Maryland's first three boating accidents in 2012 (no fatalities so far) have involved sailboats. The last fatalities of 2011 were on a sailboat.

I know that most sailboat owners are far more proficient than I from a skill perspective. What gets a sailor into trouble and how can sailboats be operated safely so that accidents do not occur? What makes a safe voyage? What does the captain of the vessel need to be aware of particularly now in cold weather?

Tell us about your experience.

Watching the weather channel prior to sailing is always a big plus that some captains seem to overlook.

Watching the weather channel prior to sailing is always a big plus that some captains seem to overlook.

Weather is a big one. The NOAA has the CBIB buoys as well. Digital devices on cell phones provide weather as does the VHF Marine radio weather channels. You are correct. Knowing the weather and how it tends to change rather suddenly on occasion can make a difference.

Maryland's first three boating accidents in 2012 (no fatalities so far) have involved sailboats. The last fatalities of 2011 were on a sailboat.

I know that most sailboat owners are far more proficient than I from a skill perspective. What gets a sailor into trouble and how can sailboats be operated safely so that accidents do not occur? What makes a safe voyage? What does the captain of the vessel need to be aware of particularly now in cold weather?

Tell us about your experience.

What do you mean by accident? Collision, grounding or sinking/ taking on water?

Situations in which emergency services were dispatched for rescue or emergency assistance

I believe our blog has information on two. One was a grounding where the vessel operator mistakenly identified a buoy. That I think was near the Potomac. Another involved two boats sailing together and one flipped over. The media had all three stories.

In a previous career I worked in law enforcement. There was a philosophy then that the term "accident" was incorrectly used on occasion because vehicle collisions were not really accidents. There are however situations where a combination of events do lead to accidents. That said, what's important is that the situations happened and what I hope we can discuss is how to prevent and avoid them in the future.

When we discuss a grounding, an allision, a drowning, or any situation around maritime emergency assistance our purpose here is to talk about what we plan to do in our futures so that we don't share similar consequences.

In April 2012. (http://www.drumpoint.org/2012/04/coast-guard-rescues-boater-near-annapolis-md/)

December 2011 (http://www.drumpoint.org/2011/12/coast-guard-local-authorities-rescue-2-search-for-1-near-sandy-point-md/)

More on the April 25th overdue vessel. Body recovered.

Maryland's first boating death. (http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/news/region/anne_arundel_county_/missing-boaters-body-recovered) Victim was the operator of a 14 foot sailboat.

Coast Guard Press Release (https://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/651/1384891/)

Situations in which emergency services were dispatched for rescue or emergency assistance

I believe our blog has information on two. One was a grounding where the vessel operator mistakenly identified a buoy. That I think was near the Potomac. Another involved two boats sailing together and one flipped over. The media had all three stories.

In a previous career I worked in law enforcement. There was a philosophy then that the term "accident" was incorrectly used on occasion because vehicle collisions were not really accidents. There are however situations where a combination of events do lead to accidents. That said, what's important is that the situations happened and what I hope we can discuss is how to prevent and avoid them in the future.

When we discuss a grounding, an allision, a drowning, or any situation around maritime emergency assistance our purpose here is to talk about what we plan to do in our futures so that we don't share similar consequences.

Ok, I was just wondering about the one that grounded at PAX NAS around April 2. No one aboard or rescued?