Since 2000, David Neagle has helped people overcome their self-sabotaging patterns to achieve personal and financial success with Life Is Now, Inc., a global entrepreneur mentoring firm. Beyond his professional career, David Neagle enjoys boating, especially on Chesapeake Bay.

1. ESSENTIAL BOATING
SAFETY TIPS
By David Neagle

2. Introduction
 Since 2000, David Neagle has helped people
overcome their self-sabotaging patterns to
achieve personal and financial success with Life
Is Now, Inc., a global entrepreneur mentoring firm.
Beyond his professional career, David Neagle
enjoys boating, especially on Chesapeake Bay.
Boating can be an enjoyable, relaxing pastime
whether you are on a river, lake, or other body of
water. However, there are a number of guidelines
every boater should follow to ensure that the
experience is safe and enjoyable from beginning
to end.

3. Boating Safety
 - Wear a lifejacket. Although laws regarding
lifejackets for children vary from state to state,
everyone should wear a lifejacket even in situations
not required by law. Boaters should keep at least one
properly-fitted lifejacket on board for every passenger.
- Know the dangers of carbon monoxide. A
colorless, odorless gas, carbon monoxide exposure
can kill you or make you sick, depending on its
concentration. Generated by motor exhaust, the gas
can accumulate in poorly ventilated enclosed spaces,
when the boat is moving slowly or stopped, and from
other nearby boats. Prevent carbon monoxide
dangers by making proper ventilation and motor
maintenance part of your regular safety check.

4. Conclusion
 - Check your equipment. Even if you have all of
the legally required on-board safety equipment,
from fire extinguishers and visual distress signals
to navigation lights and life jackets, check its
condition before going onto the water. If your
safety equipment is in poor condition, you may be
issued a fine or it may fail in an emergency
situation, so be sure to check every item before
leaving the dock or shore.
This list is not exhaustive. For more boating safety
pointers, check out the U.S. Coast Guard’s Boat
Responsibly website at www.uscgboating.org.