Boating Basics

The latest craze that has taken the world by storm and is creating a big splash in the field of recreational activity is boating. Both the young and the old are taking to boating like fish to water and it has gained world wide popularity in a short time. Boating however is not only a hobby, pursued by amateurs to glide on the waters during leisure hours in the pleasant summer months.

Boating is also a serious occupation for many, who ferry people across harbors, rivers and lakes. It is an economical and environment friendly mode of transport, especially in places like Venice, where gondolas are used as the city’s main transport service to travel along the canals and water ways. Before the invention of airplanes, you had to travel on ships and other such large vessels to travel to a distant land or to far off continents.

In Kashmir (India) beautiful houseboats called shikaras are used for dwelling purposes.

Many professional boating enthusiasts participate in competitions and channelise all their efforts and concentration on winning boating tournaments which might be small scale local tournaments or large scale world competitions.

Historical records will testify to the veracity of the statement that boating is a means of earning livelihood for many poor people and feeding the whole family. History tells us that boats and ships were the vehicles of landmark discoveries like discovery of West Indies, Mauritius, Australia, New Zealand and many other such countries.

Battles have been fought with the help of boats/water vessels and ships right from the inception of civilization. Migrations, immigrations, deportation of convicts, imperialist expansions, trade and commerce have all been carried out in the bygone eras with the help of boating.

Even in Shakespeare’s ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA we get a captivating description of Cleopatra’s barge sailing on the river Cydnus, as narrated by an awestruck Enobarbus in the famous Cydnus passage.

Thus it is clear that there is a rich history and glorious past associated with this aquatic activity. But before testing the waters with your new boat, you need to undergo a thorough boating course, attend classes, obtain your boating license and purchase proper equipment and accessories.

While navigating and operating a boat, you also need to be careful, because lack of concentration and negligence can lead to accidents. Always remember to drive safely and responsibly.