Statistics Show Boating Is Only as Safe as Boaters Make It

A few weeks ago, nine members of an Arkansas family, including children ages 18 months to 10 years, boarded their 12-foot boat for an outing on the Fourche LaFave River near Little Rock. Nobody wore a life jacket.

With nine people in a 12-foot boat and no life jackets, it was a disaster waiting to happen. Predictably, the overloaded craft swamped and capsized. Seven drowned.

Earlier this year, two Cleveland Indian pitchers were killed and another severely injured when their speeding boat ran into an unlighted pier on a dark Florida lake.

Within the next four days, 40 more people across the country will die in accidents related to the last big boating weekend of the year. The Boat Owners Assn. of the United States bases that prediction on statistics from past Labor Day weekends.

It’s better than it used to be. According to BOAT/U.S., boating fatalities are down 53% from 7.6 per 100,000 boats in 1982 to 4.0 last year, thanks in a large part to boating safety education programs by BOAT/U.S., the Coast Guard Auxiliary and other organizations.

There are now 20.3 million boats in the United States, so the total fatalities remain high, but people are starting to understand that boating is only as safe as they make it. Half of all victims of fatal boating accidents were drinking--and they weren’t necessarily the ones driving the boat. The “designated driver” system doesn’t work on water. It may not be easy for an inebriated passenger to fall out of a car, but any drunk can fall out of a boat.

Experience isn’t everything. One-fourth of the operators in accidents last year had 500 hours or more at the helm, but only one in five had taken a boating safety course.

Final note: the most dangerous time of day is from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

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Thunderstorms have been rolling across the Imperial Valley “fairly regularly,” according to John Massie, upland game coordinator for the California Department of Fish and Game. But prospects are still excellent for today’s opening of dove hunting season.

While thunderstorms have been known to scatter concentrations of doves, the recent storms have not been accompanied by strong winds, and Massie said indications are that hunters will enjoy one of the better openers in years in the southeast corner of the state.

“We haven’t seen the cold nighttime temperatures, either,” Massie said, “and that’s generally what causes the birds to fly over into Mexico.”

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The bluefin tuna game of hide-and-seek turned the anglers’ way again last Sunday after a quiet few weeks. Several San Diego boats found the elusive fish 140 miles south--about a 1 1/2-day trip. The bite was continuing through Tuesday, with catches running from 40 to 100 pounds and more, averaging 70.

Bluefin bites over the last three months have coincided with full moons, when fish aren’t supposed to bite. Wrong, says Mike Keating, who runs the Spirit of Adventure out of H&M; Landing.

“Fish always bite on a full moon,” Keating said. “They feed on a full moon, but they also move.”

Big fish chase forage fish, which are easier to see with a full moon. Find their food and you’ll find the fish.

Briefly

SALTWATER--Long-range boats from San Diego are finding sizable schools of yellowfin tuna at Guadalupe and San Benitos islands. . . . Locally, anglers are hooking into some yellowtail, primarily those fishing aboard South Bay-based boats at Horseshoe Kelp and Rocky Point. Otherwise, the near-shore waters of the Southland coast are yielding fair numbers of calico bass, sand bass, bonito and barracuda. . . . Judy Magruder of Thousand Oaks, with husband Steve at the helm of their 38-foot boat, took a 155-pound striped marlin at the 153-fathom spot southwest of Santa Cruz Island Monday. Remarkably, Magruder fought the fish for 45 minutes on 12-pound test line. . . . Kit McNear will address the San Diego Rod and Reel Club Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Bali Hai restaurant on Shelter Island.

Southern Baja: Torrential rains and strong winds courtesy of Hurricane Hillary kept boats at bay for two days last week in the Cabo San Lucas area, sank a tuna boat and a yacht, and drove 400 people from their homes in the La Paz area. But the chubasco has passed and things are getting back to normal as far as the fishing operations are concerned. Dorado and tuna are abundant throughout the region, with some tuna in the 75- to 100-pound class. Blue marlin and wahoo are scattered.

FRESHWATER--The first of four American Bass Assn. team tournaments at Castaic Lake Saturday was won by Jay Poore of Glendale and John Ed Wilder of Canoga Park. The duo fished plastic worms and crankbaits and caught six bass totaling 20.70 pounds to win the $2,630 purse. All bass were released. Next tournament is at Castaic on Sept. 18. Details: (310) 376-1026. . . . The South Bay Flyfishers will see a slide show by Mike Ross on fishing the Western states at tonight’s monthly meeting at the Westchester Town Hall, 8501 Emerson Ave., starting at 7:30. The public is invited.

PADDLEBOARDING--Jeff Stoner of Palos Verdes was the winner of the annual L.A. Sound Catalina Classic Sunday, crossing the channel between the Santa Catalina isthmus and Manhattan Beach Pier in 5 hours 43 minutes 21 seconds. Conditions were good for the 32-mile race, but not good enough for Stoner to come close to the world record time of 5:21:34 set by Santa Monica’s Gene Rink in 1987. Stoner finished second last year to Hawaii’s Brendan Shea. Shea didn’t compete this year.