Currents
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GET FOUND. PHOTO: RIC BURNLEY
COAST GUARD URGES ANGLERS TO LABEL THEIR PADDLE CRAFT
A call comes into Coast Guard headquarters. Someone found a kayak drifting a few miles off the beach. No paddler in sight. What to do? Launch a search and rescue mission? Check for reports of missing kayaks? Truth is, emergency services wastes millions of tax dollars chasing down owners of missing kayaks, paddleboards and sailboats. So, the U.S. Coast Guard started Operation Paddle Smart in 2009. The program distributed bright orange stickers that paddlers label with contact info and affix to their boat. Great idea, but it isn’t working. “We distributed 5,000 or more stickers and we don’t see any on boats
or boards,” admits Kent Richards, recreational boating safety specialist at Coast Guard’s Honolulu district office. Richards explains that Coast Guard Auxiliary units and local guardsman hand out stickers at paddle events and public places. Despite the effort, surveys of area beaches re- sult in no small paddle craft with stickers. And people continue to find un-manned, unregistered boats adrift. “The really sad thing is we can’t find the stickers anywhere,” Richards laments, “that’s why the program has been a disappointing failure.” Even though people report using the stickers, the numbers aren’t high enough to be effective. Of the 25 vessels found adrift last year, not one had an identifying sticker on it. “Some people tell us that they are not going to put the sticker on their
paddleboard or kayak because it makes their board look ‘ugly’,” he adds. So, the guardsmen are attacking the problem from a new front. “We are
24 PADDLING MAGAZINE
OPERATION PADDLE SMART
going to redesign the stickers to make them more appealing,” Richards says. The new sticker will have a space for the boat owner’s phone num- ber and another line for a second person’s contact number. “To encourage paddlers to show the number of a second party, who will hopefully answer the phone number shown and be able to help us locate the missing person we are seeking.” Quickly finding the owner cuts down on money and ef- fort spent on search and rescue and helps return property to the owner. “We are exploring ways to either make the sticker more acceptable and tolerable and less offensive, or find a better way altogether to identify adrift paddle craft with their owners.” Richards says. Don’t wait for the new Coast Guard designed sticker to come out and
be distributed. It’s important to have your identifying information on your paddle craft now. Even if you don’t want to stick a big ugly orange sticker to your high-dollar fishing kayak or standup paddleboard, penning your name, phone number, second contact name and phone number on a vis- ible part of the kayak or board with a permanent marker serves the same purpose. Or use a soldering iron to carve a reliable contact’s info into the hull. More than saving money, adding contact info to your kayak can save valuable time in a rescue scenario. When you’ve lost your kayak and you’re floating out to sea, every second is priceless. To get involved in Operation Paddle Smart, find your local Coast Guard Auxiliary District 14 unit at
www.cgaux.org. —Ric Burnley
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