West Marine, the world’s largest outfitter and educator for all boaters is partnering with America’s Boating Club and National Safe Boating Council (NSBC) along with other recognized boating safety organizations during the month of May to provide safety and educational resources for the 2021 boating season. The partnership culminates at the end of the month with the start of National Safe Boating Week on May 22.
Over the course of the past few years, boating has become one of the fastest growing outdoor sports. For many, boating is an opportunity to enjoy the calm of the water, connect with friends and family and test a sense for adventure and mastery. With the rise in activity, West Marine is dedicated to promoting safe boating through educational resources, safety products and partnerships within the boating community.
“We are proud to be an industry leader outfitting, educating and inspiring boaters to enjoy the sport safely,” said Ken Seipel, CEO of West Marine. “West Marine is a long-time supplier and outfitter of safety gear and we are now proud to extend our resources with our partners America’s Boating Club, National Safe Boating Council and BoatUS both in-store and online throughout the entire month of May. We are pleased and honored to partner with the best boating safety organizations in the industry to provide as many resources and tools as possible to our customers.”
West Marine will offer several resources in stores throughout the month, including:
- Free safety checklists for customers as well as information for local vendors to do a free safety check on a vessel.
- Life jacket fitting by trained associates, which will be available in all stores
- Discounted towing during National Safe Boating Week via BoatUS.
Additionally, from May 14 – May 16 select West Marine stores across the country will offer opportunities for customers to test their boating skills via an America’s Boating Club safety simulator. The Boating Skills Virtual Trainer is the industry’s premier interactive simulation-based boating safety program designed specifically for America’s Boating Club. The boat simulator allows individuals to practice exercises such as docking, maneuvering a slalom course, pulling a boat onto a trailer, rescuing a person overboard and more. Audio instruction has been added to emphasize the goals and approach to each of fourteen exercises. Customers in each select store location will have the opportunity to sign up for a 30-minute time slot where they can try the safety simulator in a clean, socially distanced environment. Stores offering the simulator experience are located in:
- Fort Lauderdale, FL
- West Islip, NY
- North Palm Beach, FL
- Virginia Beach, VA
- San Diego, CA
- Charleston, SC
- Sausalito, CA
- Chicago, IL
- Seattle, WA
- Kemah, TX
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West Marine will also offer online resources and tools, including:
- Safety videos and resources posted by America’s Boating Club, National Safe Boating Council and BoatUS to West Marine’s new communities forum, The Dock Line throughout the month.
- Safety-related questions answered by the executive director of the NSBC, Peg Phillips.
- New boat owner seminar hosted by Into the Blue captains May 12 on West Marine Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube pages immediately followed by a live Q&A.
- Social posts from partners throughout the month and a National Safe Boating Week contest on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
“The National Safe Boating Council is excited to partner with West Marine to help further educational and safety efforts for boaters everywhere,” said Peg Phillips, executive director of the NSBC. “Knowing how to boat responsibly and have a properly fitted life jacket are two essential practices.
Additional ongoing efforts to support safe boating year-round include support to the Coast Guard Safe Boating Training program.
