What's your float plan for Memorial Day weekend? TN agencies recommend these safety tips
The long-awaited, three-day holiday weekend held each year in May marks an unofficial start to summer and fun on the water for many.
For others, Memorial Day serves as a stark reminder of the importance of boating safety.
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency officials say four incidents have resulted in five fatalities in 2025, one of which involved a paddle craft.
More: Missing 12-year-old Clarksville boy's body found in Red River after days-long search
One fatality was reported over the Memorial Day holiday weekend in 2024.
"We want to encourage everyone to always boat responsibly," TWRA Boating and Law Enforcement Division Lt. Col. Matt Majors said in a release.
"Our waterways are enjoyed by all types of vessels, both small and large. Please maintain a proper lookout at all times and ensure alcohol and drugs are not part of your float plan."
Tennessee offers boating enthusiasts several opportunities to enjoy its resources throughout the Volunteer State, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency announced in a release.
In participation with the 2025 National Safe Boating Week, the agency is encouraging all boaters to brush up on boating safety skills now ahead of the summer boating season.
National Safe Boating Week is held the week before Memorial Day weekend and serves as the annual kick-off for the Safe Boating Campaign, a global awareness effort that encourages responsible boating.
According to the release, boating partners across the United States and Canada, including the TWRA and other local partner organizations, have teamed up to emphasize safe boating practices like wearing life jackets and educate the boating community on options that are lightweight and comfortable.
The Nashville Office of Emergency Management and Nashville Fire Department say they want everyone to be safe over the holiday weekend and prioritize boating safety.
"Whether you're hitting the road, spending time on our Metro Nashville Davidson County waterways, or gathering with family and friends, it's essential to stay mindful of safety," Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County Community Services Manager and Public Information Officer Joseph Pleasant said in a release.
"For those who plan to enjoy the beautiful waterways this weekend, boating safety is a top priority. Always wear a life jacket and ensure that all passengers do the same."
Before hitting the water, officials encourage everyone to create a float plan.
Here are some TWRA recommended safety tips for boaters:
Boating safety courses offer valuable knowledge and on-water experience with many options for novice to experienced boaters.
For more about TWRA boating safety education, visit https://www.tn.gov/twra/boating/boating-education.html.
Schedule a free vessel safety check with local U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary or U.S. Power Squadrons to make sure all essential equipment is present, working and in good condition.
Always let someone on shore know the trip itinerary, including operator and passenger information, boat type and registration and communication equipment on board.
Ensure everyone on board wears a life jacket every time. A stowed life jacket is no use in an emergency.
Use an engine cut-off device, or engine cut-off switch, to stop the boat's engine if the operator unexpectedly falls overboard.
Always check the forecast before departing on the water and frequently during the excursion.
Nearly a quarter of all reported boating accidents last year were caused by operator inattention or improper lookout.
Be familiar with the area, local boating speed zones and always travel at a safe speed.
Don't drink and drive, a boat that is. A BUI, or boating under the influence, is involved in one-third of all recreational boating fatalities. Always designate a sober skipper.
Stay in touch with others by having more than one communication device that works when wet. VHF radios, emergency locator beacons, satellite phones and cell phones can all be important devices in an emergency.
Katie Nixon can be reached at knixon@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennesseans hit the water Memorial Day, agencies urge boater safety
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Candy bars, soda and… kayaks? New Virginia Beach vending machines sell something more.
