NOAA's Office of the Coast Survey and National Weather Service
Team Up To Present a Seminar for Florida Sport Boaters

NOAA Navigation and Weather Products Critical to Safe Boating

Timothy R. Osborn
Office of Coast Survey (OCS)
NOAA National Ocean Service (NOS)

NOAA's Office of Coast Survey and National Weather Service's Tallahassee Weather Forecast Office conducted their fourth annual collaborative seminar on navigation and charting and marine weather forecasting and warnings to the sport boating community in Panama City Beach, FL, on February 9th. Treasure Island Marina, a large sport boating harbor and sales and service facility, was the host of seminar.

With thousands of sport boaters in north Florida, the awareness and use of NOAA and navigation aids (such as GPS, GPS chart plotters, LORAN) are a key element to safe boating along the coast's bays and waterways and in the Gulf of Mexico. Another critical tool to sport boating is the use of NOAA National Weather Service Marine Weather observations, forecasts and warnings on severe weather and sea state. The collaboration by both OCS and NWS in one joint seminar series was seen as a natural partnership to serve this large, and growing, coastal community.

The seminar was timed to occur just before the start of the boating season along the northern Gulf. In addition to NOAA's participation in the seminar, the Coast Guard Auxiliary (Panama City and Panama City Beach Flotillas) joined in the event to highlight their own efforts in teaching safe boating classes. Two television stations and a live radio broadcast was aired at the seminar and Auxiliary event at Treasure Island Marina.

Future seminars and the continued partnership of OCS and NWS are planned.