DAY OF THE LEG DRAG

RED FLAG WARNING

I was racing at Long Beach at the Marine Stadium with the world’s greatest Jet Skiers. Many of my friends know this place well as first generation Jet Skiers; that was our hallowed ground for RPM loads! We all have race stories. This is one that helped me climb the ladder we call life.

To be on a track during that time was high energy! The competitive spirit and drive was a birthplace of everything that came after in Personal Water Craft racing.

New engines, pipes, pumps, anything you can think of was being engineered, designed and tested, curiosity was a fever. Development was a weekly high. This was part of the Jet Ski Fever.

I was a weekend stand up Jet SkiÂź racer; meaning I was a mother first, had my own business and was working hard to get the time and funds to compete on the weekends. And how we raced!

We had qualifiers, heats, last chance qualifiers and main events. Easily up to 50 women would vie for the limited top positions for the mains. Every main event was earned.

Racers with amazing talent across the nation would drive hundreds to thousands of miles to compare themselves to others. They represented 50% of the equation, the powerhouse gamble was their custom build and race teams.

Women were on these tracks. Lots of women!

These women opened the door for motorsports. They are Jet Ski icons and mavens. They gave a gift to this generation that should be determined in honor and gratitude.

Some day this current generation of female racers needs to do the same for those coming up behind them and we encourage them increase and not decrease the worth of our efforts. We gave a lot to this sport for 'future generations'.

We determine this to represent a code of honor for racing to rest upon. And for those who built it before me, I thank you.

Prominent Race Names come to mind:
Brenda Burns, Celeste Peterson, Bonnie Burns (Brenda's mother), Kelly Koster, Bonnie Gordon, and Cindy Coffman.

There was a race every weekend in California. BC Racing was our Region 1 promoter and I would enter 4-5 events. Whatever they had to offer I signed up: freestyle, closed course, obstacle, slalom and the gran prix (long distance).

My Jet SkiÂź was salvation. It kept me sane with the hectic pace of life I adopted as an adult juggling a lot of responsibilities. This was therapy for me. My Jet SkiÂź taught me about myself, racing was the delivery of tempered emotions, responsibility and dedication.

This was my right of passage. Mentorship came from those on the sides; my husband, my daughters my race mechanic, a variety of great holders and Kawasaki Motors Corporation and finally the IJSBA and it’s promoters. Those promoters worked very hard to put on their events. Even harder today with the reduced participant numbers.

Interesting fact which is the basis of this story. I did the first leg drag at the BC race at the marine stadium for us gals in my division. I was just starting to get into a race groove regionally.

At this race I had the pole position on the start in the main I had earned through the qualifiers.

The week prior I had been practicing the leg drag at WOT and got really good with it. I was competent and strong. I decided to use it in the next race. The men had been doing this for a while and I aspired to race like they did because I admire their power and aggressive drive.

It is race day, I'm on the pole. I get a fair start.

We are heading to the first turn buoy pretty much lined up in a stack off my starboard side. I will take advantage of the pivot on this turn to get the clean water ahead. I feel good.

I throw out my left foot and start the pivot to drag my foot on WOT.. However.......with that being said...........

When a leg drag is thrown the subsequent pitch of the hull offsets the flat bottom and makes a V off the gunwale angle. And guess what? Planing with a deep vee on a sharp edge throws a significant plume of whitewater like a garden hose. Yup, that’s' what it does on a stand up.

The first four riders closest to my starboard side, the first inside racer freaks from the water which I believe they thought I fell (appropriate assumption and a fearful one in a first turn). It's not fun having a blast of water at speed hit your face. This is blind faith to negotiate through streams of water.

Fear of getting hit on the first turn buoy and the next 5 are the highest risk of the race. Positions are challenged with skill and horsepower. Contact with another Personal Water Craft is a legitimate fear. It's real, people have died on race tracks.

Instead of holding their line and braving the turn, they turn sharply to their right and create a 4 boat pile up. I race away into beautiful glass water ahead and negotiate 2 more turn buoys to be faced with a red flag coming at me by a pursuing head on Course Marshal. It was probably Brad Southworth haha.