Candy bars, cans of soda, and now … kayaks? Some vending machines in Virginia Beach parks are dispensing something more than snacks and drinks after the addition of a new kayak vending machine at Stumpy Lake Natural Area. Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation installed new kayak rental kiosks last year at Munden Point Park and the Lake Lawson/Lake Smith Natural Area last year, and their popularity spurred installation of a new and bigger vending machine at Stumpy Lake. The city has 12 kayaks available for rental at Stumpy Lake's vending machine, and Munden Point Park and Lake Lawson/Lake Smith each have eight kayaks. The rentals include a single-rider kayak, life jacket and paddle for $25 for up to two hours and $15 for each hour after that. A season pass costs $99. Tyler Deem records on the ' app that he has returned the kayak he rented from the Kayak Kiosk at Stumpy Lake Natural Area in Virginia Beach Friday, June 20, 2025. The app controls payment and the locking mechanism to access the kayaks. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot) Brandon Cyphers, front, and Tyler Deem carry a kayak back to the Kayak Kiosk after fishing at Stumpy Lake Natural Area in Virginia Beach Friday, June 20, 2025. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot) A kayak available for rent sits locked inside the Kayak Kiosk at Stumpy Lake Natural Area in Virginia Beach Friday, June 20, 2025. Kayaks can be rented for $25, for up to two hours, and $15 for each hour after that. A season pass is also available for $99. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot) Tyler Deem removes a kayak from the water to return to the Kayak Kiosk after fishing at Stumpy Lake Natural Area in Virginia Beach Friday, June 20, 2025. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot) Brandon Cyphers, left, helps Tyler Deem load one of the two kayaks they rented back into the Kayak Kiosk at Stumpy Lake Natural Area in Virginia Beach Friday, June 20, 2025. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot) Show Caption1 of 6The Kayak Kiosk at Stumpy Lake Natural Area in Virginia Beach Friday, June 20, 2025. Kayaks can be rented for $25, for up to two hours, and $15 for each hour after that. A season pass is also available for $99. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot)Expand Renters use a smartphone app and scan a QR code on any container with a kayak inside. The rental also includes a set of wheels to help get the kayak to the water. The website lists more than 100 vending-machine locations, but only a handful in Virginia and Hampton Roads. Suffolk has kayak rental machines at Constance Wharf and Sleepy Hole Park, and Smithfield's Windsor Castle Park and York County's Back Creek Park also have a machine. In Virginia Beach, the vending machines — which cost about $100,000 for all three locations — replaced a cumbersome rental process. 'We used to have rentals at Munden Point, but that became very staff-intensive and required cash handling measures,' city spokesperson Ali Weatherton said in an email. 'We also had a third-party contract with a local company at Stumpy Lake Natural Area. That was awarded through the competitive bid process. That proved to be inconsistent. Parks and Recreation then decided to investigate the rental kiosks and found them to suit all the rental needs for multiple locations.' The vending machines have been a hit. Nearly 900 kayaks have been rented at Munden Point and Lake Lawson/Lake Smith since the installation in April 2024. The new kiosk at Stumpy Lake has rented more than 500 in the past three months. And more kayaks are coming: There are more to come to Virginia Beach: A new vending machine is planned when the Bow Creek Stormwater Park is completed in 2026 or '27. Jami Frankenberry,
CBS News
40 minutes ago
- CBS News
U.S. State Department has begun evacuations of Americans from Israel, Huckabee says
The U.S. Department of State has begun assisted departure flights from Israel, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said on X Saturday. "If you are a U.S. citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident currently in Israel or the West Bank and seeking U.S. government assistance to depart, please complete this form so the Department of State can better assist you and provide you with timely updates: Huckabee wrote. "If you have only completed the crisis intake form, please do not fill it out again." His announcement comes days after confusion about whether the U.S. government would be assisting American citizens evacuating from Israel. Huckabee said on June 18, the sixth day of the Israel-Iran war, that the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem was assisting U.S. citizens with evacuation flights and cruise ship departures, only for the State Department to say later that day they had "no announcement about assisting private U.S. citizens to depart at this time." The following day, the U.S. Embassy sent a message to Americans who had enrolled in the State Department's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) that the State Department was "planning for contingencies to assist with private U.S. citizens' departure from Israel. We will alert the U.S. citizen community if there is additional information to share regarding departure options," the embassy said. "It asked Americans in Israel interested in leaving the country to fill out an online form." The U.S. State Department has also placed Israel under a Level 4 travel advisory, telling Americans not to travel there due to "armed conflict, terrorism and