Summer is boating season, and a joy-filled experience it is. There’s nothing quite as invigorating and at the same time relaxing as being out on the bay or the river, especially if someone else is skippering the boat. (That’s only fair: you brought the fried chicken and homemade potato salad, not to mention the sunscreen.)
But while the people are well prepared for an outing on the water, can the same be said for the boat? Anyone who runs a marina, owns a boat, or plans to operate one, needs to be aware of how to protect our waterways, becausemarine spills happen.
Being aware of this fact and being prepared to protect the environment will not only help you avoid fines and penalties, but also keep the country’s (and the world’s) water safer for tomorrow.
Here are four smart steps a boater or marina manager can take to prepare for summer fun:
- Carry a tune in a bucket. It doesn’t matter if even the shower stall cringes when you sing; a tune-up is music to a marina’s ears, er, water. By keeping your boat(s) in excellent condition, youll prevent oily discharges from the bilge. Its also smart to make XSORB’s Oil Absorbent Spill Kit part of your spill prevention and spill clean up plan. Designed to meet OSHA requirements, this Kit contains everything you need to safely and quickly absorb up to 5 gallons of oil.
- Start out like a landlubber. To minimize your environmental impact, do as much of your maintenance as possible in the boatyard. This also ensures that your boats will be shipshape by the time they enter the water.
- Emulate Eric Clapton. The legendary musician’s nickname is Slow Hand, and while we don’t imagine it has much to do with sailing or other marine adventures, you can take a tip from the moniker and fill your marine tank s-l-o-w-l-y to prevent fuel spills. Be sure to leave each boats tank about ten percent empty, so the fuel has room to expand as it heats uplike Clapton in concert.
- Don’t be a soft-soap. Soap’s a scourge for spills: it actually harms the environment. Instead, carry a bag of XSORB Select Oil Absorbent, which safely absorb four times its weight in petroleum-based products, leaving only clean water behind.
Now your boat and marina are shipshape, for all the right reasons!
