UNSAFE PRACTICES
The following acts and maneuvers are considered dangerous illegal while boating in Connecticut:
-
Reckless Operation. It is illegal to operate a vessel in a manner that endangers the ability to conserve the safety, rights or property of others. The following are a few examples:
-
Endangering others or their property, by allowing the wake of your vessel to potentially harm another or their property. Operating a vessel at such speed or maneuvers a vessel in such a manner as to endanger the life, limb or property of another person. You are responsible for your vessels wake.
-
Jumping the wake of a vessel unnecessarily close to another vessel. No person operating a personal watercraft shall cross or jump the wake of another vessel, when within sixty (60) feet of the vessel, in such a manner that more than half of the hull of the personal watercraft jumping the wake leaves the water.
-
Failing to conform to boating signage such as posted speeds, indicated restricted entry zones, diver down flags, etc. No person shall operate a boat at a speed in excess of a Slow - No - Wake in a posted no wake zone. No person may operate a vessel at speeds greater than are reasonable or prudent given the existing weather conditions, watercraft traffic or persons in the water.
-
Operating at an unsafe speed. Boaters must always operate their vessel at a safe speed as well as adhering to any indicated speed limitations.
-
Failure to maintain adequate distance. Boaters must maintain the designated ‘slow-no- wake’ speed in the circumstances discussed above as well as keeping their distance from water skiers or vessels towing someone on another device.
-
Exceeding maximum capacity. The recommended capacity indicated on the boats’ capacity plate should not be exceeded. Operation of a vessel loaded or powered in excess of the maximum capacity affects the stability of the vessel and makes the chance of a capsizing or fall overboard more likely.
-
Not maintaining a lookout. All operators are required to keep a constant lookout for other vessels, hazards and/or people in the water.
-
Dangerous operation. Boaters must make sure that the vessel is being operated in such a manner that its occupants or others sharing the water are not in any danger. In Connecticut If any officer empowered to enforce the laws observes a vessel being used without sufficient lifesaving or fire-fighting devices or in an overloaded or otherwise unsafe condition and in his judgment such use creates an especially hazardous condition, he may direct the operator to take whatever immediate and reasonable steps that would be necessary for the safety of those aboard the vessel, including termination of activity until the situation creating the hazard is corrected or ended.
-
Not maintaining proper seating regulation aboard your vessel. In Connecticut, no operator of a vessel under power shall allow any person to be on a decked-over bow of such vessel while underway unless the bow of the vessel is equipped with a handrail that encompasses the bow, and all persons on the bow are inward of such handrail. On vessels under power with open bows not decked over, no operator shall allow any person to sit or stand on the gunwale at the bow of such vessel while underway. The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to persons in or on the bow of vessels engaged in anchoring, mooring, or docking activities and proceeding at dead slow speed.
In Connecticut, no person shall use a vessel in a manner that unreasonably or unnecessarily interferes with free and proper navigation. Anchoring under a bridge, in a narrow channel or in a congested area not designated as an anchorage area is such interference, except in case of emergency.
