Press Kits & Fact Sheets

Water Sports Foundation’s Inaugural Boating Safety National Public Relations Outreach Initiative Far Exceeds Expectations

A national public relations campaign by the nonprofit Water Sports Foundation has far exceeded preliminary expectations, generating more than 600 million positive boating safety media impressions over a five-month period, from April – August 2021.

Sea Tow Foundation Issues Official Call for Entry for 2021 “National Boating Industry Safety Awards”

The Sea Tow Foundation in cooperation with its newly rebranded Boating Safety Advisory Council (formerly North American Sober Skipper Advisory Council) has issued the official call for entry for its 2021 “National Boating Industry Safety Awards.”

Widespread Increase in Boating Activity and Access to Boating & Education Reported by Water Sports Foundation

Strong Surge Reported in Boat Sales, Shared Boating Platforms and Boating Education ORLANDO, Fla. – July 27, 2021 – When it comes to boating activity, 2020 proved an epic year with the pandemic delivering an upside surprise to the recreational boating industry. People took to the water in historic numbers as a safe escape from […]

How New Technologies and Boater Education Are Saving Lives

As pandemic conditions generated a surge of 415,000 first-time boat buyers in 2020, a 35% increase, recently released U.S. Coast Guard figures indicate a 26% increase in boating accidents, 25% increase in injuries and 25% increase in boating fatalities during the same time period.

WSF Executive Director Jim Emmons Statement Regarding New 2020 USCG Statistics Report

WSF Executive Director Jim Emmons believes that the new 2020 report and statistics are sobering and uphold the long-standing message that the Water Sports Foundation has proffered for years: “Get skills training before you take a boat or paddle craft out on the water.”

U.S. Coast Guard Releases 2020 Boating Safety Statistics Report

The U.S. Coast Guard released its 2020 Recreational Boating Statistics Report Wednesday, revealing that there were 767 boating fatalities nationwide in 2020, a 25.1 percent increase from 2019.

Don’t Let Alcohol Crash America’s Birthday Celebration On the Water

Alcohol use is the leading known contributing factor in fatal boating accidents.

NauticEd Reports Sailing Charter Vacation Bookings and Education Enrollments Are Soaring

As consumer travel surges ahead on a tide of pent-up demand, NauticEd has reported an increase in vacation yacht bookings almost 10 times greater than 2020 and 38% greater than pre-COVID years.

Top Boating Tips to Safely Navigate Busy Fourth of July Festivities Including Fireworks Shows, Group Raft-Ups

Throughout the country, boaters are expected to cruise to popular gathering spots this Fourth of July weekend with friends and family, with plans to raft up, drop anchor and swim, enjoy barbeques and cap off festivities with spectacular fireworks celebrations.

Water Sports Foundation Media Fact Sheet: Boating Safety

Information curated from multiple boating safety stakeholders using most recently published 2019 U.S. Coast Guard Data

12 Top Boating Safety Tips for the Busy Memorial Day Weekend…and Beyond

The pandemic literally saw hundreds of thousands of newcomers join the ranks of first-time boat owners, so we’re taking extra precautions to pro-actively share safe boating strategies

12 consejos para navegar de manera segura el fin de semana del Día de los Caídos … y más (12 Tips for Holiday Boating Safety – Spanish Version)

Con las ventas de barcos nuevos y usados en niveles récord para los compradores de primera vez, organizaciones líderes en la seguridad de la navegación lanzaron una campaña en español con recomendaciones prácticas de seguridad antes de las ajetreadas vacaciones del Día de los Caídos y el inicio de la temporada de navegación de verano.

WSF Announces New National Boating Safety Media Center / Mainstream Distribution

The Water Sports Foundation (WSF) has recently launched the first phase of its new “National Boating Safety Media Center” which is designed to facilitate and support journalists assigned to cover boating safety topics.

Operation Dry Water Campaign Resources

As boaters begin to prepare for the 4th of July holiday, thousands of law enforcement officers across the United States will be on heightened alert looking for those violating boating under the influence laws. These materials can be customized to reflect the efforts that your agency is making over the Operation Dry Water weekend.

Operation Dry Water Outreach Materials

Materials for spreading awareness of the danger of boating under the influence and the Operation Dry Water campaign.

Water Sports Foundation Launches New “National Boating Safety Media Center” as Part of Media Outreach Campaign

As part of a U.S. Coast Guard Boating Safety Outreach Grant, the Water Sports Foundation (WSF) has just completed the first phase and launch of its new “National Boating Safety Media Center” which is designed to facilitate and support the work of journalists assigned to cover boating safety topics.

Boating Magazine Wins Video Awards

At the annual and prestigious Boating Writer’s International Awards, BOATING took away six awards, most notably completely sweeping the ”Boating Video” category.

Cold-Water Boating

Cold-water immersion is the cause of many boating-related fatalities. The danger increases as water temperature decreases below normal body temperature (98.6o F).