"Mind the clothes - we're sinking"

"The clothes, they're all getting wet," the young woman was shouting at the top of her voice.

Trust her. Some Lm9,000 worth of speedboat and outboard engines were sinking under her feet, and uppermost in her mind were her clothes.

Her boyfriend did not pay much attention to her, he was too busy seeing what he could do to prevent his new craft being engulfed by the water in the Blue Lagoon a week ago yesterday.

No one was injured and other boat owners came up to lend a hand. They saved the boat, but only because the water was not deep enough for it to go under completely.

What had happened was probably that the young boat owner was not quite fully knowledgeable about his boat.

Which is not quite a rarity, though boating is not a hobby which is trouble free - everything may seem normal and relaxing until the unexpected happens.

A fishing and swimming enthusiast, owner of a 14 foot boat, said boat owners had to keep a proper lookout at any time for flotsam.

"Imagine a boat going at some speed hitting something heavy floating on the surface, such as a wooden beam. I came across one once, but luckily it was not exactly in my path."

Or imagine the hazard of nylon ropes and plastic bags which are caught by the propellor, possibly damaging it and disabling the boat.

Boaters would also do well to keep a sharp lookout for the many reefs scattered along the coast.

Sometimes such reefs lie submerged a few centimetres below the surface of the sea and there is nothing to indicate their presence.

"The first time I realised that one such reef existed off Hondoq ir-Rummien, I was very lucky. Normally I keep note of the position of such reefs but that time I was driving a speedboat when something caught my eye on the left of the boat as I sped by. On going back I realised that I had driven the boat just inches from solid rock which was submerged just below the surface," the owner of a speedboat said.

Reefs are more dangerous when the sea is calm and there is no sign to indicate their presence - in a rough sea there would be foaming of the water around them.

Another hazard for boaters are amateur divers who venture out to reefs where the water is shallow, without the proper equipment to indicate their presence.

The Malta Maritime Authority has been publishing a guide on Safety at Sea since 1993 and last year it revised the guide, which is available to all who request it, aiming to provide guidelines to craft owners before setting sail.

The guide is intended for owners of small seacraft - owners of craft powered by 100 horse power engines or over need to be licensed and follow regulations.

The very first piece of advice in the booklet, and probably also the most important is:

"Remember that weather conditions may change and that you must be fully aware of the vessel's limitations. Have your craft and equipment tested and serviced periodically or whenever you suspect something is not perfectly safe."

The MMA's leaflet calls on boaters to ensure that they had life saving equipment on board, that it was in working order and readily available if needed.

Such equipment includes radio, flares, fire extinguishers, personal buoyancy aids/the right sized life jackets and a first aid kit. But just having the safety equipment is not enough.

"Passengers or crew must know how to operate these aids and equipment..."

The leaflet suggests that one should listen to the radio for the weather forecast or phone the Meteorological Office operated by the Malta International Airport for an updated forecast.

The leaflet gives the "rules of the road", otherwise known as the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea.

These are designed to cover every type of confrontation between seagoing vessels, regardless of size, speed and purpose.

One of the rules is to maintain a proper look out at all times, using both sight and hearing. Another is to moderate speed to ensure a stopping distance to avoid a collision taking into account the visibility, state of waves, weather, traffic density, depth of water and manoeuvrability.

"Correct anti-collision procedures must be followed at all times. Even if there seems to be only a slight risk of collision, assume the worst and avoid the situation..."

The rules say that two power driven vessels approaching each other shall each alter course to starboard (right) and shall pass port to port (left of each other).

They say that when two power boats are crossing, the vessel which has the other on its starboard side should keep out of the other's way. But although a vessel having the right of way should maintain course and speed, if the give-way vehicle fails to give way, the right of way craft should take whatever action is necessary to avoid a collision.

Power driven vessels have to keep out of the way of vessels not under command, vessels restricted in their ability to manoeuvre, vessels engaged in fishing, or vessels under sail.

Power driven vessels could indicate their intentions by one short blast if they are altering course to starboard, two short blasts if they are altering course to port or three short blasts if they are operating astern propulsion (but could still be moving ahead).

Although these signals are usually given with the horn, a flashing light may be used instead.

Vessels less than seven metres in length, travelling at less than seven knots have to display an all round white light. Vessels from seven to 12 metres and smaller vessels travelling at more than seven knots also have to display a red port light and green starboard side-light. Vessels from 12 to 50 metres have to display a white light at the mast head, a red port light and green starboard light and a white stern light.

The authority's leaflet deals with marine VHF communications, giving the correct procedure for distress or urgency calls.

It says that the most common cause of death after a boat has sunk is drowning and most of the time this has been due to body heat being lost to the surrounding water more rapidly than it can be generated.

"Although the sea around the Maltese islands is normally warm, during the winter months, protective clothing should be worn as this would delay the onset of hypothermia.

"Whatever you do, don't panic, think clearly and conserve your energy.

"A life jacket will keep you afloat without effort and without swimming, no matter how much clothing is worn.

"If unconscious, a life jacket will keep your mouth clear of water.

"Make sure that enough life jackets are kept aboard," the leaflet advises.

Boating activities... keep a proper lookout, use moderate speed, the Malta Maritime Authority urges.