If you’re a boater, mariner, or involved in any type of waterway activities, you’ve probably heard of a Notice to Mariners (NOTMAR). But what exactly is a NOTMAR and what is its purpose? What is the purpose of a Notice to Mariners? The main purpose of a NOTMAR is to help ensure the safety of Read more ›
As per the Small Vessel Regulations, certain pleasure crafts are required to carry on board a manual propelling device. In this blog, we’ll explore the importance of manual propelling devices for boating and discuss how to check them before each trip to ensure that you’re prepared for any situation that may arise on the water. Read more ›
Many fatal boating accidents occur out of season, in the months when the water is cold. Cold water shock occurs when you are suddenly plunged into frigid waters. In this blog, we will discuss the causes, body’s reaction, symptoms, and phases of cold water shock. What is cold water shock? Cold water shock is a Read more ›
As a boater, understanding the various navigation aids such as day beacons are among the things you need to learn before operating a boat. In this blog, we will discuss three important types of day beacons – starboard hand, port hand, and junction day beacons. What is a day beacon? Beacons and buoys may look Read more ›
Boating in bad weather can be a risk to the safety of your boat and everyone onboard. As a boat operator, it is important to know how to avoid being caught in bad weather, and it is your responsibility to know what to do if you are. Sudden weather changes are not uncommon in Canada, Read more ›
When preparing for an outing on the water, it’s important to be mindful of your boat’s maximum capacity. Overloading your vessel with passengers or equipment can have serious consequences. Most pleasure craft under 6 m in Canada have a compliance notice on board that indicates the maximum load the vessel can safely carry. Note that Read more ›
An isolated danger buoy serves to mark an isolated hazard that has navigable water all around it. The dangers may be natural in origin, such as shoals, or man-made, such as shipwrecks. When encountering an isolated danger buoy, it’s best to check your marine charts for more information about the hazard, such as its dimensions Read more ›
The purpose of special buoys is to provide boaters with important information. Unlike most other types of boating buoys and markers, they are not intended to serve primarily as navigation aids. Cautionary buoys Cautionary buoys mark hazardous areas such as locations of military exercises, underwater structures, race courses, seaplane bases and impassable channels. Cautionary buoys Read more ›
When towing someone behind a boat or personal watercraft, there must be a spotter on board in addition to the vessel operator. The spotter’s job is to keep an eye on the water skier and communicate with them. With the engine noise, distance and other environmental factors, there is no guarantee that the spotter and Read more ›
The International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet, commonly known as the NATO phonetic alphabet, is a set of code words used to clearly communicate the letters of the Roman alphabet over radio and telephone. The code was devised through the collaboration of several international agencies to make sure that letters can be easily distinguished from each other Read more ›
