Many boaties spend autumn and winter looking forward to warmer weather while their boats sit idle on moorings, in the dry dock or parked up at home. For those who want to keep sailing, fishing, cruising and motoring through New Zealand's colder months, it's absolutely vital to prepare for the tougher weather and sea conditions winter can bring.
Coastguard New Zealand says while many recreational boaties slow down their time on the water after Easter, others continue boating through winter and need to be prepared for rapidly changing conditions. Winter boating brings with it additional challenges including unpredictable weather, reduced daylight hours and colder temperatures. Coastguard continues to remind boaties to wear a lifejacket, check the forecast before heading out, carry two forms of waterproof communication and follow the Boating Safety Code, head over to www.coastguard.co.nz for more information, it could save your life.
The New Zealand Safer Boating Forum led by Maritime New Zealand continues to promote simple but critical boating safety message for Kiwi boaties. Their advice remains clear: wear a lifejacket, carry at least 2 forms of communication that work when wet, check the weather regularly and avoid alcohol on the water. The goal is simple - making sure everyone returns home safely after a day on the water this winter.
So here’s our five-stage guide to making sure your winter boating is safe and secure:
Be prepared and let people know where you're going
New Zealand’s weather is changeable at the best of times but during winter it’s important to keep in touch with the marine forecasts and let friends and family know where you’re likely to be. Because the days are shorter, also be sure to leave enough time for your return trip if you want to be back before nightfall.
Being prepared also means taking the right safety gear for the conditions you might face – including the right first aid kit for your journey and checking your flares are in working order and suitable for where you’re taking your boat.
Lifejackets, Lifejackets, Lifejackets
There has been ongoing discussion in New Zealand around consistency in lifejacket rules for small craft, including how regional bylaws align with national safety expectations. Maritime New Zealand has also been working through advice to Government on recreational boating safety settings, but the core message remains unchanged: lifejackets save lives, and carrying the right type for your activity, vessel and crew is essential.
The key message from both regulators and the industry is simple - it’s not just about having lifejackets on board, but making sure they’re the right type and properly fitted for everyone using them. A poorly chosen or incorrectly sized lifejacket can significantly reduce its effectiveness in an emergency.
Burnsco provides practical, easy-to-follow resources to help boaties make the right call, including a guide on How to Choose a Lifejacket for your style of boating and a separate guide on lifejacket sizing and fit. These are designed to take the guesswork out of selecting the right gear, whether you’re heading offshore, fishing the harbour, or taking the tinny out for a weekend run.
If you’re unsure, the team at Burnsco can also help point you in the right direction in-store or via their online Live Chat, making it easier to get the right fit before you head out on the water.
Keep in contact
Although we’re seemingly always glued to our mobile phones and tablets these days, you might not always get great reception when you’re on the water. That’s why it’s so important to have a marine-brand VHF radio on board as well as some form of GPS locator. Burnsco have multiple options available, from PLB's (Personal Locator Beacons) which you can fix to your lifejacket, through to EPIRB's which are mountable on your boat.
Before you head out, make sure everything’s in working order and you have everything stored in waterproof containers or bags.
If you’re kayaking close in to shore, you might well be fine with your mobile phone – but it’s even more important to keep it dry and in full working order in case of an emergency.
Prepare for cold water
During summer months it’s easy to become blasé about motoring or sailing around and being able to jump in to the ocean occasionally to cool down. But coming into contact with the cold water – especially in an emergency – during winter can be a real killer.
Maritime NZ has a great and comprehensive guide to the techniques necessary to improve your chances of survival while in the water waiting for rescue, but because many of the lakes and coastal waters around New Zealand are very cold from April through to September it’s important to do everything you can to stave off hypothermia or, in the worst cases, death by drowning or heart attack.
Their key points to help your chances of survival are:
- Wear a lifejacket
- Wear as many layers as possible
- Try not to panic
- When possible, get out of the water
- Learn and adopt the HELP position if you’re on your own or, in groups of three or more, huddle together
- Know your limits if swimming for safety – an average person in a lifejacket and light clothing will manage only 1.85km if the water is 10C.
Always be responsible
Mixing excess alcohol and boating is always a bad idea – regardless of the season, but especially in winter when the weather can change so quickly and when the body reacts so poorly to the shock of cold water.
But being a responsible boatie also means making sure your craft is seaworthy before you set off (including being fully equipped with harnesses, non-slip flooring, gas detectors, fire extinguishers and lights whenever necessary) and making sure everyone on board is wearing the right gear for the conditions you might encounter.
Do you have any questions?
Please, contact our friendly team on 0800 102041 or email: website@burnsco.co.nz
We provide general information on products, not personal advice. Always seek the help of a relevant tradesperson if you have a technical query.