MINDSET

My happiness and joy I experienced for throwing down a foot was replaced instead by the color of danger. Red was my punishment.

My historic maneuver was diminished in disgrace and my pride slipped away. I was shocked. What the heck happened? Everything was perfect on that first turn! I didn't push anyone! I felt pigeonholed; men would never be given a red flag for a leg drag on the first turn! The guy who pushed the pack however would be! Rats! Suck it up Shawn, own it.

I track back towards the starting line wondering what happened and how that crash happened since it was behind me and not in front of me, I had no idea. I reset my mindset to get back on the track in my head and make a repeat stellar performance. I am not hoping for this. I want the win. Goals!

I get on the line with my holder and the rest of the racers recollect. The Course Marshal drives up to my pole position and places his hand to his head and taps it. What? What? He points to me! What? Nobody else?

I have been assessed the penalty on the start! I received this due to my fellow female racers not ready for the change and pushing through the risk. Which is not easy in a motorsport.

I was ready. It was time we climb one more rung in the race ladder. Change does not come easy or with acceptance, it comes from friction against the status quo.

I have 30 seconds to figure this out and not dwell on disappointment. My holder walks away. Dead start with no holder and a hand on my head signals absolute defeat. It is obvious I'm in a pinch. I am not going to waste the money I invested.

There is a level of shame involved in being the recipient of an infraction, sometimes it's worthy. It’s usually temporary because racing has no place for emotions, feelings are distractions. Racing only has a podium that dominates the waterspace.

Everyone there knows it’s me, I'm the one to dispute. There is no way to protest. 'Racer's fire up your engines'; so helmet down, refocus. Have fun and ride smart.

Spectators love drama, crashes and negativity.

Race teams like winning. These spectacles are to revel in the disaster by enjoying the setback one experiences.
This is the gladiator in the coliseum and we are all mere entertainment. People prefer damage to success. Essentially, we reduce this to one word ‘drama’.

Feeding drama is pointless and a distraction to race success.

Races have lots of drama. I decline to participate. It's back to the rule book and what it says for dead engine starts.

I have no holder now. I am alone on the start line standing in hip deep water. My fellow sister racers are all on game with their pumps out of the water revving up their pipes red hot. Damn! That sound is beautiful!

It wakes me up and I smile, I love that compression sound. That is why I am here.

They load their boats into the water for their final push and level out the hull as their holders strains to control their crafts straight, their heads are tucked and ready to battle the first turn.

DEAD LAST

I look over at them in their game. I notice the first four to my right. They are intent on the first turn buoy and not distracted. They are waiting for the Course Marshal to turn the card. The hold their breath waiting for the band to snap. Boats are fully loaded.

I make a decision that I will meet them on the track and dominate their track lines. I will pass every single one of them I tell myself. That is my goal. I am going to let myself go.

I thank them for my race ahead. In my mind I run a quick win on fast forward.

The rubber band snaps. They are off on that wonderful ‘wot wot wot’ sound with the tell-tale whitewash that is the signature of thrust and super stock power.

As they race away, I start my Jet Ski loaded sideways on my hip to not overload the back pressure of the exhaust and drop the hull into the water.

I pull my throttle drawing a left knee into the tray, I stand up and tuck down and I pin it to win it. I’m tracking over their wonderful trailing jet wash wakes. I race as if there are 11 race boats at my side.
They have all crossed the first inside line buoy and are fighting for the hierarchy structure on the track.

I ride my race on my terms. I unleash permission and I let my race boat do its job. I don’t interfere. I let my boat do all the work and I stay in step with it. My breathing is calm and steady.

I am in that space of wonder. That internal mind. That hidden area that is given permission to awake where before slumber was comfortable and convenient in the middle of the pack.

The track is tight, with a lot of buoy turns and laps. I pick off every single racer on the track one by one. I win the race. From dead last I was number 1.

I knew I was going to win that race. In my mind, I had won that race before I started the boat. I cannot say that about any other race I had been in prior to this one.

I am a bit surprised honestly I am doing this. I never imagined I would pass this many race boats or even have the talent to do so, let alone competitive horsepower.

