Paddlers, swimmers, divers, skiers, and carbon monoxide

Ingrid is forty-six. She's towing her grown son on a tube behind her runabout on a calm Saturday. Ahead, a canoe with two paddlers starts to cross her path. Later, the plan is to stop, leave the engine idling, and have everyone swim off the back.

So here's the question. Who does Ingrid need to watch out for, and what's hiding in that plan to swim off the back?

Start with towing, under the Small Vessel Regulations. Someone other than the driver must watch the person being towed and keep the driver informed. There must be a seat on board for everyone being towed. Each person towed wears a lifejacket, or one is carried for them. And no towing in poor visibility, or from one hour after sunset until sunrise. Transport Canada's guide lists a two hundred and fifty dollar fine for no spotter, and the same for no seat.

Now the canoe. The Collision Regulations' give-way list names sailing vessels, not paddled canoes. But Transport Canada's rental checklist has renters agree to give way to all boats without motors, canoes and kayaks included, and the guide warns that your wake can capsize a small boat. Treat that as good practice.

Swimmers next. Stay away from swimming areas, and never spray swimmers. Transport Canada's rental checklist says no swimming, diving or jumping from the boat unless the motor is off, the keys are out and the propeller has stopped. Divers are marked by one of two flags. A blue and white flag called Alpha, or a red flag with a white diagonal stripe. See either one, slow down and stay at least a hundred metres away.

Which brings us to that swim. Carbon monoxide comes from anything burning fuel. It's invisible and odourless, and the guide says it can kill in minutes. It builds up under swim platforms, between pontoons, beside a seawall, and when boats are tied together. Swimmers there can be overcome and drown. The early signs, headache, nausea and tiredness, are easy to mistake for seasickness.

So nobody sits or hangs on the back deck or swim platform while the engine or generator runs. That's called teak surfing, and it's out. Fit a marine carbon monoxide detector, check its batteries every trip, and never ignore the alarm.

On the water. On a summer weekend the river gets shared by everyone at once, tubes, canoes, kayaks and swimmers off the docks. The boaters I trust are the ones who throttle back early and pass wide, without anyone asking.

Let's change one fact. The sun set more than an hour ago, and her son wants one more run. The answer is no. The law says no towing from one hour after sunset until sunrise. And if Ingrid were on a personal watercraft, it would have to be built to carry at least three people to tow anyone at all.

The mistake boaters make is letting the driver be the spotter. You can't watch the tube and the water ahead at the same time, and that canoe is exactly what you'd miss.

Here's the rule, in one breath. Spotter, seat, lifejacket, daylight, pass paddlers slow and wide, a hundred metres from a dive flag, and nobody on the swim platform with the engine running.

This week, brief your spotter on their job before you tow, and learn both dive flags by description, blue and white, or red with a white diagonal stripe. Next time, the final review, and how to book your test.