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FIRST AID FOR NAVIGATION

Run into and blown over, the waterways' Aids to Navigation need constant attention. The Coast Guard rides to the rescue.n 4-line blurb

By DAVID A. BROWN
Published July 15, 2006

Most boaters think of the Coast Guard when something goes wrong, but one of its regular duties aspires to keep that from happening.

Indeed, one of the keys to ensuring peaceful coexistence among various waterway users is the system of identifying navigable channels. Much like road signs, the U.S. Coast Guard's Aids to Navigation ATON provide visual cues to where you can safely run a boat.

During a recent trip to the Anclote River Park boat ramp, Petty Officer Chris Chambers and his team - Fireman Juan Carlos Gonzalez, Seaman Tiffany Walker and Fireman Mark Lyons - were returning from a local repair job. A marker wasn't flashing because its bulb had expired.

Sounds like a housekeeping chore, but this is serious business. Without properly marked boating channels, the number of groundings, collisions and environmental impacts would increase significantly.

On a regular basis, Chambers and his crew will fix fallen day boards, change a few bulbs and set up temporary markers when permanent structures are severely damaged. In the case of a fallen marker, a larger Coast Guard vessel follows up to secure a permanent replacement.

That's probably not the first thing folks think about when they see a boat with the crossing anchors emblem. But what most boaters generically call "markers" are of great importance to the Coast Guard - even if its public image stands in the shadow of the more intriguing missions.

"Aids to Navigation are a high priority for us, but Search and Rescue and Law Enforcement just get more focus," Lyons said.

Nevertheless, making sure that markers remain where the charts indicate requires constant diligence - especially when warmer weather packs the boat ramps.

"Summer is our busiest time because we have a lot of mariners on the water, and not all of them understand what the (navigational aids) mean," Chambers said.

Not only that, but some mariners seemed to have trouble comprehending the laws of physical science - particularly the one prohibiting two objects from simultaneously occupying the same space.

But it's not just the boater who accidentally damages navigational aids. Chambers said fixing the work of vandals keeps his team busy. Mother Nature claims a few markers, too.

Whatever the cause, any damage to navigational aids receives swift attention.

"It's important that we respond quickly to keep the waterways safe," Chambers said. "A lot of these markers are steel, and if we don't fix them right away, someone could run into them and that would be a terrible accident."

Of course, even a fully functional system of Aids to Navigation cannot help those who can't interpret their messages. Chambers advises all new boaters to familiarize themselves with both the features of local waterways and the laws than govern maritime travel.

"Get a chart and study the Rules of the Road," he said. "A lot of people just get a boat and don't know what they're doing (on the water). But there are rules just like driving a car."

For information on Rules of the Road visit the Coast Guard's Office of Vessel Traffic Management at www.uscg.mil/vtm/pages/ links.htm. The Coast Guard's Office of Boating Safety provides a comprehensive explanation of Aids to Navigation at www.uscgboating.org/ safety/aton/landing.htm.

For Florida-specific boating laws, visit http://myfwc.com/boating.

David A. Brown can be reached at tightlinecomm@aol.com.

[Last modified July 14, 2006, 19:49:41]