I won that race because of my sister racers. They also won with me.

If that call was not made against me, I would not have tapped into the hidden mind of permission. It was this race that I became an Apex Predator. I finally figured it out in my head! But it took the color of red to guide me and a failure.

I learned from that race a valuable lesson: Give Yourself Permission

This lesson is mindset through spirit. I teach this capability to my Rescue Water Craft students. One must wnat it and not be afraid to succeed.

It can be used for anything in life. Not everyone has it or wants it. This is something developed inside the internal will of a human who has a hunger for greatness. It is a passage.

My sister racers are my champions. They are my personal race heroes.

Without them I would be nothing. With them I am something.

They are part of my team, not adversaries. If we are not pushing one another towards greatness we are holding one another back and that my dear friends is the most selfish act of all in competition.

Keep in mind that we also had up to 4 log jumps and sometimes mini ramps on the closed course race track. Not like today where race tracks have reduced women's stand-up racing to a token of risk in a reverse discrimination against everything us first generation racers fought for. And loved!

We weren't afraid of ramp jumps or log jumps, they were equalizers of talent just like the slalom event.

Racing today is a fragment of the raw excitement it used to be. We can thank promoters and track design for that disaster. Runabouts do not belong on our closed course tracks. Yes, quote me because evidence is my master and it should be yours as well. And the evidence does not lie, but people do.

Runabouts are best suited for endurance and offshore race events due to mass weight, distance of travel and speed vs risk and safety. I'll save that for another story.

Moral of my race story:
Racing isn’t fair and neither is life.

We earn our effort and sometimes it’s taken away. But we keep on keeping on.

We respect our competitors and honor them.

They are us and we are them.

______________________
Posted: June 23, 2019

Content Creator of Rescue Water Craft and Personal Water Craft boating international education standards: Shawn Alladio is the world’s foremost authority and leading subject matter expert. She cares most about her community and the culture surrounding the safety of event service providers and Rescue Water Craft operators, working hard and dedicated towards protecting their reputation, distributing safety information and continuing to train these amazing individuals to the highest standards of care.

__________

Have any questions? Join the Rescue Water Craft Association
and discover what your community is doing to modernize standards, safety and reduce liability!
Join the Rescue Water Craft Association

Use at your own risk. Please take a qualified Rescue Water Craft training course and maintain proper records and respect all the PWC, RWC, PPE, and gear OEM manufacturer warning labels and cautions.

STAY THE COURSE

PUSH TO THE LIMIT AND OVER TO THE POSSIBLE

TRIUMPH
"Stay the course" is a phrase used in the context of a war or battle. It means to pursue a goal regardless of obstacles or criticism.

We are in a water safety war of ‘mediocrity opposing professionalism'. We are lacking the spirit of service and rendering culture rant of spirit through service.

Shared values and standards are raised by battle flags of associations and instructors who draw and quarter throwing stones at one another in mute silence, meanwhile the issue festers; where are our seamanship skills?

What is the best way to conduct a rescue, stay safe and finish the ending? Doesn’t THIS matter!

These turf wars are seen around the world. We need to be cognizant of these errors in territorial mapping.

We have fewer shared values while simultaneously more open means of prompt communication are available, yet we suck.

This does not devalue the need for qualification and vetting as instructors for students. Our standards are rooted in boating safety not Swiftwater rescue or water rescue itself, we are boaters first, utility use is a secondary pursuit.

There is no ‘secret squirrel stuff’ going on with our company. We have loaded more free content, shared more videos, shared valuable posts and blog content, PDF’s and PowerPoints, awarded more scholarships, created more open doors of connectivity than any Rescue Water Craft association or private company.

We are a business and all businesses - just like associations requires funding and ways to generate revenue. We did not use taxpayer funds to build our company; we paid the way ourselves. We bought our own equipment. We didn’t sell or promote classes as a branding tool for products that other companies would like to see penetrate this market.

We never used equipment from public safety agencies as if it were our own to sell courses. We have not used government assets as our own. We were not paid to learn or get certified or train by taxpayer money, we paid the way ourselves. We led from the waterline and risked our life with no backup or support system.

