One person injured or killed while out on the water is one person too many, believes Bay of Plenty Trailer Yacht Squadron commodore Brian Gilliland.

As part of a drive to make boating and water sports safer the yacht club is conducting a free Safety and Training exercise at Okawa Bay Marina on Lake Rotoiti near Rotorua, on Saturday from 10am.

Brian says tomorrow's exercise is being run with assistance from New Zealand Yachting, Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Police, the NZ Fire Service, Coastguard Rotorua Lakes, The Rescue Coordination Centre NZ, and the Department of Conservation.

'Preparations have gone well and we're hopeful it's going to come off as a completely successful exercise. A lot will depend on weather but we're expecting at least a couple of dozen crews down at Lake Rotiti taking part, maybe more.

'Saturday is open to all boaties in the community and everyone's welcome to come down to either participate or spectate. We certainly want to spread the word of safety amongst all boaties and if people are interested then by all means, please come along.”

While the exercise is taking place on Lake Rotoiti, everything that'll be covered will be transferrable to both ocean and rivers and includes practical skills in radio operation and boat handling, getting vessels up to scratch before hitting the water, and what should be included in an on-board safety kit.

Brian asks: 'Do you carry the right equipment on-board to get yourself out of trouble? For example, is a knife readily available should a person go into the water?”

'People drown getting dragged through the water in a bow wave if they go overboard. They might get tangled in the ropes or lines, or they might have a safety tether attached to them and that could put them in jeopardy.

'If the boats running and they're body is immersed under the bow wave you've got to be able to grab that knife and cut that line – and it's not as easy as it sounds if you're in very difficult seas conditions.”

The Okawa Bay Marina on Lake Rotoiti. Photo: BOPTYS

A flare demonstration will also take place and is being carried out in order to acquaint boaties who've never fired one before on how to safely deploy a flare in an emergency situation.

You certainly don't want to be injured while you're trying to save another person's life, says Brian.

'It's easy to deploy a flare, but it's just as easy to be injured by one, just like any actions on the water if you don't do it correctly. Safety is the key issue there.”

Brian explains Saturday's exercise is in response to 'an awaken” and a drive by the boating fraternity, including NZ Yachting, to make boaties more aware and more conscious of the need for safety in what can be a dangerous sport.

'We're going to have a professional video crew involved on Saturday and that can be used for future training. If a need is identified and the response is a good one we would certainly entertain the idea of conducting future exercises.”

Bay of Plenty Trailer Yacht Squadron's free Safety and Training exercise takes place at Okawa Bay Marina on Lake Rotoiti just north of Rotorua, on Saturday, November 12, from 10am. For more information visit: www.boptys.net