Boaters be warned: The U.S. Coast Guard says you might want to think twice about heading out to sea this weekend.
The National Weather Service is predicting possibly gale force winds beginning tonight through the weekend. That's sustained surface winds of 39 to 54 mph.
They also are predicting high seas of 10 to 15 feet.
The U.S. Coast Guard put out an advisory about all this today.
It's all because of a storm system off the coast of the Pacific Northwest that is moving down here this weekend. .
Here's what the Coast Guard says:
The National Weather Service is predicting possibly gale force winds beginning tonight through the weekend. That's sustained surface winds of 39 to 54 mph.
They also are predicting high seas of 10 to 15 feet.
The U.S. Coast Guard put out an advisory about all this today.
It's all because of a storm system off the coast of the Pacific Northwest that is moving down here this weekend. .
Here's what the Coast Guard says:
Boaters who plan on venturing out should take extra precautions to ensure their own safety.
"Recreational boating is not advisable for the next couple of days. Those who do plan on boating should tell someone where they are going, and make sure they have their required safety equipment such as life jackets for everyone on board and signal flares," said Anthony Turner, spokesman for Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach.
The Coast Guard suggests boaters also equip their boats with GPS, a marine VHF radio, and 406Mhz Emergency Position Indication Radio Beacon.
"Often boaters in distress will rely on their cell phones. Coverage off short can be unreliable. With a marine VHF radio boaters in distress can contact the Coast Guard on channel 16. We have someone listening to that channel 24-hours a day," said Turner.
The most current marine forecast is available on teh National Weather Service web site at http://www.weather.gov/. Boating safety requirements and education information can be found at http://www.uscgboating.org.
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