Photo by ASU’s Emily Broach.
It’s National Safe Boating Week, and a good time to update you on the work of the AYC Safety Committee.
First, a little about National Safe Boating Week. It’s an annual event held to promote boating safety and raise awareness about the importance of wearing life jackets and following water safety rules. Typically observed in the week leading up to Memorial Day, this week serves as a reminder for boaters to stay informed and prepared before heading out on the water. The campaign is supported by safety tips, educational resources, and local events designed to encourage safe and responsible boating practices to ensure everyone can enjoy the water safely.
The AYC Safety Committee worked throughout the past year on improving safety practices for our club. Here are some of their accomplishments – those denoted with a asterisk were driven by learnings from earlier club safety incidents and events:
- Wrote a revision to the AYC By-Laws expanding the composition of the Safety Committee, which was approved by the membership.
- * Worked with the Lake Captain to implement a series of recommended safety improvements to the TTL mark-set boats.
- Organized First Aid and CPR training, resulting in 22-members of AYC, the ASU Sailing Team, and ASF volunteers earning certifications.
- * Added fields to our on-the-water event registration pages to capture participant emergency contact information and to identify others with first aid training that can help in an emergency.
- * Initiated a change to Lake Pleasant sailboat check-in procedures to ensure Race Committee knows the number of persons aboard participating boats – useful information in the event a search must be conducted.
- Created and added safety related language to club racing documents.
- Worked with the Peoria Fire Department and Coast Guard Auxiliary to develop an Emergency Action Plan (EAP) for the Birthday Regatta; which, unfortunately was tested when crew aboard a participating sailboat sustained injuries requiring emergency medical and ambulance services.
- Revised the Birthday Regatta EAP for the ASU Cactus Cup and to refresh the Lake Pleasant EAP.
Prior to the start of Fall 2025 club racing, the Safety Committee plans to:
- Develop a Tempe Town Lake EAP in consultation with the Tempe Fire Department.
- Present safety related information and procedures to Membership.
- Provide related training to PROs and Race Committee volunteers as part of planned PRO training.
- Develop an AYC Safety Plan to document recommended safety best practices. The plan will be presented to Fleet Captains for review and input, then presented to the Board for formal adoption.
If your plans for the Memorial Day Weekend include hitting the water, be aware that Operation Dry Water is again underway. Arizona Fish and Game officers and local sheriffs will be aggressively enforcing Boating Under the Influence (BUI), life jacket, and other boating safety laws this weekend.
We wish all Arizona sailors a fun and safe summer on the water. If you are interested in volunteering with the Safety Committee, please send an email to safety@arizonayachtclub.org. See you on the water!