{"id":1630,"date":"2014-01-26T16:07:26","date_gmt":"2014-01-26T21:07:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/blog\/?p=1630"},"modified":"2016-11-19T14:29:12","modified_gmt":"2016-11-19T19:29:12","slug":"boating-safety-on-winter-waters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/blog\/index.php\/2014\/01\/26\/boating-safety-on-winter-waters\/","title":{"rendered":"Boating Safety on Winter Waters"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Even the coldest weather of the year can&#8217;t keep some diehard boaters from taking to the water during the winter months. If you&#8217;re one of them, you need to be extra careful, as decreased air and water temperatures present special dangers. Here are some tips to help keep you safe and warm if you brave the winter waves.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Be sure to let family members and friends know where you&#8217;re going and when you expect to be back. You should do this no matter what time of year it is, but it&#8217;s especially important in the winter when less people will be on the water to help in case of an emergency.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Wear manmade fabrics like polyester rather than cotton. Cotton gets wet and stays wet, losing its insulating ability and actually causing chill. Polyester wicks moisture away from the skin, keeping you drier and warmer. The same is true for under layers as well as outer layers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Don&#8217;t just take a life jacket \u2014 wear it. Falls overboard happen, and more than half of all boating fatalities due to drowning occur because of the effects of being immersed in cold water. Thick clothes worn for protection against cold air temperatures can become heavy in water and make it difficult for those wearing them to stay afloat.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Consider wearing a neoprene wetsuit or float-coat. These can dramatically increase your chances of survival if you unexpectedly end up in the drink. Plus, they add insulation and warmth without being too bulky.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Know how to survive in cold water. If you do fall in, get out quickly. If you can&#8217;t get out, conserve your body heat by holding your knees to your chest and clasping your arms around your legs. This will protect your core. Do not remove your clothes and cover your head. Call for help but don&#8217;t flail your arms, as this will tire you out and cause your body to lose heat faster.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Plan for &#8220;what if.&#8221; Trust us, you&#8217;ll be happy you brought back-up warmth if the worst happens. Pack a change of clothes, thick towels or blankets, a thermos filled with a hot beverage or soup, pocket warmers and other forms of heat that can quickly heat your body. It could mean the difference between a survival story and a tragic tale.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>United Marine Underwriters is more than just <a href=\"http:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">boat insurance.<\/span><\/a> Browse our <a href=\"http:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/boatbrowser\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Boats For Sale<\/span><\/a> at BoatBrowser or our <a href=\"http:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/lakebrowser\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Lake Resource Guide<\/span><\/a> at LakeBrowser or share your fishing stories and photos at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/fish_tales\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">True Fish Tales<\/span><\/a> \u2013 the ones that did not get away.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/secure.unitedmarine.net\/click.aspx?ad=f012714b\">UnitedMarine.net\/BoatBrowser<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/secure.unitedmarine.net\/click.aspx?ad=f012714b\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Featured Boat For Sale - BoatBrowser\" src=\"http:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/FeaturedBoatForSale012714Blog.jpg\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Even the coldest weather of the year can&#8217;t keep some diehard boaters from taking to the water during the winter months. If you&#8217;re one of them, you need to be extra careful, as decreased air and water temperatures present special dangers. Here are some tips to help keep you safe and warm if you brave [&#8230;]<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[242,237,238],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-boat-insurance-2","category-boating-safety-2","category-boating-tips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1630","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1630"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1630\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1642,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1630\/revisions\/1642"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1630"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}