We are the only qualified company in the world that has done this in our community. Apparently, we are despised by many. This is a reflection of internal corruption in our community and our willingness to shoulder the responsibility and scrutinize our motives as we hold a steady line. We are not cowards and we do not weaken our community; we protect it from harm.

Judge character for yourself. We don’t generate problems. Our intention is to be a solution to tyranny and recklessness. We are a conduit of community by inviting others to tell their operational truth.

STAND UP AND HAVE YOUR SAY

Does this give us leverage? Yes, it does - we made commitments based on sacrifice no others would be willing to do unless a badge was held in front of them. We went to every waterway on the continents to discover the weather, the water, cultural differences and personalities, language and genders. We did this at our own expense to benefit others. We listened to people. We respected others. We respect our ancestry in the maritime community.

No, we have not been perfect, we have made mistakes and remedial corrections after eating humble pie and continue to do so. Continually we asked for advice and seek out boating knowledge from around the world and throughout time.

For our human capacity, we communicate intelligibly to our community. We do not block or restrict others. We don’t have that on our spiritual account. We do not allow predators to lie about their negative representation of our company.

We do everything we can to help our competitors and their clients. We reach out and invite these instructors in our community, we have certified them in our own courses and paid for their instructor courses so they could thrive. They do not acknowledge this publicly. We know one another and there are no secrets here.

To grow our community is vital so we all spiral upward. We negotiate the peace in our community while others hold onto war and its deep and longstanding. We do our best to take the mote our of our eye, and we encourage others to do the same.

Humans personalize the sacredness of water safety; (much like everything in life) we are obligated to give back and to equalize what we receive. We are not avatars of a group, or a twitter mob of anger, we are not interested in power or pitting others against one another, we are not appalling.

We dive deep, we do not tread the shallow waters, we go where it is uncomfortable and we speak the correctness we also aspire to represent. We believe in fundamental training truths and accountability.

Notice how our phrasing is inclusive? It’s about we, us, you, ours; not mine, me and I.

I am hated because I know who these people are and they know I have their number. They don’t want to shoulder the responsibility of our community properly. They want territory, and this accounts for cowardice. This weakens their teams, their command, their student cadre and our maritime community. The fault does not lie anywhere else but with us as respective instructors and companies. We know who we are and who they are.

Judge our training character. Judge our ways, words and actions, judge our student behaviors. Bring it to the table for remedial action and networking = how to make things better.

Judge our safety record, the highest in the industry ever.

Judge our 37,000 hours of instruction and the programs we assisted to develop.

Judge that we created the Military programs and MRV training. Just that we created the certification program to operate in big wave conditions aka NOAA's High Surf Advisories. Judge that we create Night Operation training. Judge that we created Swiftwater/flood and tsunami response training. Judge that we created the only training and manuals available for Course Marshals and water event safety.

We did it all, and we did it with thousands of professionals and competent companies supporting the mission. We did not do this alone, we did it as a team with the Personal Water Craft industry and professionals who need solutions for their work, but we were the impetus, the genesis and they continue the outreach.

There is along pedigree of partnership that has benefited thousands in over 40 countries, we did not do this alone, they did it by participation.

So, if you are better, we become better. If companies or individuals would stop being defensive and break the wall with humility, and that somebody in that structure has the courage to speak the truth instead of defending cowardice, who is it going to be? Who is this person going to be? It is going to be me.

People are afraid to stand up because they fear the reality of discrimination and retribution. That is a real fear, the bullies are angry, disturbing and aggressive. There are ethical decisions being made. There is no weight on my conscious make sure there is none on yours.

I do not have fear here because I have been facing discrimination by my water safety colleagues for decades, so its water off the back of this duck. They helped me more than they realize and I want to help them back, with camaraderie and respect.

Let’s not cause harm. Let’s not lie to our water safety community. Let’s investigate together fact versus fiction. Let’s challenge one another’s methods without fear and insecurity. We do this for our students we should have no problem doing it for one another.

We are a unifying force of goodwill, that is the identify of K38; we are not adversarial or stabbing others in a jealous attempt of academy. We rely on evidence.

