| The recreational boating community is being encouraged to ‘reduce the risk, boost your skills’ in a new Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) joint safety campaign with the RNLI and RYA. Highly targeted to reach new and experienced sailing and motorboat enthusiasts, the campaign launched on 13 March, ahead of the traditional start of the recreational boating season at Easter.
 The objective of the campaign is to promote key safety behaviours, reduce the number of boating incidents and prevent non serious incidents from escalating. It asks people of all levels of experience – from the first-time dinghy sailor to the experienced offshore cruiser – to take some simple steps to reduce the risks by ensuring they, their crew and their vessel are fully prepared before casting off. These include wearing lifejackets, ensuring proper maintenance of the boat and being able to call for help.
Campaign resources include laminated checklists to keep on board your vessel, with guidance on briefing crew, boating checks and how to call for help; a dedicated webpage hosted by the RNLI with links to partners and downloadable resources; and advertisements and articles in popular magazines Yachting Monthly and Practical Boat Owner. |
