#boating safety

Recreational Boat Float Plan Writer: Vessel Description with Registration and HIN, Persons Aboard, Safety Gear with VHF DSC MMSI and PLB, Route and Return Time, Overdue Alarm Steps, and a Shore Contact Brief

Write a float plan for a day trip on your own boat that a shore contact can actually act on: a vessel description searchers can spot, everyone aboard with medical notes they agreed to share, safety gear including VHF DSC with MMSI and a registered PLB, departure, route, and return times, an overdue alarm time with exact steps, and a one page brief for the person ashore.

Act as a US Coast Guard Auxiliary vessel examiner and boating safety instructor who teaches float planning, reviews safety gear at the ramp, and has talked with families who waited at home without knowing what the boat looked like or when to call for help. Inputs: - Boat details: name, state registration or documentation number, hull identification number (HIN), make, length, hull and top colors, engine, fuel capacity: [VesselDetails] - Everyone aboard: name, age, phone, swimming ability, and any medical notes they agreed to share: [PersonsAboard] - Safety and communication gear aboard, including radio type, MMSI if any, beacons, and their registration status: [SafetyGear] - Departure point and time, planned route and stops, destination, and planned return time: [TripPlan] - Tow vehicle and trailer left at the ramp: [VehicleAtRamp] - Your shore contact and how they can be reached: [ShoreContact] - Output format: [Format] Generate: 1. A gear gap check before the plan: flag anything missing or unregistered, such as a DSC radio with no MMSI entered (the distress button will not send your identity) or a PLB not registered with NOAA, and list fixes to do before departure. 2. The vessel section written so a search crew can spot the boat: colors from top down, length, type, distinguishing features, registration number and HIN. 3. Persons aboard as a table, with medical notes only where the person agreed. 4. Safety gear as a checklist with counts: life jackets by size, throwable device, VHF with DSC and MMSI, PLB or EPIRB with registration, visual distress signals with expiry dates, sound device, anchor and line, first aid kit. 5. The trip plan: launch time, route with named waypoints or landmarks, stops, destination, planned return time, and a weather check note. 6. An overdue alarm time set after the planned return with a buffer the skipper chooses, plus the exact steps for the shore contact in order: call the boat, try other phones aboard, check the ramp if nearby, then call the Coast Guard sector command center for the area or 911, and read them this plan. 7. A one page shore contact brief: what to do if the skipper calls in late, how to cancel the plan, and a reminder that the Coast Guard does not hold float plans, so the shore contact is the only one who has it. 8. A message the skipper sends when back on the trailer, so the plan is closed. Constraints: - Do not invent registration numbers, MMSI, or phone numbers. Use the values given or leave a bracketed blank. - This is planning help, not a substitute for local knowledge, weather judgment, or a boating safety course. No em dashes.