civil unrest." Ben Gurion International Airport, Israel's major airport, is currently closed and several commercial airlines have paused flights from Israel to the United States. In the meantime, Americans in Israel organized evacuations via other measures. Birthright Israel said in a statement to CBS News that the organization evacuated approximately 1,500 program participants aboard the Crown Iris, a luxury Israeli cruise ship operated by Mano Maritime, sailing from Ashdod Port to Larnaca, Cyprus. Charter flights from Tel Aviv, organized by not-for-profits and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, carrying hundreds of Americans evacuating the Middle East landed in Tampa, Florida, on Friday. Others decided to exit through the border with Jordan and take a car to the capital of Amman and fly from there to the United States, one parent with a child studying in Israel told CBS News. Warren Cohen, an American who was in Israel on a business trip when the fighting broke out, told CBS News he thinks the U.S. should be doing more to help get its citizens home. "Mr. President, please bring me home to my family. I'm your neighbor in Mar-a-Largo and I really want to go see my wife and kids," he said. As tensions with Iran intensified since the start of the conflict, missile strikes in both countries have led to at least 657 people being killed, including 263 civilians, in Iran, the Washington-based group Health Rights Activist told the AP. At least 24 people in Israel have been killed, Israeli officials say. Strikes on Friday wounded 23 people in the northern part of Israel, emergency services Magen David Adom said. President Trump has considered joining Israel's multiday effort to strike Iranian nuclear facilities, saying on Friday he'll decide within two weeks on possible U.S. military action against Iran. The time frame, some American and European officials say, is a "last shot" at diplomacy. and contributed to this report.
Fox News
43 minutes ago
- Fox News
Flight passenger's rant about airline standby practices goes viral as record summer travel gets underway
An individual has taken to social media to rant that he or she is "tired of airlines acting like they're doing you a favor for putting you on a flight you paid for" just as the busiest summer travel season gets underway — sparking a heated discussion online among other travelers. "I book a flight weeks in advance and find out I've been put on standby when I get to the airport," wrote the person in a Reddit post, which elicited more than 5,000 reactions. "I then get told, 'Oh, you're lucky we got you the last seats available.'" The person added on the Reddit travel thread, "Lucky? I paid for this flight weeks in advance." The Redditor went on to say, addressing an unnamed airline in the post, "You oversold the flight and are now scrambling people around and are acting like you're doing me [a] favor for getting me a seat on the flight I originally booked and paid for." One individual responded to the post, "They will cancel or change the flight at a moment's notice, but if you change it, it's a problem and costs more." That reply alone attracted some 3,000 reactions. The vast majority of commenters agreed with the original post and expressed similar levels of outrage. "They rarely admit fault and if you make a mistake, it usually costs you," said another person. "It would be fair if they took responsibility, especially for overbooking." "You paid for your ticket. You did your part." Wrote yet another person in part, "While I understand the concept of positive positioning for customer service, it's insulting for them to use the word 'lucky' here. You paid for your ticket. You did your part. They created a problem and they had to solve it." Said another commenter, "If you fly first class, they actually treat you like a person once you get on the plane." Others online shared different perspectives — with some expressing confusion about the situation described. "Did you make sure to check in 24 hours in advance?" wrote one person. "Some airlines will release your seat to standby if [you're] not checked in by the last hour or so." Others also said they've never been bumped and asked the original poster for more details. "I have never experienced that," wrote one person. "I don't take that many domestic flights, but I do travel quite a lot internationally. I [have] never been bumped or had my ticket canceled." Said another person, "This has never happened to me. Ever." Wrote someone else, "Did you buy a basic fare with no assigned seat? I'm confused as to how they could move you to standby." With July 4th just up ahead, Americans are predicted to set a travel record this year to celebrate during the nation's 249th birthday. AAA released its "Independence Day Travel Forecast" report, finding that 72.2 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home this July 4th, Fox News Digital previously reported. The forecast looks not just at the Fourth of July but at holiday travel spanning from Saturday, June 28 to Sunday, July 6. The 2025 report is predicting an increase of 1.7 million travelers compared to last year, while determining there will be seven million more travelers compared to 2019. Over 60 million Americans are set to drive to their destination, which is a 2.2% increase from 2024. Of the millions predicted to travel, 8% or 5.84 million Americans will be flying to their destinations. About 4.78 million travelers will be taking other forms of transportation such as cruises or trains. Ashley DiMella of Fox News Digital contributed reporting.