My company has faced sexism like a pyroclastic flow. My instructors were judged because of me being a woman, which is so unfair to their desire to teach. Did it stop them? Not at all.

LEVERAGE

And what does this mean? Scandalous episodes that have backfired consistently, the attacks are real and perplexing. Have any of these folks taken our training and decided for themselves?

Yes, I had 4 men from Hawai’i come to train with me. As soon as they met me, they told me to my face they wanted to see for themselves if I was a liar or not. They did not sugar coat their intention. As we migrated through the training, respect was exchanged.

Behaviors were challenged and corrected; admissions of a goal were mutable and we agreed to the process we partnered with in spirit. This is how peace is negotiated, by action and partnership, we did not exchange lies. Thank you Pohaku and Pake. Value is allegiance to believe in something better than ourselves, and we have to earn it by effort.

Today there are new companies who are working hard on their own effort and merit and they encounter a lot of negative attacks and jealousy. We can recognize it because we have borne the brunt of it for years. We want nothing more than their ultimate and sustained success.

Humans are not basically good, they are good and bad, some are downright evil. This is not escaped within the hierarchy of the water safety community. It’s not discussed publicly out of fear.

Knowing this is the first step of community. We need both sides, we need the good and the bad because each person believes they are the best that is within, regardless of what the perception is without.

I am not a victim of anything other than success and the subsequent suffering and sacrifice it demands furthering the support of others in responsible measures. I was willing to take on that responsibility.

Let’s join forces and create an unstoppable team of safety warriors.

We are not rational as humans we have complex private issues that plague us; when we join together, we can help one another become rational, and we will change our water safety culture. Our young people deserve good mentors worthy of their audience. Not pride and ego, they need caring selfless mentors.

We are not good by ourselves. We are good when we come together united. We need to join our community so we can all become better at our respective goals.

We have to take care of our water rescue community with a value of sacrifice and service.

We invite everyone to participate and come to the table of accountability.

This is how we stop the common phrase often uttered after every mishap:
WE WILL LEARN LESSONS FROM THIS

In reality we will repeat them and kill people, so we better be ready for that.

Join the Rescue Water Craft Association: www.RescueWaterCraft.org

The Truth is the Way and the Path of Right, but it is destructive to painful to recognize what we need to change.

______________________
Posted: June 12, 2019

Content Creator of Rescue Water Craft and Personal Water Craft boating international education standards: Shawn Alladio is the world’s foremost authority and leading subject matter expert. She cares most about her community and the culture surrounding the safety of event service providers and Rescue Water Craft operators, working hard and dedicated towards protecting their reputation, distributing safety information and continuing to train these amazing individuals to the highest standards of care.

__________

Have any questions? Join the Rescue Water Craft Association
and discover what your community is doing to modernize standards, safety and reduce liability!
Join the Rescue Water Craft Association

Use at your own risk. Please take a qualified Rescue Water Craft training course and maintain proper records and respect all the PWC, RWC, PPE, and gear OEM manufacturer warning labels and cautions.

WE CARE ABOUT YOU

BE COURAGEOUS

We care about you, and we want you to be courageous for the job, not for the hype.

This means you make a decision everytime you place your program in motion. What are you choosing?

Is 'safety' a word represented or is it a behavior? Or is it misrepresented under the guise of water safety?

There are 2 teams in today's water rescue arena:

1. Those who live water rescue methods as a way of being and are disciplined and take time to develop programs and knowledge.

2. Those who are poor imitators taking short cuts with disregard to the reality of safety and whom invite risk to cause harm.

ATTENTION ECONOMY SAFETY DEFICIT

How can we determine safety fact vs. reckless fiction in a digital world where people are desperate for attention?
It is more obvious now than ever our maritime heritage is at war with incompetent representations that are mirroring good works to undermine safety at sea and seamanship skills.

The mass manipulation of the reflection of social discourse is spreading unsafe boating and lifesaving practices and behaviors. The outlet forum is the internet we access on a variety of devices and we can be a significant part of the problem, or we are the sole ‘professional’ solution.

