Many boating accidents happen when the boat isn't even moving. Here are some true stories demonstrating dos and don'ts.

Swept Away
The anchorage in Long Island Sound was absolutely beautiful. The newlyweds anchored just before sunset, and they decided to take a quick dip before preparing dinner. They carefully flipped the ladder over the side before jumping in. It took only a minute for them to realize that they were being carried down current at about 2 knots. Swimming got them no closer to their boat, so they started waving and shouting at other boats in the anchorage. Eventually, one captain hopped into a dinghy, picked them up and gave them a lift back to their boat.

Lesson: Be aware of the wind and tide every moment that you're aboard — or near — your vessel.

Engine Running but Nobody's Home
The Coast Guard report said the cruiser found floating in perfect order off the coast had nobody aboard. Further investigation found clothing on the aft deck and scratch marks on the hull sides. Apparently, the four men aboard got hot in the dead-calm conditions and decided to go for a swim. However, a momentary lapse in judgment caused the last person over the side to forget to put a ladder over. The deck — some six feet above the water's surface — proved too far for these middle-aged gents to manage.

Lesson: No ladder, no built-in steps or handholds on the transom, no way to reboard the vessel.

Shallow Victory
A big sportfishing boat was anchored at the edge of a channel, safely outside the buoyed navigation area. The somewhat murky water directly under the boat registered 20 feet on the depth sounder. As teens are wont to do, they soon started a diving contest. They climbed higher and higher on the boat until one youngster dove off the hardtop above the flybridge. Problem was he dove to the side away from the channel, where the water was merely five feet deep, and broke his neck.

Lesson: Always check the area around your boat before allowing swimming or diving.

That Sucks!
You'd probably never think to stick your hand in a running lawnmower to clean out a clog. In a similar mishap, though, a 14-year-old girl was driving a jet boat when she lost power. Thinking she had sucked up some plastic or something, she reached under the boat toward the intake. The sleeve of her baggy T-shirt got sucked into the intake, pulling her head underwater in the process. Fortunately, the sleeve tore and she suffered no permanent harm.

Lesson: Never work on any part of a boat's propulsion system with the engine running.

And That Bites!
Two families with small children cruised to a nearby cove for lunch. After the children had their naps, it was time for everyone to swim. Only the children in the family who owned the boat had properly fitting life jackets. The spares for other children were just a tad larger than they should have been. The parents all figured it would be fine, as it didn't appear that the jackets could actually come off. One little girl bravely jumped feet-first off the boat into the water while holding her nose. The jacket was just loose enough to slam into the child's chin when she hit the water, resulting in a cut tongue.

Lesson: It's not enough just to have a life jacket on each child aboard, as the law requires. It must be exactly the correct size and adjusted to fit snugly.

Safety Tips for Refueling
To prevent a disaster when fueling a boat with gasoline, always do the following:

• Close all hatches, windows and lockers before fueling.
• Make sure the hose you're putting into the fuel fill is gasoline, not diesel.
• Be certain the fill you're putting fuel into is for fuel and is not your water tank. Double-check to be sure the attendant is correct.
• To discharge any static electricity, touch the end of the nozzle to the fuel fill cap before putting it in the pipe.
• Don't overfill your tank. Stay with it while you're pumping. When you hear the pipe filling, stop. Avoid spraying fuel out the tank vent.
• Run the blower for 5 minutes before starting the engine.