Just like driving on roads, there are a lot of rules to follow on Canadian waterways. And no matter how long you’ve been boating for, it’s always a good idea to brush up on those boating rules to keep yourself and others safe. Between 2008 and 2017, more than 20 per cent of Canada’s unintentional water-related deaths involved a boat, according to the Drowning Prevention Research Centre. In that same time period, Canada averaged nearly 100 deaths per year in relation to recreational boating.
“If you’ve been boating for any period of time after you got your licence, your memory starts to fail a bit,” says Ian Gilson, executive director of the Canadian Safe Boating Council.
Here’s a refresher on seven common boating rules every boater should know.
1. Wake liability
Vessel operators are required to follow unposted and posted speed limits while driving a boat. Within 30 metres of shore, the unposted speed limit is 10km/h in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Nova Scotia. In Quebec, shoreline speed restrictions only apply on specific bodies of water and are usually posted.
Gilson stresses the importance of heeding speed warnings near shorelines. Beyond the potential of receiving a ticket, your boat could harm the shoreline and create large waves, which have the potential to damage docked vessels—and the docks themselves. If you’re caught, you could be held liable for those damages.
2. Right of way
On the water, the least maneuverable boat always has the right of way. For example, water vessels such as lake freighters or paddle craft can’t move out of the way as quickly as a motor boat or sailboat, so the latter craft must give way. Additionally, motor boats must give way to sailboats.
Red and green navigation lights also help determine right of way on the water. “Boats that come at you from the right see a green light, so they have the right of way,” says Gilson. “From the left, they see red, and have to give way to you.”
3. Documents on board
On motorized pleasure craft, the operator is required to carry proof of competency. This can include a pleasure craft operator card, a specified marine certificate, a rental boat safety checklist (for renters), or proof of having passed a boating safety course in Canada prior to April 1, 1999. Additionally, the operator must have some form of photo ID on board. Those with boats that have a 10 hp motor or more also also need to carry a pleasure craft licence.
Gilson also recommends stowing a document on board that has the vessel owner’s name, address, and phone number.
“If the coast guard comes upon a boat and no one is in it, they don’t know if the operator has fallen overboard or if it’s come loose from the dock,” says Gilson. “The standard procedure is to start a search. If they have this information readily available, then they can easily phone in to see if the operator is safe at home.”
4. Safety equipment
While the safety equipment required on board is largely dependent on the type of boat, all vessels must carry the following:
- A lifejacket or personal flotation device (PFD) that’s easily accessible to each person on board
- A reboarding device
- A buoyant heaving line at least 15 metres long
- One bailer or manual bilge pump, or bilge-pumping arrangements
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Some vessels, such as sailboats and power boats, are required to carry visual signals, including flares, navigation equipment, and fire-firefighting equipment.
Gilson also suggests stowing a marine radio, heliographs, and attaching whistles to all PFDs.
5. Impaired boating
Operating a boat under the influence of drugs or alcohol is no different than driving a car while impaired. Just like on land, impaired driving is punishable under the Criminal Code of Canada and could result in fines or imprisonment, or having your vessel or licence revoked.
6. Buoys
There are a whole host of buoys that boaters might encounter out on the water, but the most common are red and green lateral buoys. These demarcate which side of a channel boaters should use when travelling upstream. “Depending on where you are, you’re either directed to pass on the left or the right,” says Gilson.
As a rule of thumb, Gilson uses this alliteration: red, right, returning. This means when you’re coming back to port, make sure the red buoy is on your right side.
7. Lights
Navigation light requirements mostly depend on what type of vessel you’re operating. The biggest thing to remember is that if you’re operating a motorized vessel, you must show navigation lights from sunset to sunrise, and during periods of reduced visibility.
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