STRUCTURE OF REALITY

Digital discernment requires education and research. Let’s take a focused look at the ‘dumbing down’ of our maritime safety and security which follows in tack with just about every other subject on the net.

Being a Prudent Mariner is your responsibility. It takes effort, time and consistency on your behalf to debunk poor information.

You can triumph over pointing out what is wrong. There may be problems for this, but that should never stop you.

You need to risk what is right instead of endorsing with is wrong.

Discovering this reality after a horrible tragedy should never have these words attached to it:

We will learn from this accident.... because that never happens, its just repeated, and often.

______________________
Posted: April 28, 2019

Content Creator of Rescue Water Craft and Personal Water Craft boating international education standards: Shawn Alladio is the world’s foremost authority and leading subject matter expert. She cares most about her community and the culture surrounding the safety of event service providers and Rescue Water Craft operators, working hard and dedicated towards protecting their reputation, distributing safety information and continuing to train these amazing individuals to the highest standards of care.

__________

Have any questions? Join the Rescue Water Craft Association
and discover what your community is doing to modernize standards, safety and reduce liability!
Join the Rescue Water Craft Association

Content Creator: Shawn Alladio cares most about her community and the culture surrounding the safety of event service providers and Rescue Water Craft operators, working hard and dedicated towards protecting their reputation, distributing safety information and continuing to train these amazing individuals to the highest standards of care.

Use at your own risk. Please take a qualified Rescue Water Craft training course and maintain proper records and respect all the PWC, RWC, PPE, and gear OEM manufacturer warning labels and cautions.

INHERITANCE

Inheritance is an extension of the past to ensure the future.

In 1973 the Kawasaki JS 400 was soon to make an appearance. The Jet Ski¼ was destined to revolutionize lifesaving and we didn’t even know it at that time. Not until 1974 were those waters tested. And Kawasaki got right to business!

Wake of Fame Inductee


Wake of Fame inductee Steve Stricklin who was working for Kawasaki during this time began showing the stand up Jet Skis to local southern California Lifeguards.

Visit: WAKE OF FAME AWARDS

GRANDADDY OF THE SPORT

Steve is the inventor of a towable accessory device (TAD) for Personal Water Craft which eventually arrived to the modern rescue boards used today. He affixed a piece of indoor/outdoor green carpet by using rivets to the stern boarding area of a JS400.

On behalf of Kawasaki Motors Corporation USA, Steve went to Huntington Beach City Lifeguards bringing with him one of the Jet Skis and gave them a demonstration. This was the very first interaction of public service agencies being exposed to the potential of lifesaving using this unique new power craft.

A Stand Up Jet Ski in those days required great skill to manage in the surf zone. Lifeguards took off on them kneeling in the tray area. Since lifeguards were surfers they had pretty good balance and picked up on them for their first demos quickly.

LEGACY

We’ve come a long way since those days. We inherited an incredible legacy from these early pioneers.

We owe it to them to maintain the same standards we received from them:

1. Know the Jet SkiÂź
2. Know the Environment You Operate in
3. Maintain the Jet SkiÂź
4. Don’t Wipeout and Don’t Lose your Jet Ski¼
5. Head out Safe and Come Back Safe
6. The more you ride the better you get

When you inherit something valuable, it is up to you to maintain it and to look after it and ensure that you can pass it along to the next generation.

Lifesaving is a calling. It's practicality rests in the assets and tools used for the job and the mentality of those Coxswains and instructors manning the helm.

And don’t forget these immortal words of Brian Bendix Wake of Fame inductee and first generation Jet Skier:

“A moment for safety will save a lifetime of regret”.

__________

Posted 1.12.2019

Have any questions? Join the Rescue Water Craft Association
and discover what your community is doing to modernize standards, safety and reduce liability!
Join the Rescue Water Craft Association

Content Creator: Shawn Alladio cares most about her community and the culture surrounding the safety of event service providers and Rescue Water Craft operators, working hard and dedicated towards protecting their reputation, distributing safety information and continuing to train these amazing individuals to the highest standards of care.

Use at your own risk. Please take a qualified Rescue Water Craft training course and maintain proper records and respect all the PWC, RWC, PPE, and gear OEM manufacturer warning labels and cautions.

