The USCG released its 2018 report on recreational boating accidents. I read the full report here: https://maritime-executive.com/arti...ributor-in-u-s-recreational-boating-accidents For the botttom line, deaths and accidents were down 3.8%. Alcohol was the leading cause of death (100). A few noteworthy quotes: "Operator inattention, improper lookout, operator inexperience, machinery failure, and excessive speed ranked as the top five primary contributing factors in accidents." "A number of deaths involved inflatable life jackets that had expired cartridges or life jackets that were not buckled, thus making them ineffective as lifesaving devices." "Where boating instruction was known, 74 percent of deaths occurred on vessels where the operator had not received boating safety instruction. " There's such a thing as accidents, and then there's the category of "no excuses." We have a big holiday weekend coming up - be smart, be safe, have fun!