes, I noticed that the twin motors were lower in the water than normal. I checked the bilge hole. Water was six inches over the batteries, and the bilge pump was not working. We turned on the override and it began pumping; however, it was too late. When both motors stalled out, I said it’s time to ‘Mayday’ the Coast Guard, and we did. A boat came to our call 15 minutes before the Coast Guard arrived,” according to Bayles.

Bayles stated, “We were so thankful that we had recently taken the USPS boating safety course taught by Commander Richard Carson. The course is well worth the 50 bucks! It teaches you what to do when your watercraft is going under … not a good feeling 18 miles out in the Gulf!”

BE SAFE – Know your:

Boat

Equipment

Safety devices and PFD’s

Alcohol limits

First aid and emergency procedure

Environment (area and weather)

… Before you go! (According to the National Safe Boating Council)

Facts:

Courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard

• There were 4,062 recreational boating accidents in the U.S. last year.

• Last year, 560 lives were lost in boating accidents.

• Seventy-seven percent of the fatal accident victims drowned (84 percent of these were not wearing a life jacket).

• Eight out of every 10 boaters who drowned were using boats less than 21 feet in length.

• BWI (boating while intoxicated) is the leading contributing factor in fatal boating accidents.

FIND IT LOCAL:

What: Safe Boating Class

Who: Perdido Bay Power Squadron; Richard Carson; (251) 980-1536

Cost: $50 for the eight-hour class (includes lunch and materials)

*Class is offered six times per year and is open to all ages