TRAGEDY BECOMES US

Tragedy Becomes Us.

Ahoy fellow Coxswains! How well versed are you in maritime law? Are you familiar with SOLAS? Are you familiar with the tragedies that led up to some of the SOLAS measures we enjoy today?

Remember, lives are often lost before we learn the value of risk. Lots of talk about risk management, but how ingrained is it as an action with your marine unit?

Same thing happens in our Rescue Water Craft community. Mainly because we have people who have assumed the helm but they are not mariners. If you are under the guide of a leader who does not understand maritime laws and rules, you may be at risk for a mishap and worse. Its time now for those who are not familiar with boating to get educated, and I mean now.

Perhaps someday you respond to a ship disaster at port within your jurisdiction or for mutual aid. Or from a fire, grounding or explosion due to terrorism. Or from a ship in distress (SOS) berthed outside the jaws of a harbor or along a pier in port.

ANIMAL RESCUE

Consider the disaster of the Morro Castle and how you would apply your own safety features for response. Would you deploy or not go? By studying historical events you can determine these measures as training guidelines and set up skills that could be practiced. Maybe you determine your'no-go' policy by review of maritime incidents!

Keeping in mind the practice of personal safety and leadership guidelines. Is it safe to go? Do you know what to do? Do you have the right asset?

The first thing you can do is question your instructors and the training platform presented to you. Does the program stack up to maritime rule and law and the best practices?

If not, you need to go around them and educate yourself to protect yourself from gross negligence. Let's take a close look at this disaster and the sequence of events.

The Threat of Marine Life During Maritime Disaster

Regarding this tragedy, we should all be familiar with as professional boaters because of the term 'risk management'. Many disasters at ports or at sea or training have been reported through the years and are offered for your easy access to view online.

Risk management and mitigation are terms used frequently, but do you know their origins and practical reminders for your unit today? It is a cornerstone of safety at sea practices. But remember those are bare minimums, for us we need to have exceptional standards and instructors who deliver appropriate content. Nobody dies on our watch.

SOLAS

Regarding Admiralty Law: The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) is an international maritime treaty which sets minimum safety standards in the construction, equipment and operation of merchant ships. The convention requires signatory flag states to ensure that ships flagged by them comply with at least these standards.

The current version of SOLAS is the 1974 version, known as SOLAS 1974, which came into force on 25 May 1980. SOLAS in its successive forms is generally regarded as the most important of all international treaties concerning the safety of merchant ships.

The first version of SOLAS Treaty was passed in 1914 in response to the sinking of the RMS Titanic, which prescribed numbers of lifeboats and other emergency equipment along with safety procedures, including continuous radio watches. The 1914 treaty never entered into force due to the outbreak of the First World War.

NEVER FORGET

The devastating fire aboard the Morro Castle was a catalyst for improved shipboard fire safety. Today, the use of fire-retardant materials, automatic fire doors, ship-wide fire alarms, and greater attention to fire drills and procedures resulted directly from the Morro Castle disaster.

The tragedy spurred the U.S. Congress to pass various maritime laws designed to prevent future disasters and to U.S. acceptance of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) treaty, which is generally regarded as the most important of all international treaties concerning the safety of merchant ships.

If we respect our history, we shall not repeat it. But if ignorance of history and a disrespect for the lives lost before our watch, we may repeat failed behaviors.

Education is the way to stay ahead of mishaps, coupled with personal discipline and a conviction to safety for all.

Now, get out those books and lets start studying!
__________

Posted 1.12.2019

Have any questions? Join the Rescue Water Craft Association
and discover what your community is doing to modernize standards, safety and reduce liability!
Join the Rescue Water Craft Association

Content Creator: Shawn Alladio cares most about her community and the culture surrounding the safety of event service providers and Rescue Water Craft operators, working hard and dedicated towards protecting their reputation, distributing safety information and continuing to train these amazing individuals to the highest standards of care.

Use at your own risk. Please take a qualified Rescue Water Craft training course and maintain proper records and respect all the PWC, RWC, PPE, and gear OEM manufacturer warning labels and cautions.