This new restriction was signed into law in August of this year. It applies to boating activities between November 1 and May 1 of each year.

The law came as a response to a series of off-season boating fatalities prior to the summer. In these accidents, boaters were on small boats and weren’t wearing a personal flotation device. In a typical year, only about a quarter of boating fatalities in the state of New York tend to occur in the off season.

In 2008, there were 21 boating fatalities. Five of these occurred during cold water conditions, including one particular incident in Sullivan County in October in which three people died. The statistics in 2007 were more compelling. That year also saw 21 fatalities due to boating, eight of which occurred in cold water situations.

State officials, from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commissioner Carol Ash to State Senator Antoine have supported this legislation. They argue that cold water presents a unique danger to boaters, and that off-season boaters need to be especially prepared for what can come their way.

Cold water, which is considered to be water that’s less than 68 degrees, can cause a number of problems. It can cause a sudden cardiac arrest, for example. It can lead to the loss of swimming ability and reduce a person’s grip strength. Eventually, cold water can lead to hypothermia and unconsciousness. When you combine all of that with a general scarcity of other boats on waterways during the off season that could help a boater in trouble, it’s a deadly mix.

Temperature in the water is often much lower than the temperature of the air. Even a warm sunny day in late fall can create waterways that are deceptively cold due to nighttime freezing temps and the shorter time in the sunlight that inevitable occurs.

According to the new law, everyone on the boat is required to wear a personal flotation device that’s approved by the U.S. Coast Guard. It must be of a size appropriate to the wearer, and it must be worn any time the boat is under way. Boaters on lakes, rivers, streams and any other waters in the state are subject to the law. The exception is boaters that are on privately owned waters, as well as commercial boats and members of an organized boat racing team.

Children under the age of 12 are also required to wear a personal flotation device when they’re on any boat shorter than 65 feet in length unless they’re inside a fully enclosed cabin.

As always, carrying boating insurance will help protect you and your passengers in the event that there is an accident of some sort.

For a while now, operators of small craft on the Arkansas River have been under a small craft advisory. The advisory, released by the Army Corps of Engineers, was in response to high water flows on that river. The Army Corps of Engineers will release an advisory whenever the flows exceed 70,000 cubic feet per second. These flow conditions can be extremely dangerous and hazardous. Should the area experience several days of heavy rains, it’s possible that this advisory would be reinstated.

It’s important to understand exactly what this kind of advisory entails. A small craft advisory is often issued by the National Weather Service in coastal areas. The particular conditions required to create an advisory can vary from one area to the next, and the NWS criteria can be found at their website. Obviously the Army Corps of Engineers will also issue advisories, typically on inland rivers and lakes that aren’t covered by the National Weather Service.

Generally speaking, a small craft advisory can also be issued when there are high winds instead of or in addition to fast water flows. High winds of more than around 25 to 38 miles per hour are generally the criteria. These winds are not quite up to gale force winds, but hit forces 6 and 7 on the Beaufort scale, which measures wind speeds.

There is no standard or official definition of what exactly constitutes a small watercraft. An informal rule of thumb suggests that boats shorter than 33 feet in length fall into this category. That 33-feet rule is the Coast Guard’s informal standard, although most other organizations follow the same metric.

The flag insignia that indicate a small craft advisory is a red triangular flag. The flag insignia for gale force winds is two red triangular flags placed one above the other.

Any time you’re going to take a small craft out on the water, you should make sure to check flow conditions as well as wind conditions. You can check for advisories and other information on the Arkansas River by checking out the Army Corps of Engineers Little Rock District website, located at http://www.swl.usace.army.mil. From that page, click the button labeled “water management” to find river conditions.

You should also make sure you have sufficient boat insurance to cover your investment in the event of an accident.

Finally, make sure you’re following basic boating safety procedures. Wear your life jacket. Don’t operate the water craft if you’re drinking. Give towboats a wide berth, as they’re not nearly as maneuverable as your small watercraft.