Boating New Zealand — January 2018

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I

t’s hard to believe that, after one of the wettest years on record,

large parts of the country are now sweltering under extremely

parched conditions. Many places already resemble the African

savannah. Remarkably, local authorities are urging responsible use

of water because summer’s only just started. The warnings are dire –

it’s going to get much, much drier.

Boaties, understandably, will be relishing the golden weather

after months of the miserable wet, and I’ll wager that for many, any

pre-existing festive season plans will suddenly have morphed into a

boating holiday. That’s great – but there’s a rider.

As a nation of boaties we don’t have a particularly attractive safety

record – and statistically, far more boats on the water equates to

more accidents and drownings. By the time we return to work in the

new year, the news bulletins will have carried the usual, depressing

litany. And as the recovery teams always point out, most of these

incidents will have been avoidable.

So at the risk of sounding like a sanctimonious old wet blanket,

enjoy the sailing, skiing, fishing and diving – in a responsible manner.

Wear the life-jackets, tell people where you going and when you

expect to be back. Monitor the weather forecasts. Serviced the

engine? You do have a VHF radio, don’t you? Does it work? EPIRB?

Are you a member of the Coastguard? Why not? Chances are a

Coastguard crew will be your first point of call if (when) the proverbial

hits the fan. Joining up won’t exactly bust your wallet – and a

membership is an excellent stocking filler from the generously-

proportioned gent in the red outfit.

I hope you all have a fantastic break.

Enjoy the family time. Stay safe. Take care. And above all...

Happy boating!

Lawrence Schäffler

Editor

EDITOR’S NOTE

‘Tis the season to be merry careful

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