November is "Manatee Awareness Month," and if you're a boater in Florida or the Southeast, you need to be aware of these majestic creatures and take care to share their waters with safe boating. The manatee habitat stretches from the Florida Panhandle down to the Keys (Key West and Bahia Honda Key are my own favorite sailing areas) and halfway up the Atlantic coast. They frequently swim and feed just below the surface, and boat strikes are the greatest threat to their lives. Amazingly, even in areas with posted slow speed zones, more than a third of boaters fail to comply and reduce speed. Slower speed gives you a better opportunity to spot a manatee ahead, and if a collision does occur, the injury is much less likely to be severe or fatal. Are some boaters just that thoughtful and uncaring - or is greater awareness needed? Here's a great article from Sailors for the Sea to help you learn more about what you can do.
