Seminar focuses on boating safety

MADEIRA BEACH - Saturday was clear, warm and the water was inviting -- the kind of day Captain Mark Hubbard would normally spend at sea.

Instead, Hubbard, Captain Marti Heath and Captain John Skinner spent most of their morning inside a dock-side classroom. They were there largely because of the recent search for three boaters who were lost off the Gulf two weeks ago.

The Coast Guard suspended its search for the three men on March 3rd, after finding only one person alive. Hubbard and the others stepped in the pick up the search independently.

"That is one of the jobs of the Merchant Marine Captain's Association, to step in for the families when the Coast Guard is called off the search," according to Captain Heath.

Long before the boating accident, captains said they thought about starting a series of free boating safety seminars.

"The families of the gentleman that were lost at sea suggest doing a seminar," Hubbard said.

On Saturday, more than a dozen boaters took advantage of the session. Pamela Bermudez was among them.

"We found it very sad, my family prayed for them a lot," she said.

Bermudez told FOX 13 her family owns a boat very similar to the one from which the three men were lost.

"We wanted to brush up on some skills so we can learn the basics. I have a teenage son and it's very important to learn the safety of the boat so something like that doesn't happen to our family," she said.

Hubbard estimates there are more than 600,000 registered boats in three Bay Area counties. He says few have taken the time to learn exactly what to do in case of an emergency.

"We really need to have some kind of education before people get the opportunity to go off shore," Hubbard said.

There are numerous boating safety courses offered; however, Hubbard says none are mandatory.

The MMCA also operates on donations to cover the huge volumes of gas that are required to conduct a private search and rescue operation.

Anyone wishing to donate can visit www.mmcainfo.com or call 727-851-0286.