Fourth of July Tips for Boaters

With Fourth of July just around the corner, many of us boaters along the Southern California coast and on inland waterways are already gearing up for some serious partying aboard our boats. Warm weather and fireworks will certainly have us in a jolly mood, but sometimes the party frame of mind can blur our willingness to keep the festivities within limits, especially after we have slugged down a couple of margaritas while dancing on our boat’s rear deck, only inches away from the water. That tenuous hold on reality could cause someone to fall overboard, and at night, our inability to spot someone in the water, especially if everyone else onboard is also drinking heavily, could lead to a drowning. This is just one more reason for us to establish a set of rules for ourselves and guests while aboard our boats. Other important rules apply to navigation and anchoring, which can get complicated when a lot of boats converge on the same anchorage or waterway where space may be limited. We boat owners all have our own procedures and pet peeves, but there is a handful of laws and common sense rules by which we must all abide. Although this is not codified...