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Here Come The Boats, Officials Say

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By NEIL JOHNSON

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 20, 2008

TAMPA - Seventy-seven people died in Florida boating accidents last year, and here's the typical victim:

A man 36 to 50 who was thrown from a gasoline-powered, propeller-driven boat after noon in March, could swim but drowned, and had no formal boating education. Alcohol likely was a factor.

With Memorial Day weekend ahead, boating safety officials in Florida are kicking off efforts to reduce the number of deaths and injuries. The campaign included a news conference Monday at the Gandy Bridge boat ramp in Tampa.

Florida ranked No. 3 in registered boats but No. 1 in boating deaths in 2007, said Gary Morse, spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. With 1.03 million registered boats, the state has fewer than California and Michigan.

"Florida has a year-round boating season. It really gets started in April, when people have cabin fever and the weather turns nice," Morse said.

Pinellas County ranked fourth in the state in the number of boating accidents in 2007. There were 50 accidents, in which four people died and 22 were injured. The county has 54,315 recreational boats.

In Hillsborough County during 2007, one person died and 18 were injured in 16 accidents. The county has 47,212 registered recreational boats.

Both counties were eclipsed by Monroe County, with 74 accidents and four deaths. The county has fewer than half the number of registered recreational boats as Pinellas.

With drowning the cause of 39 boating-related deaths last year, the state has mounted an effort, including television commercials, to get people to wear life jackets.

They're not the blocky, bulky, kapok-filled versions of yesteryear.

Newer versions are slender, more comfortable and inflate with the help of a carbon dioxide cartridge. They look more like a narrow vest. Many inflate within five seconds when immersed in water or can be inflated with a rip cord.

There also is an inflatable type that fits around the stomach like a belly pack but doesn't automatically inflate.

Those aren't for use on personal watercraft, though, because riders on these "water cycles" are constantly soaked by spray, said JoAnne Adams, game commission spokeswoman.

Personal watercraft account for about 13 percent of the registered vessels in the state, but were involved in 24 percent of boating accidents and 21 percent of deaths in 2007.

"They're kind of like a motorcycle. There's the thrill of high speed," said game commission Lt. Kevin Grover.

One reason for the disproportionate number of accidents is that the watercraft lose most of their steering when the throttle is cut, and unlike motorboats, few can be put in reverse, making it difficult to avoid a collision, Grover said.

This weekend, law enforcement agencies will be alert for hot-dogging operators, he said.

Being reckless, officers say, includes following too closely, jumping wake or making a sharp turn to spray someone in a boat.

Fires last year caused 22 of the state's 668 boating accidents, one reason every boat need a fire extinguisher.

Tampa Fire Rescue Capt. Eric Hull said boats should have a minimum of two. Each standard extinguisher, when used by someone with training, will last about 21/2 minutes, long enough to put out most small fires.

"Not everyone has training," Hull said.

That's why a boat should have at least two, he said.

Most vessel fires occur while fueling at a dock. Others occur when the boat operator doesn't run an engine compartment ventilator at least two minutes, Hull said.

Reporter Neil Johnson can be reached at njohnson@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7731.

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