Thunderstorms represent a serious danger to boaters, and since spring boating is underway in many areas of the country, I thought it would be appropriate to cover some basics for avoiding thunderstorms while you are underway.

The best way to avoid a thunderstorm is to get a marine weather forecast and heed any watches or warnings for thunderstorms in your area by planning appropriately, or in some cases, postponing the trip altogether.

If you are boating in an area that is prone to afternoon thunderstorms or where thunderstorms seemingly crop up out of the blue, your first priority is to get to the nearest safe shelter as quickly as possible. There is no safe place from lightning on the water, so finding a safe haven indoors is vital. When you see thunderheads building on the horizon and the wind picks up, that is the time to head in or take cover.

For boaters nothing is quite as unnerving as being caught in the fog. Chances are, however, that if you spend any amount of time on the water, you will run into this weather phenomenon and will need to know how to safely navigate through it.

First, SLOW DOWN! Do not attempt to run your boat at full speed through the fog. The Coast Guard Navigation Rules, Rule 6 states that "Every vessel shall at all times proceed at a safe speed so that she can take proper and effective action to avoid collision and be stopped within a distance appropriate to the prevailing circumstances and conditions." Meaning... slow down in adverse conditions so that if you are in danger of collision, you can stop or turn away before it happens.

Make the appropriate sound signal for a vessel underway in restricted visibility. For a vessel underway, the signal should be 1 long blast every 2 minutes. For a vessel stopped, 2 long blasts. If you are at anchor you should rapidly ring a bell for ten seconds every minute. Other acceptable sound producing devices are the horn, an air horn or a whistle.

Stop every now and then and shut down the engines to listen. You are listening for the evidence of other boats near to you, fog horns and bells from nearby buoys and anything else that can alert you to danger.

If you have RADAR, use it to locate dangers around you.

If you become disoriented, stop and obtain a fix of your location using a GPS and a nautical chart. All mariners should have the minimum navigation equipment aboard for just such an occasion. If you are unable to get your bearings, stay put until the fog lifts but be sure you are not in a shipping channel, shallow water or an otherwise unsafe location.

Harkening back to my Coast Guard days, I always do these two things before I get underway on a boat: check the tides and check the marine forecast with NOAA's National Weather Service. Armed with this valuable information, I can make decisions that could prevent a boating accident before I even step foot on the boat or during my outing.

For instance, if I checked the marine forecast today and it reads "SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY," I will opt to postpone my trip for a more opportune time.

What is a SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY? Small craft advisories are issued to alert mariners to sustained (more than two hours) weather or sea conditions, either present or forecast, that might be hazardous to small boats. The threshold conditions for the Small Craft Advisory are usually 18 knots of wind (less than 18 knots in some dangerous waters) or hazardous wave conditions, usually waves 4 feet or higher.

When a small craft advisory is issued, obviously the warning states that sea conditions could be dangerous for small craft. But what is a small craft exactly? Well, unless you own a yacht larger than 60 ft., your boat classifies as a small craft. Regardless of whether your boat is on the larger end of the size spectrum, a small craft advisory is meant to warn boaters that weather conditions are forecasted to be uncomfortable at best, and dangerous at worst. Boaters should heed the warning.

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Marine Weather Advisories, Watches, and Warnings

Boating is completely dependent upon the weather, and because of this, smart boaters are continuously aware of the marine environment, particularly the weather forecast. Before they go out for the day and while they are out, boaters need to know the marine weather forecasts because nothing can ruin a day of boating quicker than changing weather.

Spring is a particularly volatile time of year for marine weather. Generally windy and sporadically rainy, sometimes warm and other times chilly, spring is perhaps the most crucial time for knowing the marine weather forecast. Before getting underway, boaters should know that day's forecast including wind speed, wave height, whether rain is predicted and most importantly - are any of these supposed to change during the outing? Many boaters have been surprised to go out on a sunny, calm day only to return fighting small craft conditions. Boaters can obtain a marine forecast through NOAA's National Weather Service.  Once at the site, click your location on the U.S. map, one the left choose"Marine Forecast," and then click  your coastal area.

The result should look like this:

GMZ870-873-876-182300- TARPON SPRINGS TO SUWANNEE RIVER OUT 20 TO 60 NM- ENGLEWOOD TO TARPON SPRINGS OUT 20 TO 60 NM- BONITA BEACH TO ENGLEWOOD OUT 20 TO 60 NM-

1003 AM EST THU FEB 18 2010

SMALL CRAFT EXERCISE CAUTION THIS AFTERNOON

NORTH WINDS 15 TO 20 KNOTS. SEAS 4 TO 6 FEET.

TONIGHT NORTH WINDS AROUND 15 KNOTS. SEAS SUBSIDING TO 2 TO 4 FEET.

Forecasts are updated four times a day and can be received by cell phone or mobile device.  NOAA Weather Radio also broadcasts in the VHF public service band at these seven frequencies (MHz):